My cousin likes this book so much she lends it to all her friends. The plot revolves around a brother and sister who live in a small southern American town during the 1930’s and their relationships with their relatives and neighbours. You get the feeling they’re just like any other brother and sister during that time, only they’re blessed to have such a wonderful father.
In between their playtime and school they come to know that their father, Atticus Finch, a lawyer, chooses to defend a black man accused of rape. Atticus is portrayed as an intelligent and meticulous man who loves his children very much and cares a lot about their character. They get a vague idea of what their father is doing to protect this man and how the attitude of the rest of the town towards them slowly changes because of this. They also seem to have a keen interest in the mysterious lives of some of their neighbours which is also threaded into the plot. As the story progresses, their fathers role in the case and the attitude of the town puzzles them and helps them grow up a little and learn a lot about life. About why some people are different from others and why it’s not wrong to be different and to respect another’s point of view and lifestyle.
The author doesn’t fail to highlight the difference between white and black people during that time and the various prejudices that used to abound. Also, the father, as the book progresses, becomes more of a role model and a friend to his children as he makes them understand life and people around them and how things change and teaches them about how things sometimes never work out the way you want them to.
To Kill A Mockingbird runs a little over 2 years in the lives of the children and is told from the perspective of the sister who’s also the younger of the two. The amazing thing about this book is the author has brilliantly told the entire story from the point of view of a young girl- her fears and happiness, her anxiety, views and sense of justice regarding her fathers latest client.
The keyword that comes to your mind when reading this book is the word innocence.
Truly one of my favourite books.