Yesterday I finished reading Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine, and I thought I'd do an appreciation of it. I feel that the main character, Caitlin, has really changed throughout the book, even a lot since my last blog post, where I talked about meaningful moments in it. At the beginning of the book, I think that Caitlin was ignoring dealing with her brother's death, but by the end she was able to fully accept it.
First of all, in the beginning of the book, Caitlin was resisting feeling any emotions about her brother's death. When her school counselor asked her how she felt during the funeral, she just replied that she felt normal and was able to doze into her own little world. Caitlin doesn't feel sad or even show that she misses her brother, who was her role-model. She goes on living life like nothing happened. She uses Devon's name in the present tense, saying that "Devon says..." instead of "Devon said..." It's as if at the beginning of the book Caitlin didn't understand that her brother was truly gone. She knows that Devon was shot and killed and that he is dead, but she doesn't seem to acknowledge that she won't be able to see him again.
As the story progresses, Caitlin starts to get very sad about her brother's death. She tries to find closure by finishing Devon's wooden chest that he was working on, but when that doesn't make her dad fully cheer up, she realizes that completing the chest will fix only some problems. No matter what, Devon is gone, and there will always be a gap that can never be filled. At the end of the book, Caitlin finally cries for her brother, that his life was cut so short and that he'd never be able to teach her anything else again. I feel that this is when Caitlin really understands that Devon is dead. She understands that finding closure is much more than finishing the chest. By the end of the book, Caitlin notices that she is a friend and role-model of Michael, a first-grader whose mother was also killed in the same school shooting as Devon. She realizes that Michael looks up to her as much as she looked up to Devon. By the end of the book, Caitlin became more mature and grown-up.
A main theme in Mockingbird is understanding others, and the author made it a really big idea. Since Caitlin has Asperger's, she has trouble understanding her peers and her peers have trouble understanding her. But by the end of the book, Caitlin makes an effort to relate to others and make friends. Also, the author discusses in the author's note how a school shooter might not be understood by others and not have anyone who listens to them, and that causes them to resort to violence, and that maybe these actions could be stopped if people took the time to understand each other better. It makes sense, because if everybody cared to listen to each other, and possibly understand what they're saying, everybody would have a chance to get their thoughts out in a peaceful manner.
In conclusion, Caitlin has changed a lot throughout the entire book. At the beginning of Mockingbird, she didn't feel anything after her brother's death. At the end of the book, she really started to miss Devon, and she also felt the need to be Michael's friend. I liked this book for a lot of reasons. It's told from the point of view of a girl with Asperger's, and a lot of books aren't told from that kind of perspective. Also, I think the theme of understanding others is important in life. This was a very interesting book, and I recommend it to other readers.
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