★ ★ ★ ★ ★
I can't believe it has taken me this long to finally pick up To Kill a Mockingbird. It seems to be a popular choice in American high schools, but not so much in New Zealand. I thought Harper Lee was a man. (Was stoked to find the opposite as I generally prefer the writing of female authors.) And I knew it had something to do with racial issues in the south, but the rest was a surprise to me.
I will try not to give anything away for prospective readers, but I just want to list a few of the things that I love about this book:
1. Atticus Finch. My new favourite protagonist. It's all about him really, isn't it. The model father. The model of character. The model mercy giver in spite of the faults of the people he is granting it to. The epitome of courage. Harper Lee must have had some amazing man in her life to write Atticus. I don't think he is too perfect because he reminds me of a couple of people I know in real life. It is not often that a fictional character makes me want reread the story purely to soak up more of them.
2. Scout Finch. A very endearing protagonist. I loved seeing her world from her perspective. I think it was a clever move by Harper Lee to write about such heavy themes from Scout's point of view. There is something untainted about the mind of a child and seeing life through their eyes can strip away baggage and provide a fresh perspective (as well as allowing for a little more humor).
3. It surprised me. I think I must have been expecting a literary version of A Time To Kill or something--plot driven and with a heavy focus on racial issues and the court case--so at first I was wondering where the story was headed. The case doesn't begin until over half way through and was far from the sole focus of the story. The book is much more about life in small town Alabama in the 30s. It is about people and prejudice. It dips in to the themes of politics, justice, law, religion, class systems, racism, gender, parenting, child abuse, the state school system, societal pressure and the right to personal freedom (among many) yet, as a reader, I did not feel particularly weighed down or preached at. I love Boo Radley and Maudie Atkinson, both of which Lee uses to touch on the theme of personal freedom amidst societal pressure. Both Boo and Maudie are fantastic characters.
There is more to this book than I expected and I love it for it. Want to reread.
A couple of quotes:
'You are too young to understand it ... but sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whiskey bottle in the hand of--oh, of your father.' Maudie Atkinson
'I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness ... I just hope that Jem and Scout come to me for their answers instead of listening to the town. I hope they trust me enough.' Atticus Finch
'It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived.' Scout Finch
'A mob's always made up of people, no matter what.' Atticus Finch
And the last quote sounds cliche but it is so true and I love that throughout the novel Atticus does this with any character despite their being sympathetic, misunderstood or purely wretched:
'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.' Atticus Finch
