To Kill a Mockingbird
Have you ever started reading a book finding it difficult to put it down and wishing that the book never got to the end but yet dying to know how the end will turn out to be? If your answer is no, then I prescribe you the brilliant novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, to be taken in small or large dosages. Prognosis is that you’ll never be able to shake off the after-effects of this wonderful book.
Harper Lee’s debut novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, won her the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961. It also went on to become a blockbuster motion picture starring Gregory Peck, which earned him an Oscar. Till date, it enjoys a coveted position in the 100 Must-Read Books and other bestseller lists and polls.
The crux of the story is racism—the treatment meted out to Blacks by the rednecks. The story is set in the sleepy town of Alabama; it revolves around the three characters of a White family--Atticus, a widower and a distinguished lawyer; Scout Finch, a tomboyish girl; Jem, her teenage brother. The story is in the first person narrative of Scout describing it from her perspective, which is unbiased and naïve.
The novel picks up pace when Atticus decides to defend a Black laborer, Tom Robinson, in a rape case filed by Mayella Ewell, a White lady. The trial earns Atticus and his family the spite (and threats) from the White community. Although the community is convinced of Tom’s innocence, nobody wants to concede this fact to a Black community, thus widening the disparity and the feud between the two communities.
The coming of age of children —Scout and Jem, who suddenly find their worlds topsy-turvy and begin to see how different things are in the world of their indifferent elders--is beautifully captured. The story narrated so beautifully grips you and grinds you to a gamut of emotions. Each of the characters stay lingering on your mind and heart that you cannot help but wish to have a principled but less pedantic father like Atticus or a fun but fiery sister like Scout or a sensitive and sensible brother like Jem.
This is one book that got me started on a journey into the wonderful world of classics. Whoever says that classics are boring has not read this book.
Verdict: Must-read
Fact or fiction? The book is supposedly an autobiographical account of Lee through Scout. The irrefutable claim that To Kill a Mockingbird was written by Truman Capote, childhood friend and neighbor of Lee is further bolstered by questions as to why this book remains the only published work of Lee and why she lead a life of a recluse shunning media attention by refusing to make speeches or to grant interviews to appear on shows.
Labels: Book Reviews
1 Comments:
The film was in the favourite list of one of my friends, which is why I had read about it before. Didn't notice then that it was a book adaptation. What is the relevance of the title ?
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