Hillary Jong

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a Pulitzer Prize winner and one

of the best classics of this era. Its her first published book, written in
1960 that turned into Oscar winning film in 1962. This coming-ofage, southern gothic genre story is set in the Great Depression of
1930s that tells about the racism that still exists, even after the
abolishment of slavery. Its a recount in first person, with an innocent
and light atmosphere created by the nine-year-old protagonist
Scout Finch. The books setting is in an imaginary town of
Maycomb County, Alabama where she lives with her brother Jem and
father Atticus. Lee is able to captivate you readers with her vivid
characters relationships and writing style. Themes of racism,
injustice, morality, innocence to experience, and even compassion,
are able to make you think about the ethical and social issues of the
world.
Lee writes her setting and characters vividly, in a childs
perspective to make you read her book. Scout recounts her
childhood in a quiet and ordinary street of Maycomb, until
Atticus, her father agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a black man
accused of rape, leading to major events. Scout describes the
setting vividly in p.3 that Maycombwas a tired old town when
I first knew it. Later changing her view after the experiences
foreshadowing in, p.3 in rainy weather the streets turned to red
slopthe courthouse sagged in the square. and how it had
been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself. To Kill a
Mockingbird is also vivid in its development of characters as Lee
writes the recount of a childs perspective in first person, to
parallel a childs mind, a theme of childhood. She does this by
writing how the female protagonist has an immature dislike to
her housekeeper, because p.6 in her view was always ordering
me out of the kitchen and asking me why I couldnt behave as
well as Jem when she knew he was older. She also blames her
housekeeper in p.16, for getting her in trouble by the
schoolteacher for her ability to read earlier than her peers by
setting up writing tasks by scrawling the alphabet firmly across
the top of a tablet and rewarding her with an open-faced
sandwich of bread and butter and sugar. Lee has vividly
expressed the setting and characters from the first chapter and
a childs mindset, to keep you engaged with the book.
You should read this book, as it engrosses you with its writing
style and characters relationships. To keep you, her audience
reading, Lees style of writing is to start off with the protagonist,
Scout, explaining the aftermath of the story. In the first page,
she explains how when Jem got his arm badly broken at the
elbow. He couldnt have cared less, so long as he could pass and
punt continuing that we sometimes discussed the events
leading to his accident. (Lee, p.1, 1960) This was done to keep
the readers curious as to what led to Jem breaking his arm and
the accident. Subsequently, it reveals in the end in p.264,
Scout sees Jem injured his arm dangling crazily in front of
him after he was attacked by Mr. Ewell, the father of the
accuser. (Lee, p.264, 1960) Lee also shows the development of
Scout and Jems relationship with father, Atticus. In the
beginning of the novel the children, do not highly regard their
father as they thought in p.89 He worked in an office and did
nothing that could possibly arouse the admiration of anyone.

This appeals to you, audience as after Jem is attacked by

Mr.Ewell, Atticus wise parenting states Before Jem looks at
anyone else he looks at me, and Ive tried to live so I can look
squarely back at him, ultimately wins their respect as Scout,
p.273 ran to him and hugged himwith all (her) might. (Lee,
p.273, 1960)
Finally, you should read To Kill a Mockingbird because it
captivates and makes you think about society including racism,
compassion with morality, destruction of innocence and
injustice. Racism portrayed when Tom Robinson, a black man is
falsely accused of raping a white woman, but Atticus in his
compassion and moral standards, agrees to defend him as a
lawyer. This can be seen when the people chose to believe that
Robinson raped the white woman because even though in p.144
she kissed a black man, but it came crashing down on her
afterwards." Atticus compassion towards African-Americans and
morality is seen when he tells his children in p.73 that no
matter what anybody says about him taking the lawsuit case to
just hold your head high and keep those fists down. (Lee,
p.73, 1960) When Atticus says in p.89 to remember its a sin to
kill a mockingbird. (Lee, p.89, 1960) its a symbolism of not
only destruction of innocence of his children through the
experience of evil around them, but also the injustice of killing
an innocent black man. This is demonstrated when the guards
shot Robinson, in p.236 as he tried... to charge at the fence and
climbed over to escape prison, but They fired a few shots,
then to kill seventeen bullet holes in him. (Lee, p.236, 1960)
In conclusion, Lee has written one of the best pieces of literature
of our time portraying various issues while also being able to
show vivid imagery to keep you interested in her book. Themes
of racism shown by injustice are seen in the murder after the
escape of Robinson, the black man falsely accused of raping a
white woman even though it was clear he was innocent. Atticus,
the lawyer is able to have compassion and better morals than
most of his town as he defends Robinson despite Maycombs
people disapproval. Therefore, everyone especially young adults
must read Harper Lees Pulitzer Prize winning book To Kill a
Mockingbird as it can teach not only its writing techniques but
allow you to learn and compare to issues of this time of age.