Harper Lee – To Kill a Mockingbird

Synopsis

As a man stands accused of the sexual assault of a young woman, the racial disparity between black and white people widens as the people of Maycomb, Alabama refuse to see past the colour of his skin. Despite this, there are still some who believe that justice is not a privilege reserved for a particular group but a right that should be sought out for all. However, it will take more than one man’s resolve to dispel a town’s history of racial injustice

Likes

The author does a great job of giving the reader insight into some of the discrimination faced by black people in the 1930s through the eyes of Scout Finch, effectively exploring adult issues while maintaining the persona of an 8-year-old. As a child, Scout is inquisitive and questions the inequalities that she sees but is met with responses such as “That’s just their way”. In doing so, we not only question the characters and their prejudices, but also our own as we blindly accept many things that should be questioned. As a result, Lee engages us through her book by causing us to also wonder the answers to Scout’s questions, encouraging us to reassess our beliefs and values

Although the book explores topics such as racism, prejudice, discrimination and inequalities, Lee still manages to incorporate a sense of humour throughout the novel. No matter how serious the issue at hand is, Lee makes sure to never take away from the fact that we are seeing the world as it is through the eyes of a child. Despite this, the tone of the novel remains mature which is not an easy balance to execute, yet Lee did so effectively

Through Scout’s interactions with those around her, specifically her father, Atticus, little life lessons are shared throughout the book. For example, Atticus always instils values into his children such as on how others should be treated equally, but these lessons may also be aimed at the reader as we reconsider our roles and treatment of others within our own societies. This makes the story more than just something we can sit and enjoy, but also something to learn from due to the wisdom that Atticus and the other characters impart throughout

Dislikes

Despite Calpurnia being one of the more present characters, I knew the least about her. Although I was exposed to a different side of Cal when she was in an environment of black people compared to one of white, I would have liked to have gotten to know her character and personality more, especially as she had been with the Finch family for a long time. But it could be argued that we don’t get to discover more about Cal than what we already know because of the racial disparity so more interactions than necessary may have been out of the ordinary. Our lack of knowledge on Cal could reinforce the notion that despite being so close to the Finch family, they are still worlds apart due to the colours of their skin. Nonetheless, she was a character who fascinated me, and I would have appreciated knowing more about her

Although a very small dislike, I would have liked some clarification on who or what a mockingbird is, metaphorically speaking of course. At first, I thought that it was someone who was unable to defend themselves such as Tom Robinson. Upon further reading, I thought it might be someone who was disabled as they were already disadvantaged so should not be brought more harm; this again being Tom Robinson. But towards the end of the book, Boo Radley also could have been seen as a mockingbird, yet he and Robinson had very little in common. This made it difficult to determine who the true mockingbird was and why, although leaving it open to interpretation provides room for discussion which I greatly enjoyed partaking in. While I do enjoy a good debate, I still would have liked to know who the author considered to be the mockingbird. Or perhaps they were all mockingbirds?

General Thoughts

There’s just something about Atticus that makes you want to engage in deep conversations with him and pick his brain to hear about all his life experiences and what he’s learnt from them. Although unconventional, Atticus has a great relationship with his kids and you can tell that he truly wants them to grow to be great people, hence the life lessons he instils in them from a young age. Atticus was so intriguing that I would gladly read a whole book about him

Jem had the best character development for me. He went from wanting to provoke Book Radley into leaving the house to finally understanding him, the world and how some things just simply aren’t fair. Lee did a great job of shaping his character and showing that Jem had matured with age without having to explicitly say so. I imagine that he would become as great as his father

‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ isn’t just a book about black people vs white people. It shows the mob mentality that people have against those who are different and don’t meet the standards set by the more privileged. For example, as angry as I was at the Ewells, I almost felt bad for Mayella because despite wanting a better life for herself, she was doomed to be a Ewell for the rest of her life – ‘white people wouldn’t have anything to do with her because she lived among pigs; negroes wouldn’t have anything to do with her because she was white’. Nobody ever said “That’s just their way” about the Ewells; they were so marginalised that it was better to pretend they didn’t exist. I think it reflects on any society and how those who are different aren’t often given the opportunity to be understood but are still expected to meet unattainable standards or risk being shunned

Rating

‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is a book I greatly enjoyed. There were many life lessons to be picked up on throughout that made it more than just a story and had me invested from the beginning. Each character brought value and encouraged me to think about my role in society when it comes to the poor treatment of others. Lee did a great job of making difficult topics such as racial injustice easily digestible and despite the weight of the issues explored, she never failed to make me laugh without taking away from the seriousness of it all

Based on this, I would give this book a 4.5/5

Would I recommend?

This book was a great read that made me laugh, angry and question myself. It’s a book that I know I’ll re-read multiple times and enjoy as much as the first time with each read. Although this book was written in 1960, the message is still pertinent today and is something we can all take away from. I would definitely recommend this book (and I already have!)

Favourite Quotes

‘The Haverfords . . . insisted that the son-of-a-bitch-had-it-coming-to-him was a good enough defence for anybody’

‘Mr Radley was dying. He took his time about it’

‘I never loved to read. One does not love breathing’

‘Had her conduct been more friendly towards me, I would have felt sorry for her’

‘”He ain’t company, Cal, he’s just a Cunningham –“

“Hush your mouth. Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house’s yo’ comp’ny, and don’t you let me catch you remarkin’ on their ways like you was so high and mighty! Yo’ folks might be better’n the Cunnighams but it don’t count for nothin’ the way you’re disgracin’ ‘em”’

‘“There are just some kind of men who – who’re so busy worrying about the next world they’ve never learned to live in this one”'

‘“It ain’t time to worry yet. I’ll let you know when”’

‘”Before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience’”

‘”I wanted you to see what real courage is. . . . It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do’”

‘”No, everybody’s gotta learn, nobody’s born knowin. . . . Naw, Jem, I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks“ “That’s what I thought, too . . . when I was your age. If there’s just one kind of folks, why can’t they get along with each other? If they’re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other?”’

‘”Hey, Boo”’