This book delves into the lives of 2 normal children Scott
and Jem. Scott being the narrator of the book takes us into the world of
children and how they view the unreasonable world that holds its prejudices
against a certain race and certain class of people while stereotyping each
other. She points out how people criticise the deeds of others yet fail to
introspect and change the way they voice their opinions. The book also shows
how some people are reclusive out of choice since they fail to understand the
ways of the world.
Scott takes us through her journey of summer time plays, the
innocence with which they script a play based on Boo Ridley and how intriguing
a subject it is for them and how she is always desires to meet Arthur Ridley.
The first half of the book revolves around the children and the ideas they device
to lure Boo out from his mysterious abode and shows the evolution of Scout into
a more mature girl as the book progresses.
Jem on the other hand along with Dill are in their growing phase and the book highlights the different moods of Jem. One day he is caring for his sister and on the other reprimands her for irresponsible behaviour.
Atticus commands a certain presence in the book and when seen from the eyes of Scott, he has proved himself to be an ideal father for the world to see who single handily raised his children. He comes across as a taciturn but a was an opinionated person who never hid his view about unnecessary killing of Blue Jays and his empathy for the Negros and all the other unprivileged.
As the book progresses it shows how children are subjected to scorns from the neighbourhood because their father took up the case of Tom Robinson. The latter part of the book is infused with a plethora of emotions that leaves the reader concurring with a lot of events that still persist in our present day society. There was this instance where, next morning after the case, Atticus is taken to the kitchen by Calpurina and is moved by the kind gesture displayed by the Negros of that town. That I felt was the most touching part of the book for me.
To Kill a Mockingbird though a very simple book, in terms of
narrative hits the bulls eye with its concept of showing the world through the
eyes of innocence and keeps you enthralled all the way. Not once did I feel
like skimming through nor did I feel the need to take a break. The flow of the
story and the lingering presence of mystery throughout makes this classic a
must read for everyone.
