Read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

‘To Kill a Mockingbird will never stop being a good book, and it will never stop inspiring good people’

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Review of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

One of those books that practically everyone reads at least once in their lives is To Kill a Mockingbird. Most individuals have read Mockingbird at some point in their lives, whether they choose to do so of their own volition or because they were required to in school.

Atticus Finch, the protagonist of the book, stands out as an uncommon hero and role model due to his morality rather than his physical prowess. Throughout the entire book, morality is a recurring issue, particularly in connection to religion and how sin is perceived. Consider Mrs. Dubose, a former morphine user who swears she will die with no obligations to anybody or anything. She is working toward her own goal of achieving human freedom because she truly believes it is the proper thing to do.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee distinguishes between following the law and following one’s sense of right and wrong. Even the book’s title, which reads, “Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird,” is an analogy for this idea. The notion of “doing what’s right” differs depending on when and where you’re reading the book because it is inherently a general message. In 1960, the year the book was published, social injustice was being addressed very gradually, and America was in a stage of ethical development. Black and women’s rights movements were only starting, and some of them used violence in their campaigns. Atticus Finch would approve of this?

The Great Depression was still raging in America in the 1930s when the book was set. Economic challenges at the time meant that the American Dream was getting farther and farther away. We could speculate that Atticus Finch believed his own vision of a just society with high moral standards was likewise going in the wrong direction.

It’s still up for debate whether, as with all classics, schoolchildren should be required to read the book and go over it page-by-page, despite the moral message’s consistency and the book’s sheer originality. A writer must finally give up the meaning of their work, which is part of literature’s beauty and why I adore it so much. Because of this, everyone who reads it can learn something new from it. That is a lovely idea, in my opinion, but it appears that searching for these lessons in life has lost some of its appeal over time. In the midst of all the international conflicts that we hear about on the news every night, Atticus Finch’s message should be heard today. Let’s not forget that a great work of literature like To Kill a Mockingbird has significance in every era.

It is disheartening to consider that children suffer all across the world as a result of a repressive government or an unfair legal system, and I believe that a contemporary Atticus Finch would concur. He wouldn’t be happy, I believe, knowing that unfairness was causing innocent souls to suffer. Atticus would now be advocating for causes that Harper Lee did not take into account when writing the book, such as homosexual and lesbian rights because his character is based on acceptance of others as they are. That is a moral position that anyone can hold, regardless of who they are or where they were born. Atticus Finch is not anti-immigrant or anti-homosexual. He is neither sexist nor racist. He sees everyone the same way because he is a human. The future? Atticus Finch might even be a proponent of animal rights.

Should it be dissected, examined, and taught in schools? I can’t say, but I will say that I have nothing against anyone who reads for pleasure. I’ve read a lot of books that I liked, put down, and then forgot about. Yet I genuinely believe that Mockingbird is a novel that should be read without total and utter absorption, whether in school or adult life (or both). You can learn so much from this book since it is filled with so many levels of meaning. To Kill a Mockingbird has undoubtedly impacted my life, and every time I reread it, I learn something new that I incorporate into my personal code of ethics. Even though going over it was a difficult effort, it was ultimately worth all the time it took and much more.

I strongly suggest reading Harper Lee’s outstanding book and giving it a shot. Because it will always remain a good book and continue to inspire decent people, no matter what.