The Reading List: Mockingbirds Don’t Sing Alone

Posted on by Darrek Ferrell

Not every book in The Reading List will be a non-fiction self-help book. Those aren’t in our high school English classes because the stories contained in fictional literature can often teach us just as much or sometimes more than those non-fiction manuals. 

One great example is To Kill a Mockingbird, a book that is not without its share of controversy. Harper Lee was 34 years old when this book was first published in 1926, and after listening to this book again on Audible, I wonder what kind of life must have been contained in those 34 years to have given her the volume of wisdom shown in this one book. 

You probably read To Kill a Mockingbird in High School, and your teacher probably talked to you about some of the essential themes of the book, including: racism, prejudice, the loss of innocence or coming of age experienced by Scout and Jem, moral and ethical growth, and social inequality. Those are perfect lessons for teenagers and young adults first exposed to this book. When I listened to it recently, though, something slightly different grabbed me. 

Before we get there, if you haven’t read the book or if you’ve forgotten it, it’s important that you know who Boo Radley was. Arthur Radley, nicknamed Boo, was a reclusive character who lived in his parents home, down the street from the Finch family. As readers, we aren’t told why Boo is so reclusive, but we are given hints about some traumatic event and the harshness of his father. Calpurnia, the African American maid that works for the Finch family, described him as “…the meanest man ever God blew breath into.” Boo has a brother, Nathan, who is not reclusive, but is nearly as abrasive as their father. Because of his reclusiveness, the people of Maycomb, Alabama have all kinds of wild rumors and ideas about Boo, most of which depict him as a monster that should be locked away for the safety of the town.

Jem and Scout Finch, the main characters of the novel, spend a great deal of their time trying to learn more about the curious character that is Boo Radley. In one portion of the book, Jem and Scout start to find gifts left in a knot hole of a tree on the edge of the Radley’s property. These gifts are mostly small items that could be found around the house, including chewing gum, Indian-head pennies, a pocket watch, and an aluminum knife. One gift, in particular, was very interesting. The mysterious giver left two figurines carved out of soap resembling Jem and Scout. Without specifically saying it, the reader is brought to the understanding that these gifts were left in the tree by Boo Radley and meant specifically for Jem and Scout.

Think about that for a moment. This reclusive, uncivilized monster chooses to communicate to these children who have shown curiosity about him from the beginning of the novel in a way that expresses a desire for a friendly relationship. The giving of gifts is even described as one of The Five Love Languages, and long before that book was written, we see it on full display here. From what appears to be a somewhat involuntary isolation, Boo Radley reaches out to make friends – so much so that he spent time in his home carving figurines of his intended audience. How long do you think it must have taken him to carve the likeness of two children he only sees through his window, with no photograph to aid that effort? Can you imagine Boo Radley in his room sculpting these delicate little items and thinking about what a wonderful surprise it will be for the children he hopes to befriend?

The point here is that connectedness with other humans is essential to our everyday lives. Not only did Boo take a risk in slipping out of the house to put the items in the tree, but he also calculated that risk to know that the reward of establishing a relationship with these children was far greater than any potential negative consequences. We live in the Post-Covid world, and we still seldom talk about the depth of importance that our people hold in our lives. I have acknowledged the advances in technology and workplace culture that now lets people work from home or attend meetings from anywhere but the conference room. Faced with the elements presented in this book, I also must acknowledge the diminished value we give to human connection.

To drive that point home, we come to understand that Boo’s brother, Nathan, has caught on to the drops that Boo has been making in the hole in the tree. He fills the hole with cement and tells Jem and Scout it was for the health of the tree. Later they learn, there was never anything wrong with that tree, and the novel spends a few paragraphs telling us all about the disappointment that Jem and Scout felt in losing their access to Boo. The one thing the novel could never tell us was how Boo must have felt in losing access to the most important people in his life. The communication line is severed, and he is alone. Imagine the turmoil that must have gone on in the room where those same little soap figurines were lovingly carved. Think of the hours of excitement about presenting them with such a fine gift replaced by the hours of despair over lost access.

Now think about those communications lines to people in your life that you would be devastated to see shut off. Think about those people that you were close to in another chapter of your life that you haven’t talked to in years. I’m more guilty than anyone of letting those communications drop. The biggest lesson I learned from listening to a book that I’ve already read a bunch of times is that as humans, we have an innate need to be connected. Boo picked Jem and Scout for some reason that only he knows. Jem and Scout chose to approach the house out of curiosity rather than let the rumor mill complete their understanding of Boo – all for reasons that only they knew. There are acquaintances – people we all know a little about – and then there are connections, the people we invite to have access to who we really are. Something in Harper Lee’s life led her to the understanding that until we have that connection we are all living an unfulfilled life.

So if you need something to read, revisiting To Kill a Mockingbird isn’t a bad way to go. If you want to understand human connection a little more, check out: