To Kill a Mockingbird

The book ‘To kill a mockingbird’ was written by author Harper Lee. It is a primarily a historical fiction with a coming of age story. It was published on 11th July 1960. The title is intriguing as a mockingbird is generally recognised as innocent birds who imitate the sounds of other birds and are known for their diverse and complex sounds. Yet a first look at the title ‘To kill a mockingbird’ caught my attention as it seemed like the innocence of this mockingbird was killed due to certain circumstances which is why I picked this book.
The story is based in a fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression in 1935. The narrator of the book is a 6 year old girl named Jean Louise Finch, nicknamed Scout. Scout lives with her father, Atticus Finch, who is a widower and a middle-aged lawyer. He is a man who upholds his morals and values. He also enjoys reading. She has an elder brother Jeremy, nicknamed Jem and Calpurnia, their house help who has lived with them for many years and helps Atticus raise his children. The story basically talks about how Atticus Finch is given the task of defending a black man, Tom Robinson, who was accused of committing a heinous crime on a white-women, Mayella Ewell. It also talks about Scouts neighbour, a mysterious man who is never seen by anyone in their neighbourhood which strikes a curiosity within the minds of Scout and her sibling.
The first half of the novel delves into the lives of the Finch family and the curiosity of the narrator, Scout, who is inquisitive about their neighbour. The neighbour is never to be seen in their neighbourhood which compels Scout to find out about how this person is. The neighbour, Boo Radley is perceived as a scary man by these young children due to the rumours that went around in the neighbourhood. The second half of the novel talks about a serious topic wherein Atticus Finch defends a black man named Tom Robinson who was accused of committing a heinous crime against a white woman, Mayella Ewell. As the trial went on, it was evident that Tom did not commit the crime and was falsely accused by the prosecution. This story touched the main plot of the novel, which is racism against the black community in the USA at the time. Tom was falsely accused of the crime yet nobody was willing to hear his side of the story. This showed the deep-rooted racism in the minds of the people. Though the story is fictional, it resembles the real-life problems that the black community faces in their everyday lives as they go about their day. Hence this book touches a lot of people in an emotional sense. The book is filled with nuanced characters with one of them being Mayella, the girl who wrongfully accused Tom of committing the crime. She lived in a very impoverished condition with an abusive father. Her loneliness and desire to seek companionship along with the societal pressure led to the events further taking place. Though the action taken by the character is not justified, it gives the novel a more complex structure to it. It triggers a sense of compassion within the reader despite the wrongful action of the character. The novel then talks about Arthur Radley, nicknamed Boo Radley by Scout, who at first seemed to be a dangerous man by the people in the neighbourhood , later turned out to be a compassionate and kind man who saved Scout and Jem from an attack by Bob Ewell, the father of Mayella as Atticus had defended Tom. He was misunderstood as he had been isolated by his overbearing father and later by his own decisions. This touches upon the topic of dangers of judging someone based on stereotypes and appearances. This character also portrays kindness and bravery which is an important theme in the novel.
I personally enjoyed reading this novel as it brings light upon important issues of racism and stereotypes in the USA which was put written beautifully by Lee. It wonderfully portrays the character of Scout, who was an innocent child with a curious mind wanting to find answers about everything around her. By the end of the novel, she realises that the world is not in-fact filled with kind hearted people but with people having evil intentions. This shows how an innocent child was stripped of her innocence at a young age. Apart from the serious theme that the book portrays, it also talks about the endearing relation between Atticus and his children along with some funny incidents that makes you laugh.
I would highly recommend this book as it touches upon very important social topics and also teaches us the importance of having values like compassion, bravery, kindness, courage, etc through various character. I would give this book a 4.5/5 . It is a beautiful novel with a deep, insightful meaning to it. A must read!