TKAM Blog Post #1

In both Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, even if one is discriminated against for it, sticking to one’s moral codes is often for the better. Alexie shows this through Rowdy’s reaction to Junior leaving the rez to go to Reardan, and Lee shows this through the majority of Maycomb’s attitude towards Atticus choosing to defend Tom Robinson. In both books, the authors show this theme through internal and external dialogue.

In ATD, Junior knows that “[his] fellow tribal members are going to torture [him]” (47) when he chooses to leave the rez and go to Reardan, a white school outside the reservation. This is confirmed in the very next chapter, when he tells his best friend, Rowdy, that he’s leaving to go to Reardan. “‘You always thought you were better than me,” Rowdy yells, before proceeding to punch him three times and walk away. However, Junior going to Reardan probably is his only chance at having a bright future. Reardan is where he was able to live to his full potential, as shown by him getting pretty good grades (214) and him winning many basketball games for Reardan. Him sticking to what he believes, even though he lost the respect of many on the rez for it, is ultimately for the better.

In TKAM, Scout frequently hears Atticus called a n****r-lover, which Atticus explains as someone who prefers black people over themselves, and that Atticus is “ruinin’ the family” (83, 108, 83). She notes that Jem and Atticus must’ve also taken a lot of insults for Atticus’s case (102). Even through that discrimination, Atticus chooses to continue defending Tom Robinson, because that’s what his conscience dictates as correct. He says that he wouldn’t even be able to face his children if he didn’t take this case (88). In today’s eye, what Atticus is doing is quite revolutionary and good for Maycomb, as it errs on the more anti-racial discrimination side of things. Him sticking to his moral codes and defending Tom Robinson against Maycomb’s norms would actually be the better, right thing to do. Him sticking to his moral code is for the better.