【Book Review】To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird

    I really have nothing more to say about the plot of To Kill a Mockingbird. It tells a story that takes place in a fictional small southern town called Maycomb in Alabama. The sleepy old town is awakened by the happenstance of a case that reveals the dark side of humanity and racial prejudice. To Kill a Mockingbird possesses a paramount status in the history of American literature. It deals with such a debatable issue that it has been banned by many schools and areas even till nowadays.

    I first read this book when I was in tenth grade, and our teacher required us to write an essay about its theme which every school’s teacher probably does. After reading and analyzing this book, I do have some thoughts about it that I want to share.

    One of the most evident themes in To Kill a Mockingbird is definitely the racial inequality. Even many decades have passed since the Emancipation Proclamation, the arbitrary notion that black people are lower in social ranking still prevails in people’s mind. According to the book, even the Ewells, who are in the bottom among white people, still have a higher social ranking compare to the black community, who at least possess more admirable qualities than the Ewells. The racial prejudice of people gives Bob Ewell the opportunity to persecute Tom Robinson who is completely innocent. To Kill a Mockingbird shows us how the black community was cruelly treated more than half a century ago. This depiction of racial discrimination is the main reason why this book is banned in many regions.

    There is another theme that is fundamental to this book which is the loss of innocence. Even though the title which contains mockingbird doesn’t have a strong connection with the literary content of this book, it does represent some other ideas. Just as Atticus once said to Scout that it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird, mockingbird resembles the innocent people such as Jem, Scout, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson in this book. Killing a mockingbird is just like destroying the innocent people who have done nothing guilty. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the author also portrays the maturing process of both Jem and Scout. Jem witnesses what happens on the court and realizes the fact that in reality good not always defeats the bad. He suffers a painful maturation, and gradually stop acting in a childish way. At the end Jem becomes a completely different person compares to Jem’s disposition in the beginning of the book. As for Scout, she matures in a relatively later time which is reasonable considering her young age. Scout is the character that I want to have a full discussion about.

    I really admire her after reading To Kill a Mockingbird. She is a unique little girl. She is unusually intelligent, brave and thoughtful while her behavior separates her from all other young girls. Being repugnant to learn etiquette and manners, she possesses a great interest in playing boys games with her friends. I cannot believe how smart she is especially I think of her age. Scout is only five years old at the beginning of the book and she can already be this thoughtful! I barely knew anything but playing when I was in my five-year-old. When she encounters the dark side of the society, she is neither defeated nor suffers mental breakdown just like Boo and Tom do. Instead, she understands all the moral principles held by her father and fully grows up at the end. If you consider deeply about Scout, she is probably one of the toughest female protagonists you have ever seen. After all, who can be this smart and brave at the age of five. Besides the book, I also watched the movie of To Kill a Mockingbird. My opinion of the movie is that the actor of Dill is too ugly and the actress of Scout is very cute indeed.

Jem and Scout
I wonder what do they look like right now

Dill
I mean, seriously? That's what Dill looks like? 

    Several months ago I heard the release of Go Set a Watchman, which is a sequel of To Kill a Mockingbird, I instantly went and bought the physical copy. Unfortunately, I haven’t got time to read it yet, but I will definitely read it in a month or two. To be honest, I am a little hesitant to get my hands on this book because it only gets 3.32 on Goodreads. However, my past experiences with books and their Goodreads ratings tell me that I shouldn’t rely much on the rating of the book, so I am still excited to read Go Set a Watchman.