Harper Lee's "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"
If you haven’t picked up To Kill a Mockingbird in a while—or if you were assigned the book in school but never told anything other than the message of it is that racism is bad, you should take another look. It may be one of the best anti-progressive books we have.
Consider this exchange from chapter 2:
“Did you forget your lunch money this morning?” asked Miss Caroline.
Walter looked straight ahead. I saw a muscle jump in his skinny jaw.
“Did you forget it this morning?” asked Miss Caroline. Walter’s jaw twitched again.
“Yeb’m,” he finally mumbled.
Miss Caroline went to her desk and opened her purse.
“Here’s a quarter,” she said to Walter. “Go and eat downtown today. You can pay me back tomorrow.”
Walter shook his head. “Nome thank you ma’am,” he drawled softly.
Impatience crept into Miss Caroline’s voice: “Here Walter, come get it.”
. . . I rose graciously on Walter’s behalf: “Ah—Miss Caroline?”
“What is it, Jean Louise?”
“Miss Caroline, he’s a Cunningham.”
. . . My special knowledge of the Cunningham tribe—one branch, that is—was gained from the events of last winter. Walter’s father was one of Atticus’s clients. After a dreary conversation in our living room one night about his entailment, before Mr. Cunningham left he said, “Mr. Finch, I don’t know when I’ll ever be able to pay you.”
“Let that be the least of your worries, Walter,” Atticus said.
“When I asked Jem what entailment was, and Jem described it as a condition of having your tail in a crack, I asked Atticus if Mr. Cunningham would ever pay us.
“Not in money,” Atticus said, “but before the year’s out I’ll have been paid. You watch.”
We watched. One morning Jem and I found a load of stovewood in the back yard. Later, a sack of hickory nuts appeared on the back steps. With Christmas came a crate of smilax and holly. That spring when we found a crokersack full of turnip greens, Atticus said Mr. Cunningham had more than paid him. . . .
. . . Entailment was only a part of Mr. Cunningham’s vexations. The acres not entailed were mortgaged to the hilt, and the little cash he made went to interest. If he held his mouth right, Mr. Cunningham could get a WPA job, but his land would go to ruin if he left it, and he was willing to go hungry to keep his land and vote as he pleased. Mr. Cunningham, said Atticus, came from a set breed of men.
As the Cunninghams had no money to pay a lawyer, they simply paid us with what they had. “Did you know,” said Atticus, “that Dr. Reynolds works the same way? He charges some folks a bushel of potatoes for delivery of a baby. . . .”
If I could have explained these things to Miss Caroline, I would have saved myself some inconvenience and Miss Caroline subsequent mortification, but it was beyond my ability to explain things as well as Atticus, so I said, “You’re shamin’ him, Miss Caroline. Walter hasn’t got a quarter at home to bring you, and you can’t use any stovewood.”
There are several remarkable aspects to this passage. The political significance is that Lee’s literary account of the Depression runs wholly contrary to the progressive view of history taught in the schools: that unrestrained capitalism in the twenties, combined with Hoover’s laissez-faire presidency, landed America in a horrible Depression, and so the “pragmatist” F.D.R. came into office with no fear but of fear itself and put everything back together again with his alphabet agencies—and everyone was happily put on the dole.
Of course, several important economists and historians (e.g., Milton Friedman, Burt Folsom) have tried to put that myth to rest. But the complexities of the money supply are not an easy thing to teach to teenagers—especially in opposition to the countervailing myth. Yet here is a great image of the human spirit given to us by one of America’s greatest storytellers: of the self-reliant Cunningham child not wanting to take the quarter from the officious, know-nothing, progressive teacher (see the satire on Dewey in that chapter!) who appears as the embodiment of the out-of-touch welfare bureaucrat. Here, too, is a great image of civil society getting by (despite the mess made in Washington) without nationalized health care and without a free lunch program courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Obama.
The tragedy here is that To Kill a Mockingbird is not read in this way. It is not read in this way because whatever books might be in the curriculum (and Lee’s masterpiece is probably the most common novel in today’s schools), Progressive teachers in the mold of Miss Caroline, trained in the “Dewey Decimal System,” are wholly incapable of bringing the least understanding out of the book (except the one bumper-sticker slogan), much less a cogent political and moral lesson. American school children today are aliens to their own literary heritage. Ergo, if we do not take back the schools—to include the suburban schools in the most conservative and affluent neighborhoods, restoring the country to its Founding principles rests on the sandiest of foundations.
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Nov '10
Re: Harper Lee's "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"
Wonderful book/film about the power of the human spirit. And don't get me started about the Scout (Jean Louise) and Boo Radley scene!
Apr '11
Re: Harper Lee's "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"
Terrence, if I may be personal, I have thoroughly enjoyed all of your posts. They are thoughtful, cogent and insightful and I'm feeling awfully damn inadequate when I considering whether to post something or not! Not really, I'm just amazed, truly at the depth of knowledge from all the contributors, including yourself. I reminded of the talented comedian who makes us laugh because of their ability to observe the world around us we see everyday but can't articulate it as well.
Please continue!
Re: Harper Lee's "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"
Dear Stephen S.:
Thank you very much. It means a lot to get such high compliments from civil, thoughtful readers (unlike most of the blogosphere) who actually engage the issues and the authors. I have enjoyed the week immensely.
May '10
Re: Harper Lee's "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"
I was born in 1980. When To Kill a Mockingbird came up at my public high school, it was the film only.
One more book to add to my to-do list. Thanks.
Jun '10
Re: Harper Lee's "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"
Harper Lee has the sweetest voice in all of American letters, and that's saying something given the list of authors includes such luminaries as Mark Twain. Too bad she only wrote this one book. Still, one great book is enough to assure immortality.
And, Aaron, put this book at the top of your to-do list, after you start reading everything else on the list will fade in importance.
Jul '10
Re: Harper Lee's "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"
"American school children today are aliens to their own literary heritage."
I can see it now.... Fifty years from now, those same American school children will be reminiscing and dissecting "tweets" of yesteryear....
Jun '10
Re: Harper Lee's "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"
I'm kind of stumped here. I'm wondering why you assume evey child assigned the book is shielded from the messages of class inequity? Or the triumph of self reliance? Or mockery of Scout's teacher's rigid adherence to her teachers' college methods?
Did your children have the unfortunate luck of being stuck with a dud teacher? I know when that happens we tend to project that bad experience onto a wide expanse of the school system, and it may or may not be justified.
I gave the Spark notes a quick look.......they cover many themes beyond racism. These study guides, like Cliff Notes, are a pretty reliable indicator of the current approach to literary analysis in our schools. And you can be assured, for good or fo bad, that many students are consulting the Spark notes to study the book.
Feb '11
Re: Harper Lee's "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"
One of the joys of getting older is being able to go back and reread a book after a lapse of thirty or forty years or more. It's like you had never read it before. In many ways, you hadn't.
Jun '10
Re: Harper Lee's "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"
What I got out of that passage was mostly the importance of personal pride and character, and about someone trying to do someone else a good turn without realizing the damage they were doing instead. But that's my personal interpretation.
When I read fiction for pleasure I don't usually read through the lens of politics. I certainly wouldn't want a teacher focusing politically on aspects of literature when teaching my children. After all, the teacher may be one of "those" (for whatever flavor of "those" spikes your blood pressure the most).
Jun '10
Re: Harper Lee's "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"
Rereading an old favorite is like visiting with old friends.
Aug '10
Re: Harper Lee's "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"
This post is very interesting to me for this reason: In 1994 a highschool student who was living with my family had to read To Kill a Mockingbird . I clearly remember her telling me that her class had discussed how this passage of the book illustrated the inappropriate sense of shame that once prevented poor people from getting the help they needed. I had only seen the movie so I didn't voice any disagreement.
Jun '11
Re: Harper Lee's "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"
Unfortunately our American society has nurtured and developed a huge moocher class that knows there is such a thing as a free lunch. They are looking for freebies and believe that "millionaires and billionaires" deserve to pay for their freebies.
The shame is in the wasted human capital. Mr. Cunningham is a productive proud participant in a free society.
Like Great Britain where 1 of 5 households have zero people who actually go to work, America is rewarding the deadbeats. Its a travesty.
Jul '11
Re: Harper Lee's "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"
Ansonia, no sooner had I finished reading your post when my wife chimed about the free lunch for all program to keep kids from feeling shame for getting free lunches.
It is truly amazing how some people could see a boy in rags and think that government entitlement is needed whereas another could see an opportunity for a human being to a moral example for another and help inspire a boy to become a man with dignity and values.
Jul '11
Re: Harper Lee's "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"
Terrell David: Unfortunately our American society has nurtured and developed a huge moocher class that knows there is such a thing as a free lunch. They are looking for freebies and believe that "millionaires and billionaires" deserve to pay for their freebies.
The shame is in the wasted human capital. Mr. Cunningham is a productive proud participant in a free society.
Like Great Britain where 1 of 5 households have zero people who actually go to work, America is rewarding the deadbeats. Its a travesty. · Aug 20 at 8:30am
How the Buffets of the world can pontificate about the wealth inequality in our society and continue to support welfare state programs that create permanent poverty is beyond me.
Feb '11
Re: Harper Lee's "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"
Great books and great people reveal truths about life--politics, society, community, personhood, family--best with gentleness, humility and humor. Thanks for pointing us to another example of how much depth there is to be discovered in a good book.
Nov '10
Re: Harper Lee's "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"
There seems to be a Gresham’s Law of government intervention. When government gets involved in what is traditionally none of its business, it totally occupies the field driving out voluntary cooperation. When government replaced family, church and rugged individualism with the dole, for too many it also replaced values, hard work, charity, pride, self respect, loyalty, honor, character, ethics, morality and virtue.
To Milton Friedman and Burt Folsom, add Robert Higgs (Depression, War and Cold War) and Amity Shlaes (The Forgotten Man). The New Deal didn’t end the depression, it prolonged it. WW II didn’t end the depression, it ended the New Deal and that allowed the depression to end.
Nov '10
Re: Harper Lee's "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"
Aaron, that's...practically criminal. Makes me want to spit nickels.
I read Mockingbird in school--in a district considered one of the very best in the country--and we didn't discuss these issues in any depth. Even if my teacher had wanted to, there isn't time in most cases.
Exactly.
Oct '10
Re: Harper Lee's "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"
Sage wisdom there.
May '11
Re: Harper Lee's "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"
I absolutely love the way Terrance has shown that one of the prominent symbols of racist oppression in literature, as preached by the progressives, actually reflects a much more complex understanding of society. If I weren't such a pessimist I would think that Sticker is right and students are learning for themselves that there is more to the novel than spoon-fed liberal platitudes.
Aug '11
Re: Harper Lee's "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"
At GSU, just b/c a book is assigned does not mean it will be read.
Jimmy Carter:
I can see it now.... Fifty years from now, those same American school children will be reminiscing and dissecting "tweets" of yesteryear.... · Aug 20 at 3:45am
A tweet is about as long as most of my classmates can focus. Even short stories are too long to bother with. I wish I were kidding. Maybe it's just Georgia State, but I doubt it.
And the history department might as well be the Marxist Fantasy Department. I totally agree with Mr Moore about what is happening in our schools. It cannot be overstated. BTW, I'm no kid myself, though some kids do see through it, but dare not say so. Being conservative is MUCH worse than being gay today.