100 not out get me to Pakistan (To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee)

Member Name: freediveheaven

Product:	To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Date:	12/11/05 (462 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Characters and strength of story

Disadvantages: None

I gave a lot of thought to the topic to provide my 100th review on Dooyoo, well actually I gave it two minutes as once I decided that, based upon the fact that the majority of my reviews are in one category, it would be a book review it was easy to decide to review my all time favourite book.

My first contact with To Kill a Mocking Bird was because it was one of the books I had to read for my English Literature exam at school and I fell in love with the book then. I have since read the book a number of times and I have also seen the story told on the stage and also the movie adaptation starring Gregory Peck in the starring role.

Amazingly the award winning novel was the only one written by the author Harper Lee. Born in Alabama in 1926, and a direct descendant of Robert E Lee the Southern Civil War General, by the time she wrote To Kill a Mocking Bird she had moved to New York and the book was received to great critical acclaim resulting in her being awarded a Pulitzer Prize.

The story is set in the deep south during the depression and is told through the eyes of a young girl Scout that lives with her older brother Jem, her lawyer father Atticus Finch. The female influence in Scouts life is provided by the families black cook Calpurnia following the death of her mother during the birth of Scout. Growing up in Maycomb The Finch family are not directly affected by the depression however the poor farmer clients of Atticus are and this has an effect on the families finances and the telling of this gives an early indication that Atticus is a fair minded moderate man who is able to see past wealth and colour in his treatment of his clients.

There are essentially two storylines running through this book. The first is the children fascination with Boo Radley, a grown man who lives an isolated existence in a house down the street with his parents. Boo is the local bogey man and the subject of much fancied speculation amongst the children of Maycomb, all things bad that happen are down to Boo and it is the children taunts of him and attempts to get a look at him that provides the first storyline. (As a complete sideline some of you will remember the 90’s band the Boo Radleys who took their name from the character)

The second focuses on the segregation and racist attitudes that pervaded the deep south at the time. Atticus takes on the high profile case of defending a black man, Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell, the oldest daughter of a white trash family who these days would be found on the Jerry Springer show. The case divides the town and even puts the Finch family at risk from those who do not believe that Atticus should be trying so hard to show that Tom is innocent of the crimes he is accused of.

The beauty of this book is in the depth of the characters the Lee portrays and the fact that the story told through the yes of an eight year old has a wonderful innocence about it. Scout is a strong willed tom boy who has a constant struggle with Calpurnia and some of the other female residents of Maycomb who attempt to bring out her feminine side. The story works being told through the eyes of an 8 year old because the reader knows what is happening even if the child does not at the time and the innocence of the child’s view is allowed to develop the story. Her brother Jem is growing up and slowly asserting his own identity, he has a clearer understanding of what is going on around them and has a typical love / hate relationship with his sister whilst all the time acting to protect his younger sister. Like Scout he is headstrong and is probably the one most affected by the court case which the children observe by sneaking into the coloured section of the court house.

Atticus Finch is a wonderful character (based upon Harper Lee own father) and a caring father to his children, he is also a man of principle and reflects some of the changing attitudes to race that were beginning to surface in the south at the time. This part of the storyline allows Harper Lee to chart the slow changes that were taking place at the time and to show that while a jury would never accept the word of a black man over that of a white man attitudes were beginning to change and even in the deep south there were those prepared to make a stand. This sis shown most starkly through the eyes of the children who struggle to understand the racist attitudes of their elders and through he enlightened comments and actions of some of the adult characters in the book indeed at times it is almost as if those who advocate segregation are in the minority.

There are too many great characters in this book to be able to fully give them all credit however Calpurnia provides at times a stereotype of the strong forceful black cook, when I first read this book I had an image of the character from Tom and Jerry in my head, who deeply cars for the children and is able to influence their attitudes. Another character is the children’s new friend Dill who is based upon Truman Capote a childhood friend of Harper Lee and who provides the prompting for many of the adventures surrounding Boo Radley that the children have.

The style of writing is simple however this is not an easy read due to the complexity of the characters and the detail that is provided within the book. On the face of it the story can be viewed as a simple commentary of a trial in the deep south and the institutional racism that existed at the time despite the outcome of the civil war. However underneath this plot is a commentary on the changing attitudes that were beginning to surface. It is no accident that the case gets passed to Atticus Finch when it would normally be given to a less competent state defender and some of the court scenes involving the autocratic and eccentric Judge Taylor show how uncomfortable he is with the events that unfold in his court.

This book is able to show the attitudes and prejudices that existed amongst supposedly educated people, in one scene Scout teacher tells the class about the dreadful persecution of the Jews taking place at the time in Germany while later she displays a less than charitable attitude to the accused Tom Robinson and his family. Similarly some of the old style attitudes about position and the importance of family are portrayed though the children’s Aunt Alexandra who moves in during the trial and the elderly Mrs. Dubois who is very outspoken of her objection to the way Atticus conducts himself often aiming her opinions at the children as they pass her house.

The reason I enjoy reading this book so much is the rollercoaster of emotions that it takes you on, there are plenty of humorous light hearted moments and there are also some dark sad sections that will play with your emotions. Ultimately what you get is an uplifting story that is beautifully told in a manner that will appeal to readers young and old. If unlike me you were not forced into reading this book by the school examining body then take the time to read it, you will not be disappointed.

Summary: Story set in the Deep South