To Kill a Mockingbird: Book Reviews #3

 

I really liked it

      I would never attempt to write a review on such a well-known and approved novel. I simply do not trust myself to be that elaborate in order to discuss great pieces of art. But this book just stuck right home and I have so many thoughts on it.

     Firstly, I would strongly recommend reading it during the summer. In the absolute heat that it is here in my home town, I can just so easily submerge into the setting of the book. The protagonist is girl who despises school, loves to read and has an immense imagination when it comes to summer games in the front yard. The first thing that caught my attention is a very distinctive quote: “Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.” It just made me stop reading for a second and think about all the things we take for absolute granted. Of course, there is no chance of someone stealing my opportunity to read but it still makes you distinguish the things you truly love. I must say that I came to this book with little to zero expectations – I had no idea what is it about, only that it is supposed to be really good. And I was intrigued.

     One of the reasons it really touched my heart was simple – it genuinely reminded me of the summer days when I was a child. It seemed like the days were endless and there was no limitation of what your mind could come up with next. Jem, Dill and Scout spent their summer inseparable and it immensely reminded me of my best friend and our constant games.  They love to playact different scripts and scenarios, reenacting the life of their next door neighbors. I found this extremely funny as well as strikingly familiar. Did we all have had the one spooky house in our neighborhoods that everyone was terrified of and made up insane stories about? Harper Lee just depicts childhood so accurately.

    The second part of the novel continued to impress and replicate my own personal experience. Soon enough everything in your childhood dream changes: people grow up, or you never see them again and you are forced to do boring adult things and grow up unwillingly. But a positive part of maturing is realizing how generous and hard-working your parents are and have always been. Lee created one of the greatest heroes of literature in the character of Atticus and it was part of Scout’s growing up to comprehend exactly how brave he is. She always knew he was smart and dedicated to his work, with his constant reading and long hours away from home. But it was only at the court hearing of the real mockingbird of the novel, that we see his real, serious aspect. Not only that he defended an innocent man, unfairly offended and abused, but he also did it against all his fellow-citizens.

     What I believe people savor most about To Kill a Mockingbird is the idea that you must not judge a book by its cover; or said otherwise – a person by his or hers looks/race/background/family. Name it how you want to but the message of the novel is the same (for me, anyway) – tolerate everyone and allow them the opportunity to prove themselves before judging.

Atticus: You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in.