Bishop Wester takes on Atticus, Scout and Jem

Intermountain Catholic

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The Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, discusses ?To Kill a Mockingbird? with the Kearns-Saint Ann Catholic School eighth-grade class.

Fifty years ago, Harper Lee published "To Kill a Mockingbird," a tale of a girl whose lawyer father defends a Black man accused of raping a white girl in the pre-Civil Rights South.

"It’s a timeless book," said the Most Rev. John C. Wester, bishop of Salt Lake City. "It’s something for the ages because it speaks to the heart of being a human being, and the way God calls us to live in community."

The book also speaks to the themes of love, compassion, tolerance and forgiveness, which Bishop Wester discussed with the Kearns-Saint Ann Catholic School eighth-grade class on Jan. 20.

One of the key points in the book is when Atticus, the lawyer, sits in front of the town jail to ensure that his client isn’t lynched by a mob. By confronting those who wanted to hang Tom Robinson, "Atticus was projecting back to them the truth, that what they were doing was evil, and they didn’t like that," Bishop Wester said.

Like the mockingbird in the title, humans should repeat what they hear from God, the Bishop said. "God created us to learn from one another and to appreciate each other and to see the good in one another and affirm one another. Prejudice, bigotry and racism prevent us from doing that."

Another significant scene in the book is when the antagonist spits in Atticus’ face. Rather than return the insult or fight, Atticus looks his opponent in the eye, takes out his handkerchief, wipes off his face, and calmly gets into his car.

"Harper Lee is showing that not only should we combat racism and these evils in our society, but she’s giving us a clue as to how to do it," Bishop Wester said, pointing out that Atticus’ response mirrored Jesus standing up to Pontius Pilate and Mary remaining at the cross, not running away or lashing out at those who crucified her son. "She stayed there as a living witness of the truth and love and compassion," the bishop said. "When you come face to face with prejudice…how you respond is very important."

By contrast, there is moral ambiguity at the end of the book, when Atticus agrees not to challenge the sheriff’s story that the antagonist died by falling on his own knife, rather than telling the truth about how the man was killed because it would bring public attention to the town recluse, who was defending Atticus’ children.

The book’s ending points out that humans must respect the law, but there are many laws: the law of God, natural law and criminal law, among others, Bishop Wester said. "Harper Lee is helping us to see that we’ve got to have a moral compass, and we’ve got to know where our foundational principles are, and we have to allow those to dictate how we live our lives."

"To Kill a Mockingbird" is an excellent book for middle-school children to read, not only for the themes the bishop brought out but also for others, such as respecting parents, said Kearns-Saint Ann eighth-grade teacher Louise Hendrickson, who said having the bishop discuss it with the students was a wonderful experience. "I think they have such a high respect for him, and when he comes in he has a charisma that captures their attention and they get excited. My goal is that they remember this book forever, and him coming in and doing that, I think they will."