讀書筆記：To Kill A Mockingbird殺死一隻知更鳥

發信人: zli (茶眾，not Tea Party)

作者Harper Lee，1960年出版，應該是這裡的高中讀物吧。 很簡單的一本書，不但情
節簡單，而且語言用詞也都簡單，稍微有點難度的是一些南方的習俗和俚語，不過完全
不影響通讀。

故事設置是大蕭條時期的美國南方阿拉巴馬的一個小鎮，基本是作者的准自傳體，主要
寫了小女孩Scout Finch在6~9歲這幾年生活中發生的一些大大小小的事情。 學校，打
架，調皮搗蛋，鬼屋，狂犬，強姦，官司，死刑，謀殺。。。打趣和沉重兩種筆觸並存
，也不是嚴格意義的青少年讀物。

本來想寫分析點什麼主題的，比如南方的種族歧視，律師的職業操守，loss of
innocence, 傲慢與偏見，陌生與寬容，成長的煩惱，等等。但是每個主題細想想，覺
得書里都寫的明明白白的，實在是沒什麼可過多分析的。

那就簡單說兩點，勉強算作獨立的所得吧。

1. 作為coming of age類型的書，感覺作者實際上是把同一時間段內的三個不同的人放
到了一條線上 Scout-Jem-Addicus。 三個角色按照年齡順序體現的是一個人思想的變
化。

2. 結尾讀完后建議別放下，馬上回來再重讀一遍第一章，呼應寫的很精彩。這個是同
名電影里體會不到的，算是文學和閱讀這種形式的獨特的魅力之一吧。


寫不出太多東西，乾脆就分享一下書里自己最喜歡的一段。 (Jem和Scout是兄妹）

「Don』t do that, Scout. Set him out on the back steps.」

「Jem, are you crazy? . . .」

「I said set him out on the back steps.」

Sighing, I scooped up the small creature, placed him on the bottom step and
went back to my cot.

September had come, but not a trace of cool weather with it, and we were
still sleeping on the back screen porch. Lightning bugs were still about,
the night crawlers and flying insects that beat against the screen the
summer long had not gone wherever they go when autumn comes.

A roly-poly had found his way inside the house; I reasoned that the tiny
varmint had crawled up the steps and under the door. I was putting my book
on the floor beside my cot when I saw him. The creatures are no more than an
inch long, and when you touch them they roll themselves into a tight gray
ball.

I lay on my stomach, reached down and poked him. He rolled up. Then, feeling
safe, I suppose, he slowly unrolled. He traveled a few inches on his
hundred legs and I touched him again. He rolled up. Feeling sleepy, I
decided to end things. My hand was going down on him when Jem spoke.

Jem was scowling. It was probably a part of the stage he was going through,
and I wished he would hurry up and get through it. He was certainly never
cruel to animals, but I had never known his charity to embrace the insect
world.

「Why couldn』t I mash him?」 I asked.

「Because they don』t bother you,」 Jem answered in the darkness. He had
turned out his reading light.

「Reckon you』re at the stage now where you don』t kill flies and mosquitoes
now, I reckon,」 I said. 「Lemme know when you change your mind. Tell you
one thing, though, I ain』t gonna sit around and not scratch a redbug.」

「Aw dry up,」 he answered drowsily.