My Weekend Crush

With the casting of Katniss Everdeen finally done, my mind naturally drifts to other great female heroines. The literary canon is filled with them, from Anne Shirley to Elizabeth Bennett and Jo March to Jayne Eyre. And then there’s the littlest one of all, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch. The tomboy in overalls, with her scraped knees and mussed hair. The 6-year-old “To Kill a Mockingbird” narrator is a lot of things – courageous, feisty, loyal. She is also filled with curiosity and compassion, two of the best traits a human being can have. And of course intelligent, which is never a bad quality. But without compassion, it can be a cruel gift. Through Scout’s eyes, we find our own compassion. We’re there, standing on the porch, walking in Boo’s shoes. Before the Civil Rights Act, before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, before laws hit the books against discrimination based on race, sex, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation and you name it, Scout knew there was just one kind of folks. Folks. Sometimes, we need reminding that to be a girl in this world is quite a thing. Sometimes, the littlest show us the most. Happy weekend, all.