To kill a Mockingbird doesn’t teach you how to kill a mockingbird

Mockingbirds don’t do one thing except make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corn cribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.

So I finally got around to reading the timeless classic To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. And when I got down to writing a review for this book I couldn’t stop thinking what can I highlight about this book which a million or so readers of this book haven’t already appreciated. Well, I can only share my emotional journey throughout the book.

The story takes place in a fictionalised place in southern U.S called Maycomb in the 1930s, the Great Depression period and centres around the Finch family. Atticus Finch who’s a widowed lawyer, a principled man and a father of two — Jean Louise Finch (Scout), six years old and Jeremy Finch (Jem), ten years old. Maycomb is a small town whose residents are made of stereotypes and narrow minded lifestyle. The book’s major plot brings out the effects of racism towards the black. Despite of Maycomb’s ways Atticus has instilled in his children his strong sense of morality and justice. He is one of the few residents of Maycomb committed to racial equality.

The book is narrated from the point of view of Scout, and the whole idea of seeing things from the point of view of a six year old creates subtle humour and a warm atmosphere for the reader. The gap between what Scout understands and what’s actually happening is humorous, and Lee gets her point across without making the situation look gloomy.

‘Atticus, he was real nice’. ‘Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.’

The story also highlights the excitement and curiosity of one’s childhood and all the imaginary missions a kid takes on himself. Jem and Scout befriend Dill, and the three of them are obsessed with the spooky looking Radley Place. The house which is owned by Nathan Radley whose brother, Arthur (nicknamed Boo), has lived there for years without ever being seen outside. Such incidents can surely make anyone reminisce their childhood days. We also see Scout’s struggle against being told to ‘behave like a lady’ by her aunt and her neighbors. Atticus however is a rigid man, and teaches Scout not to be afraid of anyone.

You just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ’em get your goat. Try fightin’ with your head for a change.

However the major plot of the book builds up when Atticus Finch is appointed as a defendant for Tom Robinson, an honest black man who is falsely accused of raping a white girl names Mayella Ewell. Atticus find himself in a social turmoil when the whole town condemns him for taking up a black man’s case. Atticus doesn’t lose his morality and fights for Tom with everything he has got. The entire town becomes swept up in the trial. Scout and Jem end up learning hard lessons about social inequality, personal restraint and compassion. In the end, Scout and Jem realize that their father is the town’s unsung hero, and their role model not because of his physique or his strength, but because of his morality and his ability to tell right from wrong.

You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it

The book is a bundle of humour, compassion and emotions. It makes us question our own set of beliefs and prejudices we carry in our minds and rethink and reflect on them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I suggest if you haven’t read it yet, you better pick it up today.

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