TKAM Free Blog: Emotions While Reading

I was allowed to talk about anything related to TKAM in this blog post, but I had no ideas so I just took a blog prompt and responded to it.
(I am aware that I am not the most creative of people. Please don't ask about it if we meet.)

So, what emotions did I feel while reading the story?

This is the first time I've ever read a book while actively thinking about what I was reading. That brought with it plenty of new experiences.

The most notable of which was that I frequently felt emotions. I usually read a book for entertainment, and though I do get absorbed into the words of the book, I never really felt as if the characters were real people. I'm not sure if it was me paying more attention to the book or Harper's masterful storytelling (it could have been both) that made me actually see the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird as people. If I saw them as real people, of course, I would react to their interactions as if I was watching people in real life.

Though of course, I might miss something people usually react to, since I do not have my fair share of interacting with people, since I act like a recluse (or an antisocial, or a NEET, or a hikikomori, whichever you prefer) as evidenced by my absence in the outside world for the entire winter break.

My memory of the book isn't fresh, although it should be fine since it left a lasting impact on me.

The first instance that comes up is when Jem made a stab at ruining Mrs. Dubose's plants with the baton he bought Scout. I went silent when Jem started fighting with Scout, like I usually do when someone around me is livid. I was shocked, even, since Jem is usually the patient one between Scout and he.

Another situation where I felt more emotion was when Tom's verdict was given. I felt really shocked, so much that I gripped the book hard. Everything about the trial felt one-sided, on Atticus's side, from the reader's viewpoint. I doubted Jem's sureness on the whole matter, but I also felt sure the verdict would come out as "not guilty."

The last event I want to share is Boo Radley's appearance. Honestly, if I didn't read this part in public, I would have cried, which would be a first. I felt as if Harper was teasing us with all the mentions of Boo Radley throughout the story, which of course made me wonder if he would make an appearance later on. He did, and it shattered the negative image of him that was framed early in the story. He saved Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell, which made me happy--another first while reading.