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A review by thefool124
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Warning very minor spoilers. But I'll highlight the major spoilers.
To be honest, I only picked up this book as an aspiring law student looking to put something on my university application; also, my friend told me that it was one of the most boring books he has ever read. But I learnt a very important lesson: decide things for yourself. Because 'To Kill a Mockingbird' was a damn good novel.
The PoV character Scout, in particular, was a masterclass in writing a clearly clever child but a child nonetheless. A lot of authors fall down the trap of making the "clever child" act and act like an adult but Scout, despite having a remarkably inquisitive nature and booksmarts, still had blind spots when it came to societal knowledge and, especially at the start of the novel, was prone to immaturity and anger.
The novel also has one of my favourite depictions of parenting. Atticus (more on the man later) never forced ideas upon his children and instead, he acted as a role model and allowed certain habits to form organically in his Jem and Scout. For example, Atticus always reads in the evenings and so the children, impressionable, develop a voracious reading habit. And Atticus never had a fixed ideal of what his children were meant to be. When Jem makes a snowman, Atticus marvels at his talent, saying he could become an artist. But, admittedly, it was a strange parenting dynamic in that the kids called Atticus "Sir" and there was a certain distance between them at the start. But when matters escalated, Atticus never abandoned his children emotionally and always comforted them, allowing the stoic walls to fall. And really, that is what mattered.
There is great underlying message of moral resilience. In this class-steeped, traditional town of Maycomb, those who stand up for equality and what is right, like Atticus, are spat upon and those only maintain this grand racial delusion are only rewarded. For example, the result of the court case. So, it is seems a hopeless world, one not worth fighting against. But Atticus fights anyway. Though Atticus doesn't change much in the novel, he is a great example of a "lawful good" character in the vein of Ned Stark done well. He acknowledges and is surrounded by the evils of society and yet he decides to be fair and good.
To be honest, I only picked up this book as an aspiring law student looking to put something on my university application; also, my friend told me that it was one of the most boring books he has ever read. But I learnt a very important lesson: decide things for yourself. Because 'To Kill a Mockingbird' was a damn good novel.
The PoV character Scout, in particular, was a masterclass in writing a clearly clever child but a child nonetheless. A lot of authors fall down the trap of making the "clever child" act and act like an adult but Scout, despite having a remarkably inquisitive nature and booksmarts, still had blind spots when it came to societal knowledge and, especially at the start of the novel, was prone to immaturity and anger.
The novel also has one of my favourite depictions of parenting. Atticus (more on the man later) never forced ideas upon his children and instead, he acted as a role model and allowed certain habits to form organically in his Jem and Scout. For example, Atticus always reads in the evenings and so the children, impressionable, develop a voracious reading habit. And Atticus never had a fixed ideal of what his children were meant to be. When Jem makes a snowman, Atticus marvels at his talent, saying he could become an artist. But, admittedly, it was a strange parenting dynamic in that the kids called Atticus "Sir" and there was a certain distance between them at the start. But when matters escalated, Atticus never abandoned his children emotionally and always comforted them, allowing the stoic walls to fall. And really, that is what mattered.
There is great underlying message of moral resilience. In this class-steeped, traditional town of Maycomb, those who stand up for equality and what is right, like Atticus, are spat upon and those only maintain this grand racial delusion are only rewarded. For example,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Rape