growing up

To Kill a Mockingbird is a story about a young girl growing up in a small town in the South the 1930's.  Jean Louise Finch is the narrator and central character of the story.  Everyone calls her Scout.  The story begins when Scout is 6 years old but she tells us the story as an adult looking back on her childhood.  Because this story is narrated by an adult woman about her life as a young girl, this story is a good way to reflect on childhood as an adult.  Through Scout's eyes, we learn a lot about race, racism and justice in the American South in the early 20th Century.  But we can also appreciate even more universal themes of growing up, education, gender, fear, courage and character. 

The narrative in this story helps participants recall the basic plot of "Fiddler on the Roof."  We're reintroduced to Tevye the dairyman and the character of the Fiddler himself.  Then we meet Tevye's daughters who are all seeking partners.  And we remember, experiencing a wide range of emotions, as each daughter struggles to find their way as individuals, respecting more (or less) the norms and expectations of their family and community.

It ends with the song called "Anatevka" sung by villagers as they pack their things and leave their village and traditions behind.