Introducing: To Kill a Mocking Bird – why this book is a classic

Some might know the novel from school, as a set book, some, being a book worm, might know it simply because they love reading: Either way, To Kill a Mockingbird is a world-famous work of literature. But what makes it so special?

 

The Story

The book was published in 1960 – that’s 64 years from today. And yet, it is still as popular and well-read as ever. One reason for this is that addresses universal topics. So, what is To Kill a Mockingbird about?

The story is set in a town in Alabama in the early-mid 1930s, amidst the difficult times of the Great Depression. Jean Lousie Finch is the main character, through whose eyes we experience the unfolding of events. She is six years old and lives with her father, a lawyer, and her older brother.

Jean hears of a new client her father is appointed to defend: Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a young white woman, a man, who’s left arm is left useless and crippled after an accident.

It becomes apparent that, through the mob mentality, the residents find him guilty from the start and want to lynch Robinson. This continuous despite the many indications and leads, that he might be innocent, that there might not have been a rape but that events had unfolded in a different manner.

 

The Essence

Racism is one core theme of To Kill a Mockingbird and it is depicted in a broad variety of forms. The book takes a close look at society in those times, at the segregation of African Americans, their living conditions and the everyday harassment they experienced. It looks at mob mentality and how people are not only biased but tend to jump to conclusions and let anger and peer pressure dictate their behavior.

 

What I loved

To Kill a Mockingbird is fantastically written. It draws you right into the story. We follow likeable Jean on her journey through everyday life, through her fears and adventures, her observations, her experience with all sorts of people, her deep conversations with her father. 

The novel clearly passes criticism yet does not do so in a brutal way. The main theme is so grave and severe, nonetheless, the story somehow unfolds in such a gentle manner. 

Also, To Kill a Mockingbird is about many other themes, such as growing up, facing one's own fears and prejudice, one's own blindness, self-reflection, human nature and ... a lot more. 

So, if you are looking for a good read, pick this novel!

 

About the Author

(Nelle) Harper Lee won the Pulitzer Prize for To Kill a Mockingbird a year after its publication. According to her, she has based aspects of the story on many of her personal experiences, making it somewhat autobiographical.

Lee, born in 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama, was the youngest of four children. Her middle name, Harper, honored a doctor who saved her sister's life, while her first name, Nelle, was her grandmother's name spelled backward. She grew up with siblings Alice, Louise, and Edwin. Lee's father, a former editor, businessman, and lawyer, was related to Confederate General Robert E. Lee. 

Despite attending college briefly and studying law, Lee left before completing her degree. In 1948, she attended a summer program at Oxford University. 

Lee lived in Manhattan for 40 years, near her childhood friend Truman Capote. They collaborated on research for his book In Cold Blood, until she wrote and published To Kill a Mockingbird, which immediately garnered significant attention, winning awards and sparking dialogue about racial tensions. 

In 2015 she published Go Set a Watchman, which sparked quite a controversy. To Kill a Mockingbird remained her biggest success, however. She passed away in 2016, at the age of 89.