Summary
 "Maycomb
was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it... There was no hurry,
for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see
outside the boundaries of Maycomb County. But it was a time of vague optimism for some of
the people: Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear
itself."
Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
“To
Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee (picture on the left) is written from the point of
view of a six-year-old girl named Jean Louise Finch who goes by the nickname
“Scout”. The story, however, is recalled by the adult Scout; this allows her
first-person narrative to contain adult language and adult insights yet still maintain the
innocent outlook of a child.
The whole novel revolves around Scout and her brother Jeremy Atticus Finch called
“Jem” who are raised by their father, a lawyer named Atticus Finch and an
African American housekeeper named Calpurnia during The Great Depression in a small town
in Maycomb County, Alabama.
One summer Scout and her brother meet a young boy named Dill who comes from Mississippi to
spend the summers with his aunt. They become fascinated with a man named Arthur
"Boo" Radley, a man in his thirties who has not been seen outside of his home in
years. Most of Maycomb believes he is a horrible person, due to the rumors spread about
him, and a trial he underwent as a teenager. It is implied during the story that Boo is a
very lonely man, who attempted to reach out to the children for love and friendship.
Throughout the novel, he is shown as kind and generous and is compared to a mockingbird.
Scout's father becomes a defense attorney for Tom Robinson, an African American, who is
falsely accused of raping Mayella Violet Ewell, the 19 year old daughter of Bob Ewell, who
is an alcoholic. Scout, her brother and Dill witness the trial and even though they are
still young they see that Mr. Robinson, who is found guilty, is actually innocent. The
children are very disappointed by the verdict and see for the first time that injustice,
racism and other prejudices exist. This understanding shakes their innocence, shapes their
character and teaches them about human nature.
Bob Ewell wants to get even with Mr. Finch for making him look bad in court through
showing Tom Robinsons innocence and his daughter’s guilt. He tries to kill Jem and
Scout when Boo Radley appears and stabs him. Even
though Mr. Radley kills Mr. Ewell, he is not tried for murder, since it is “a sin to
kill a mockingbird” (Atticus Finch).
Reader`s opinion
"So
it took an eight-year-old child to bring 'em to their senses.... That proves something -
that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they're still human. Hmp, maybe
we need a police force of children." Harper
Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
“To
Kill A Mockingbird” deals with important themes like racism and prejudice but in its
own very special way without making it sound like every other book dealing with these
topics. Harper Lee’s choice to write it from the perspective of a child makes the
story even more interesting and breathtaking since Scout is so young but so mentally
developed for her age that she should be an example to a lot of grown up men and women not
only in her world but also in ours. I
recommend the novel to everyone starting 10th grade and older because it just
opens your eyes to topics you thought you don’t have to deal with or already
understood everything about – believe me, you
have not before you read this book.
Harper
Lee's “To Kill A Mockingbird” is a great reflection of the time of The Great
Depression in the South and the everyday problems citizens of a small village had to deal
with. Lee's style of writing makes it easy for the reader to identify with the characters
and feel part of the story – starting at the level of a six-year-old you explore
mankind and its world step by step and grow up together with Scout seeing everything
through the eyes of childish innocence, a way you will never be able to return to being an
adult.
Very
impressive novel!
Message of the book
"'I
think I'll be a clown when I get grown,' said Dill. 'Yes, sir, a clown.... There ain't one
thing in this world I can do about folks except laugh, so I'm gonna join the circus and
laugh my head off.' 'You got it backwards, Dill,' said Jem. 'Clowns are sad, it's folks
that laugh at them.' 'Well, I'm gonna be a new kind of clown. I'm gonna stand in the
middle of the ring and laugh at the folks.'" Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
“To
Kill a Mockingbird” is an exploration of human morality. At one end there are people
who stick to old prejudices, such as the members of the jury who convict an innocent man
of rape because of his race. Atticus and Calpurnia, on the other hand, are more
open-minded and show understanding and sympathy towards those who might be different or
less fortunate for example when Scout brings a poor classmate home for dinner and then
advises him of his table manners, Calpurnia gets mad at her and tells her she is bound to
treat all guests with respect no matter who they are or what social status they have. Both
Atticus and Calpurnia also plays the role of teachers, for Jem and Scout but also for the
whole town especially as Atticus defends Tom Robinson, an innocent black man accused of
raping a white woman. In the racist southern town of Maycomb during The Great Depression,
this is not only unusual but outstanding. He takes on the challenge of overcoming the
town’s racism and prejudices and forces them to change their way of thinking.
“To
Kill A Mockingbird” tells its readers to be like Atticus and believe in the good side
of every human being and stand up for justice and truth. Even if there is no one else
brave enough to do so but one, it is already a success and can have an enormous effect on
the whole world.
(Text
by E.M. Semester 2, May 2011)
Pictorial interpretations
 Jem
and Scout playing in front of Boo Radley's house
Tom
Robinson and Boo Radley are both innocent men. But people have prejudices (as you can see
in the picture) and are mean. That is why they sit in a glass-house. No one can hear what
they say. That means that whatever they think or talk, even if it is the truth, the other
people outside do not listen.
(R.Z.
Sem. 2, May 2011)
The
scene in the court room (J.H. Sem. 2, May 2011)
(Image
by C.S., Sem. 2, May 2011)
The
three children watching Boo Radley's house.
(Image
by A.B., Sem. 2, May 2011) |