In Chapter 1, we are introduced to a basis of characters. One of the main characters, Scout, is the narrator of the story. She talks about her ancestors and her family history. Simon Finch was the first person in her family to come to America. He was a fur trader and an apothecary who built a farm on the Alabama River. Scout's father, Atticus Finch, made the farm successful and became a lawyer in Maycomb. Atticus is very fortunate because he makes a pretty decent living right in the middle of the Great Depression. The Finch's also live in an extremely poor town. Their mother died and their cook helps take care of the kids. A boy moved next door when Jem is 10 and Scout is 6. The boy's name is Dill and lives with his mother. He does not like to talk about the absence of his father from his life. One day, the children were playing and they went to try and get Boo Radley to leave his house. Boo was prisoned inside of his house when he stabbed his brother in the stomach with a pair of scissors. He has not been seen outside since his father made him stay inside of his house. I am looking forward to keep reading this book because this chapter ends in a great way. I am interested in seeing if Boo actually comes out of the house. Also it will be great if he does come out and if he is as crazy as people say he is.
During this time period, The Great Depression is happening in the United States. Scout talks about how poor the town of Maycomb is. There are a lot of abandoned houses on the streets of Maycomb. Scout also says about how her dad makes a good amount of money as a lawyer in Maycomb. Not a lot of people make a good amount of money during that time period especially in a small town like the town of Maycomb. The Finch's are fortunate that Atticus makes as much money as he does during The Great Depression. Also most people are probably very sad and depressed during this time period. They keep away from each other for the most part because of how poor most people are. There were normally to types of people during that time period. Either you were very wealthy, or extremely poor when The Great Depression was happening. To Kill A Mockingbird takes place right in the middle of The Great Depression.
In this first chapter we start to get introduced to the book. We learn all about the characters, the setting, and many more things. I look forward to keep reading this book and to see what happens in the future. Also I'm interested in finding out how much The Great Depression influences the book and the plot.
This was a great summary and reflection on chapter one, Max! You were also very thorough in your discussion of the Great Depression as part of the context of the story. I would like to see a little more discussion of the cultural context--what were race relations like during this time period? How do you know? Also, who was president? (HINT: Maycomb had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself).
ReplyDeleteIf you can add those elements, this will be a very strong post. When you make the changes, comment so that I know to review your revisions. :)