To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee.
“Someone rare has written this very fine novel, a writer with the liveliest sense of life and the warmest and most authentic humor. A touching book…so likeable”-Truman Capote
This is what I found in the back cover of the book. And believe me, after reading the book, I found myself nodding in agreement to every word of the tribute.
This book describes a DeepSouth county Maycomb, viewed through the eyes of a child. The various people in the neighbourhood, their simplicity, their eccentricities, their beliefs and their prejudices are beautifully portrayed.
Atticus, a highly respectable lawyer with strong principles and convictions, Calpurnia the stern but loving maid, Miss Stephanie Crawford- the gossip queen, Miss Maudie Atkinson , the kind and generous lady who made the best cakes in the neighborhood , Mrs.Dubose the rude and harsh lady, and so many others.- Welcome to the world of Jeremy Atticus Finch alias Jem and Jean Lousie Finch a.k.a Scout!
This story is about a little girl Scout who describes her neighbourhood, her brother Jem, her father Atticus and her everyday life in Maycomb. The book describes her first day at school, her little fights with her brother, her conversations with her Dad, the tension and animosity she is faced with, when her dad defends a nigger, her pursuits to get her neighbour Arthur Radley out of his house.
The characters are also wonderfully etched. The initial fears the kids have for their neighbour and their reluctant admiration for him later on, is amazingly reflected. There is also a few pages of court-room scenes which make for exciting reading.(Oh!I’m such a sucker for courtroom dramas.)
This is a relatively slow paced book and is really special because it has a lot of wonderful moments strung together to form a story.
Moments that make you smile-
Like when Jem starts growing up and starts behaving differently and asks Scout to quit pestering him..Little Scout asks her dad “Reckon he’s got a tapeworm?”
Moments that you can cherish-
When Jem says-“I would’nt care if Atticus (they call their Dad by name) could’nt do anything, I coud’nt care if he could’nt do a blessed thing…Atticus is a gentleman just like me.”
Moments that make you sit up and think-
When Atticus explains to his son “Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see through it no matter what.”
Moments that makes you wonder-
When Dolphus Raymond entrusts the children with his secret and Scout asks him why he did it- He says “Because you are children and you will understand it.”
Maybe children do understand things better. They tend to look at things the way it is rather than what they want to see. They seem to do a better job of accepting people for who they are. When Atticus defends a black man and the whole neighborhood calls him names, the children simply don’t understand why the world is so prejudiced. After a lot of thinking, Jem tries to divide folks into four kinds. Unsatisfied with his justification, Scout says my most favourite line in the book-
“Naw, Jem, I just think there are just one kind of folks. Folks.”
Jem ponders again- “If there are just one kind of folks why cant they get along with each other?”
A question that perhaps we had pondered over too, at some point of our lives. A question whose answer many a kid and grownup still hav’nt figured out.
There are so many such simple conversations making this book a worthwhile read. This book may not leave you with the “exhilarated” feeling that you get when you read a thriller nor does it give you the “inspired” feeling after reading a philosophical book. But it does guarantee a smile on your face when you complete it and leaves you with the “oh-so-nice” feeling that you get when you read a remarkable piece of writing!