Harper Lee

I wanted to post something about the loss of one of the most beloved American authors of all time. But what? A list of quotes? Too BuzzFeed. A reflection? I don’t really know what to say that’s not already been said. So instead I’m just going to share with you my favorite passage from To Kill a Mockingbird. It encapsulates the entire novel beautifully. It’s the passage that makes me cry. It comes at the end of the novel, as Scout turns around to look down her street from Boo’s porch:

It was summertime, and two children scampered down the sidewalk toward a man approaching in the distance. The man waved, and the children raced each other to him.

It was still summertime, and the children came closer. A boy trudged down the sidewalk dragging a fishingpole behind him. A man stood waiting with his hands on his hips. Summertime, and his children played in the front yard with their friend, enacting a strange little drama of their own invention.

It was fall, and his children fought on the sidewalk in front of Mrs. Dubose’s. The boy helped his sister to her feet, and they made their way home. Fall, and his children trotted to and fro around the corner, the day’s woes and triumphs on their faces. They stopped at an oak tree, delighted, puzzled, apprehensive.

Winter, and his children shivered at the front gate, silhouetted against a blazing house. Winter, and a man walked into the street, dropped his glasses, and shot a dog.

Summer, and he watched his children’s heart break. Autumn again, and Boo’s children needed him.

Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.

Rest in peace, Harper Lee.

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