Why I chose this book?

I’ve heard of it before and it’s one of the books that comes to mind when
speaking of classic literature so I just thought if I have to read
something, it might as well be the best there is.

Author:
Nelle Harper Lee was an American novelist best know for the book that
I’m going to present today, To Kill a mockingbird.
The plot and the ideas of the book are loosely based on Lee’s life as a
kid and her observations of the world around her.
Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama in 1926. It was a time of
hostility between whites and blacks in the United States, especially in
Alabama. Her father, a lawyer, also ran a local newspaper. Her mother
suffered from mental illness and oftentimes stayed inside from others;
she was thought to suffer from bipolar disorder. Harper was a young
lady with an agile, tomboyish personality.

Jean Louise “Scout” Finch

The narrator and protagonist of the story. Jean Louise “Scout” Finch
lives with her father, Atticus, her brother, Jem, and their black cook,
Calpurnia, in Maycomb. Scout is a very unusual little girl, both in her
own qualities and in her social position. She is unusually intelligent,
confident, thoughtful, and good. In terms of her social identity, she is
unusual for being a tomboy in the prim and proper Southern world of
Maycomb.
Atticus
Scout and Jem’s father, a lawyer in Maycomb descended from an old local family.
A widower with a dry sense of humor, Atticus has instilled in his children his
strong sense of morality and justice. He is one of the few residents of Maycomb
committed to racial equality. 

Jem
Scout’s brother and constant playmate at the beginning of the story. Jeremy Atticus
“Jem” Finch is something of a typical American boy, refusing to back down from
dares and fantasizing about playing football. Four years older than Scout, he
gradually separates himself from her games, but he remains her close companion
and protector.

Boo Radley
A recluse who never sets foot outside his house, Boo dominates the imaginations
of Jem, Scout, and Dill. He is a powerful symbol of goodness, leaving little
presents for Scout and Jem and emerging at an opportune moment to save the
children.

Dill
Jem and Scout’s summer neighbor and friend. Dill is a diminutive, confident boy
with an active imagination. He becomes fascinated with Boo Radley and represents
the perspective of childhood innocence throughout the novel.

Story
The story follows the Finch family during the great Depression time in USA.
Atticus Finch works as a lawyer and is often representing black people. One day
Atticus is assigned to represent Tom Robinson, a black man who is falsely accused
of raping a white girl. Atticus and Tom lose the case, mainly due to the color of the
man, but Mr. Ewell, the father of the allegedly raped girl, gets embarrassed and
made fool of in court by Atticus, to whom Mr. Ewell swears that he will get his
revenge. Tom Robinson then gets killed while trying to escape prison. Later in the
novel Mr. Ewell tries to get back at the girlfriend of Tom and also breaks into the
judge’s house.

The culmination
The culmination of the story occurs when Mr. Ewell tries to hurt Scout and Jem,
while they’re returning from school’s play at night. Because of the darkness,
Ewell’s attempt is a failure as Scout gets away safe and Jem is saved by Boo
Radley, a person, who earlier in the book unwillingly scared the kids with his
unusual lifestyle and character.

Conflicts
 The innocent and the evil
 Bob Ewell and Atticus.  Bob in Atticus' face and threatened him.
 White people and black people
 Mayella Ewell and Tom Robinson.  Mayella's accusations got Tom arrested
for rape; Tom denied it and blamed Mayella.

Idea
The main idea of the book is that the mockingbird represents innocence. Thus, the
title says that to kill a mockingbird is to kill innocence. Throughout the book, a
number of characters (Jem, an innocent kid who is injured by Mr Ewell, Tom
Robinson, innocent man put in prison, Boo Radley, a lonely man, who has a
misleading opinion of others about him) can be identified as mockingbirds—
innocents who have been injured or destroyed through contact with evil.

Impressions
I think the book starts off very slow and quite uninteresting, but the fun and
riveting part of the story starts at the trial of Tom Robinson and keeps the reader
engaged until last moments of the book. Also, the idea of the book – innocent
people being injured by evil is really fascinating and it really makes you think how
unfair life is.

Recommendation
I would highly recommend this book due to it’s many lessons on life, some of the
being about how to treat other people, not to judge others and to protect the
innocent.