To Kill A Mockingbird, chapters 10-16.

Bear with me for a second:
In my EDU class, we're discussing moral development (a HUGE theme in TKAM, I think). The unit discusses the different ways people judge their actions at different ages; for example, young children judge actions based on direct outcomes, whereas teenagers and adults judge actions based on intention. However, this is not always true. Adults tend to think like children when they are annoyed or angry, which in turn, teaches the child a very important lesson about their actions... Our text book used this example: A mother is very busy cooking dinner, and her son wants a glass of milk. In order to not disturb his mother, the child tries to pour the milk himself but ends up spilling it. The mother is irritated by this and scolds the boy. She has not taken into consideration the fact that her son's intention was to try and be independent so as to not take the mother away from her work, but instead the mother focused on the consequence: a big, milky mess. The child, in defending himself, considers his intention to help his mother.

This lesson popped into my head when I was reading TKAM, specifically the chapter in which Scout, Jem, and Dill go to town late at night to see where Atticus is, and jump to defend him when he is confronted by townsmen. Instead of getting angry that his children are out of bed and sneaking around late at night, Atticus recognizes that their actions were out of concern and love for their father. It became clear to me when I was reading this, that that has been Atticus's general attitude throughout the whole book. He has the ability to look beyond the outcomes of things, to the intentions of the actions that caused those outcomes. I think it is that ability that leads the reader to interpret Atticus as such a gentle-hearted, kind, patient man.

At the end of chapter 16, the trial has just begun...I'm excited (and nervous!) I can't wait to pick the book up again.