Issue 41 - Surprise Endings

Welcome to Issue 41 of Deep Life Reflections. This week we travel to the Deep South to explore a timeless classic on childhood innocence, revisit a film with one of the most revered endings in cinematic history, and contemplate the introspective journey of a birthday celebration. Join me as we explore this week’s Friday Five.

1. What I’m Reading

To Kill a Mockingbird. By Harper Lee.

Some years ago, a friend bought me a gift for my birthday. There it sat on my bookshelf unread until the spring of 2020. As the pandemic confined us all indoors, I made a list of ten classic novels I hadn’t read. There was no better book to start with than that unopened gift on my bookshelf, Harper Lee’s 1961 Pulitzer Prize-winning, To Kill a Mockingbird.  

The novel, set in the Depression-era South and inspired by events like the 1931 Scottsboro Case, presents a child’s view of race and justice through the eyes of Scout Finch. Scout, innocent and good-hearted, watches the evils of the world unfold as her father, Atticus Finch, defends Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. The book’s power lies in its universal themes of childhood innocence, the moral condemnation of racial prejudice, and the enduring belief in humanity’s inherent goodness as personified by Atticus—a man of searing intelligence, wisdom, and integrity. He is the voice of conscience and moral compass for Scout and her brother Jem. “Before I can live with other folks, I’ve got to live with myself,” Atticus teaches.

Another important character is Scout and Jem’s reclusive neighbour, Arthur Radley, nicknamed Boo. The imagined threat of Boo contrasts with the very real threat in the adult world faced by Scout and Jem as the novel progresses. Pushed out of childhood and towards maturity, as the case of Tom Robinson comes to trial, Boo Radley is the link between past innocence and present reality, culminating in a wonderful and surprising ending that affirms the human capacity for empathy, decency, and dignity.

Harper Lee didn’t write her second book until 2015, when she published Go Set a Watchman, set 20 years after the events of To Kill a Mockingbird, with many of the same characters, including an adult Scout. She died the following year, in 2016, at age 89. Her work lives on through the truths of her characters lives.

2. What I’m Watching

The Usual Suspects. Directed by Bryan Singer.

In 1995, all my friends were talking about a film they insisted I had to watch, claiming it was a film with an ending I wouldn’t believe. So, I went to the cinema and they were right. Over the following 28 years, I’ve watched it repeatedly, always enjoying the experience and still left with a lingering question or two. The Usual Suspects is as complex as it is enthralling and stylish, which is why it’s still so highly regarded. It’s a piece of intelligent and imaginative storytelling that won two Academy Awards, including one for Best Writing (Original Screenplay).

The film begins with police investigating a smouldering cargo boat with 27 bodies and $91 million worth of drug money at San Pedro pier. The only witnesses are a severely burned Hungarian criminal and a small-time conman, Verbal Kint. Under duress, Verbal recounts the events leading to the carnage, starting with a police line-up of five men suspected in a truck hijacking in New York. This sets in motion the main plot of the film. The film has a stellar cast, including Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro, Chazz Palminteri and Giancarlo Esposito—known for his role as Gus Fring in Breaking Bad.

One of the highlights of The Usual Suspects is the unveiling of one of cinema’s most iconic and fearsome criminal masterminds—Keyser Söze, a figure so mythic that even hardened criminals are forced to draw a breath when his name is mentioned. Interestingly, the character was almost named Keyser Sume, after writer Christopher McQuarrie's former boss, who, upon reading the script, preferred not to be associated with such an evil character.

The ending of The Usual Suspects stands as one of the greatest in film history. As Verbal Kint proclaims, “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”

3. What I’m Contemplating

This week, I celebrated my birthday at a familiar resort an hour from my home. It’s a quiet, peaceful sanctuary. As with last year, I took in the sunset by the sea and welcomed the sunrise with a walk through nature. Much like the stories of To Kill a Mockingbird and The Usual Suspects, this is a place I enjoy revisiting. Each stay, much like a reread or rewatch, has subtle differences—a reminder of how we, and our perceptions, evolve with time, whether over a single year or a decade.

When I turned 47 last year, I wrote an article recounting ten lessons I’d learned from the past thirty years. Among them was the realisation that there are many versions of us over a lifetime. Birthdays aren’t just milestones but also mirrors: reflecting our journey, offering fresh perspectives on well-trodden paths, and sometimes, they surprise us with an insight that draws us back, time and again.

4. A Quote to note

“I have enough. I’ve done enough. I am enough.”

- Jim Carrey (on his decision to retire).

5. A Question for you

What’s a book or film that you find yourself returning to, and what unique element keeps you coming back?

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Thanks for reading and being part of the Deep Life Journey community. Have a great weekend.

James