A true life lesson: Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, reviewed.

 

Image: britannica.com

by Al. Diaz

“It’s a classic” My English teacher told me last year when I chose to read, To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee. However, I didn’t hope to like it, I thought I’d be bored by its numerous pages. And indeed, I spent almost the whole year trying to read it but failed and only reached the second chapter.

This book does not follow a chronological timeline, the events are told as memories; so for me to understand what was happening wasn’t easy and then being bombarded with historical information I didn’t get made it even more challenging to get hooked. But the real mistake here was my inconsistency. For future readers, that is precisely what you need.

This year I tried again, and gladly I can say I was able to read great part of the book. Although I still struggle with the comprehension of some words (due to the epoch the story is based in), it didn’t stop me from getting engaged.

Who would’ve thought it to be so reflective? I can tell you I didn’t.

However to my surprise, To Kill a Mockingbird is actually deeper than what one might expect. It addresses so many current issues in the world, that date back to centuries ago, which is unsettling and kind of overwhelming, but it pushes the reader to realize the truths about the world we still leave in.  It involves problems as racism; this being the cause of one not to say the most important event of the book.

Hate as well, leads to misfortunes throughout the novel. “The thing about it is, our kind of folks don’t like the Cunninghams, the Cunninghams don’t like the Ewells, and the Ewells hate and despise the colored folks.” "Because--he--is--trash, that's why you can't play with him. I'll not have you around him, picking up his habits and learning Lord-knows-what. You're enough of a problem to your father as it is" In this quotes we can evidence the prejudice and ignorance of people when it comes to coexist with the ones that are different. 

Also gender stereotyping plays a big roll on the development of the main character, due to the influence of society on how women should be seen. Therefore making females look as something inferior, and acting like them to be almost unacceptable “Thing is, foot-washers think women are a sin by definition. They take the Bible literally, you know” Pág. 45. “Jem told me I was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, that’s why other people hated them so, and if I started behaving like one I could just go off and find some to play with.” Pág. 41.  “—I declare to the Lord you’re gettin’ more like a girl every day!” Pag 53.

Last but not least, there is injustice, and this one particularly could get very unpleasant for the reader. For me, it made me wonder, things like why bad things happen to good people, why bad people get away without being punished although they deserve it or why misfits are isolated by society without being given an opportunity to belong?

The joy of reading the book is precisely that, you get perspective from the critiques, you get to understand better or at least identify the problems. This book will make you want to change the world, to give the book, a happy ending.