“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee – Going Against the Grain
I’m sure some, if not most of you have already heard about To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee… as a matter of fact, chances are that you were force-fed while being back in school.
Regardless of what emotions or grudges you may have from your experience with this book, I highly recommend that you read it from your current, fresh, adult perspective if you haven’t already.
To refresh your memory a bit, To Kill a Mockingbird, which was actually made into numerous full-feature movies, tells the story of Atticus Finch, a quiet lawyer who lives in the Deep South during the 1930s.
One day, the town gathers for a trial, that of a black man accused of raping a white girl. Atticus seems to be the only man in the town willing to even consider that the accused may be innocent. And so begins the lengthy and even somewhat humorous trial in which
Atticus, the calm and quiet hero, unravels bit by bit the layers of racism, hypocrisy, irrationality and prejudice the adults of the town harbor. He spends the entire book attempting to deconstruct the close-minded and dangerous point of view the citizens of the town have come to harbor.
I’m sure you aren’t having too much difficulty seeing why this book was declared such a classic; it deals with a theme many people admit to exist but don’t want to touch. Racism is a very fine line, and Harper Lee does a better job than most at fighting it with rational arguments instead of just screaming out his emotions.
He provides examples and arguments to the point where those actively fighting against racism should be using this book to prove their points. It’s well-developed to the point of being almost as insightful as a scientific study.
Needless to say, the story itself and its actors are all more than worthy of attention, although it is true that Atticus steals the show from under everyone’s nose. The tension is unbearable right up until the end, for even though Atticus argues well, we, the readers, know that historically-speaking, logic seldom successfully got in the way of racism.
All in all, this is definitely a book anyone ought to read, as it magnificently and realistically deals with an issue still widely present to this very day.
Regardless of what emotions or grudges you may have from your experience with this book, I highly recommend that you read it from your current, fresh, adult perspective if you haven’t already.
To refresh your memory a bit, To Kill a Mockingbird, which was actually made into numerous full-feature movies, tells the story of Atticus Finch, a quiet lawyer who lives in the Deep South during the 1930s.
One day, the town gathers for a trial, that of a black man accused of raping a white girl. Atticus seems to be the only man in the town willing to even consider that the accused may be innocent. And so begins the lengthy and even somewhat humorous trial in which
Atticus, the calm and quiet hero, unravels bit by bit the layers of racism, hypocrisy, irrationality and prejudice the adults of the town harbor. He spends the entire book attempting to deconstruct the close-minded and dangerous point of view the citizens of the town have come to harbor.
He provides examples and arguments to the point where those actively fighting against racism should be using this book to prove their points. It’s well-developed to the point of being almost as insightful as a scientific study.
Needless to say, the story itself and its actors are all more than worthy of attention, although it is true that Atticus steals the show from under everyone’s nose. The tension is unbearable right up until the end, for even though Atticus argues well, we, the readers, know that historically-speaking, logic seldom successfully got in the way of racism.
All in all, this is definitely a book anyone ought to read, as it magnificently and realistically deals with an issue still widely present to this very day.
 | Harper Lee (April 28, 1926 - February 19, 2016)Harper Lee is an author of American origin who is without a doubt best-known around the world for her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Though she did publish articles, that book remains her sole one, though it did also earn her the Presidential Medal for Freedom as well as a large number of honorary degrees. |
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