Mockingbird Passing
Author | : Holly Blackford |
Publisher | : Univ. of Tennessee Press |
Total Pages | : 362 |
Release | : 2011-06 |
ISBN-10 | : 9781572337497 |
ISBN-13 | : 1572337494 |
Rating | : 4/5 (494 Downloads) |
Download or read book Mockingbird Passing written by Holly Blackford and published by Univ. of Tennessee Press. This book was released on 2011-06 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Blackford finds the basis of Mockingbird's broad appeal in its ability to embody the mainstream culture of romantics like Emerson and social reform writers like Stowe, even as alternative canons---southern gothic, deadpan humor, queer literatures, regional women's novels---lurk in its subtexts. Central to her argument is the notion of "passing": establishing an identity that conceals the inner self so that one can function within a closed social order. For example, the novel's narrator, Scout, must suppress her natural tomboyishness to become a "lady." Meanwhile, Scout's father, Atticus Finch, must contend with competing demands of thoughtfulness, self-reliance, and masculinity that ultimately stunt his effectiveness within an unjust society. Blackford charts the identity dilemmas of other key characters---the mysterious Boo Radley, the young outsider Dill (modeled on Lee's lifelong friend Truman Capote), the oppressed victim Tom Robinson---in similarly intriguing ways.