杀死一只知更鸟

原书及其作者：Harper Lee 的 "To Kill A Mockingbird"，1861至1865年间南北战争结束，这本书1960年出版，美国的种族隔离还没结束。虽然内容很严肃，但是从孩子的视角展开，语言并不冷硬。除了关于种族歧视的大背景，其实这本书里最触动我的，是主角父亲对主角兄妹俩采取的教育方式。

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>p100 "Atticus, you've never laid a hand on her."
"I admit that. So far I've been able to get by with threats. Jack, she minds me as well as she can. Doesn't come up to scratch half the time, but she tries."
"That's not the answer," said Uncle Jack.
"No, the answer is she knows I know she tries. That's what makes the difference..."

• 这本书的视角固定在6岁的妹妹简·路易斯·芬奇（Jean Louise）身上，斯科特（Scout）是她小名。她的父亲阿提克斯（Atticus Finch）基本是书里的道德楷模，他们的家庭教育几乎是没有教育的教育，并无说教，也不过度保护，而是一个家里的孩子如果耳濡目染的是良好的榜样，教育自然就会发生。健康的孩子要在爱与尊重中长养心灵，为人父母要做的就是展示正确的方向，给予适度的管教。都说孩子生来是一片白纸，白纸却有本能的敏锐，尊重孩子的父母也会被子女所尊重，建立在相互理解能力范围之上的引导会以最好的方式被接受。哪怕有的小皮孩一时不懂做父母的苦心，这种互动模式本身就是极为良好的种子，何时发芽就不是人力所能控制的了。有这样的家庭关系不仅是孩子的幸事，等到老了也是父母的幸事。

>p100-101 “What are you going to do, then?” (uncle Jack)(Atticus) “Before I’m through, I intend to jar the jury a bit—I think we’ll have a reasonable chance on appeal, though. I really can’t tell at this stage, Jack. You know, I’d hoped to get through life without a case of this kind, but John Taylor (the judge) pointed at me and said, ‘You’re It.’”
“Let this cup pass from you, eh?”
“Right. But do you think I could face my children otherwise? You know what’s going to happen as well as I do, Jack, and I hope and pray I can get Jem (the father’s son, Scout’s big brother) and Scout through it without bitterness, and most of all, without catching Maycomb’s usual disease. Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don’t pretend to understand… I just hope that Jem and Scout come to me for their answers instead of listening to the town. I hope they trust me enough… Jean Louise?”
My scalp jumped. I stuck my head around the corner. “Sir?”
“Go to bed.”
I scurried to my room and went to bed. Uncle Jack was a prince of a fellow not to let me down. But I never figured out how Atticus knew I was listening, and it was not until many years later that I realized he wanted me to hear every word he said.

• 这是这本书里最让我动容的片段。前半段是主角父亲的职业追求，这本书的情节很简单，一个黑人汤姆（Tom Robinson）被指控子虚乌有的罪名，主角父亲（Atticus）被指任为汤姆的无偿律师。这在当时背景下几乎是不可能赢的官司，阿提克斯也本可以拒绝，最终尽全力后也确实没有打赢。但有些事情就是这样的，它触碰你的良心。一辈子如果没碰上也就没碰上了，碰上了就逃不掉。一个家庭，要想让子女成长的堂堂正正，做父母的首先要有真的堂堂正正。

• 后半段我最初读的时候笑了，这种类似情况下小姑娘稍微一唬就自己跳出来了，非常可爱。但是言归正传，这种信任让人感动。孩子的心很神奇，话说出去，他们总会听懂自己能听懂的部分，而剩下的部分，往往也会在成长后的某天突然明白。

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原书信息：Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. 1960. Grand Central Publishing, 11 July 1960.