My travel blog about To Kill a Mockingbird
Some journeys do not begin at an airport or train station; some begin with the turning of a page. My recent “trip” was through Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, it took me to a place 12,344.32 km away—Maycomb, Alabama. Yes, a fictional town, but one that feels as real as any place marked on a map. It’s dusty, traditional, and filled with stories that reveal both the warmth and cruelty of life in the 1930s.
My guide through Maycomb was Scout Finch, she lived with her father and brother. She was curious and sharp-eyed, her narration made Maycomb feel mysterious but full of warmth. The first step into Maycomb was hot but time felt slow. During the time of the Great Depressions, people didn’t have much money but had endless supply of time. I saw them gossiping on the front porch, baking cakes, watching neighbors etc..
Day one: Finch’s and Radley’s place (just imagine I stayed at the Finch’s place).
As known, every destination has it’s mystery, and Maycomb’s is the Radley place on my street. This was a shabby and creepy house with shattered windows and a overgown yard. Scout, her brother Jem, and their friend dill are obsessed with this place. I feel like during their childhood they built a whole mythology according to Boo Radley (a weird man from the Radley fam). There are many rumors about him. For example, Boo is a monster who eats squirrels raw and peers through windows at night. However as a traveler, Scout explains to me that: the scariest places are often the ones that are most misunderstood. When summer comes,small gifts keep appearing in the hole in a oak tree. We ended the day with a dinner at the Finch’s place. Which was meat, vegetables, milk with syrup served by Calpurnia.
Day two: Miss Maudie’s garden
Across the street from the Finches lives Miss Maudie Atkinson, and her garden is a must visit. She’s the kind of local you hope to meet when traveling. Someone who tells you the truth about a place, not just the tourist friendly version. She baked us cake as a greeting. I truly enjoyed the time we spent in her garden! In the afternoon we went to the most important place—Maycomb’s county courthouse. Spoiler: this is not a pleasant tourist stop, its where you see the true face of this town. I attended the trial of Tom Robinson, a black falsely accused of assaulting a white women. Tom’s layer was Atticus Finch (Scout’s father). Atticus logically proves Tom’s innocence with is speech. But still, the all-white jury convicts Tom anyway. Scout, Jem, Dill, and I where watched the whole process on the colored balcony. Day 2 of my travel was uncomfortable, but it should be. Since if you leave a place exactly as you arrive, you weren’t really paying attention.
Day three: Complicating
Calpurnia, the Finches’ house keeper, took us to First Purchase African M.E Church, and suddenly I realized I’d only been seeing half of Maycomb. This is the part of town where white tourists barely visit—the part where black families live and work. The church had no fancy decorations. People sing together, help support Tom Robinson’s family, and were very welcoming to the Finch’s and I. Today was my last night in Maycomb, it was also the most terrifying. After the trial, a man named Bob Ewell—angry at being exposed as a liar—attacked Scout and Jem in the dark. They would have died if not for an unlikely savior: Boo Radley. The “monster” of Maycomb turned out to be its most decent citizen. Boo carried the injured Jem home, and when Scout finally met him face-to-face, she saw not a ghost but a shy, gentle man who had been protecting the children all along. Standing on the Radley porch at the end of my journey, I understood what Atticus had been teaching all along: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view—until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”