Preface to the Analysis of the Extract from "to Kill a Mocking Bird" by Harper Lee

There are many things that were, are and are very likely to stay incomprehensible for us therefore causing perpetual anguished reflections and arguments for many generations of people. Some of these things are objective, natural phenomena in the world around us like the blue colour of the sky or the instinct of different birds and fish which always leads them home. But also there are such things like Good and Evil, Love and Hatred, Honesty and Betrayal, Self-sacrifice and Egoism, Eternity and Transiency. They are abstract, subjective concepts in the sense that they are created by the human mind and exist in only in our heads. Nevertheless they are no less weighty and, perhaps, they are even more significant for us.

For example I doubt that you care much about the blue sky or salmon or birds but you’re certainly worried if you friend has deceived you or you’re tortured by the thoughts that one day you’ll disappear and what will be left after you.

And probably one of the most poignant problems that the humanity has ever faced is the problem of justice. The proofs are quite handy:

What do you think the essential idea of any religion is? If you’re good that you’ll be in Paradise, if you’re bad – then Hell awaits you. If you’ve suffered – you’ll be recompensed. If you’ve mistreated somebody then you’ll be punished. By the Supreme Judge. Give and you’ll be given back. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Believe and Your God will justify you.

Our country was atheistic for a long time. There was no religion, but there was the socialism and it offered equality as the highest justice. And many revolutions, social movements have had “justice for all” as their motto.

It seems to me that the reason is that our world is too full of controversies and contrasts – there are poor