Quite possibly the most influential novel in American history and certainly one of the best was the author's debut novel. It was also her last. After writing To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee never wrote another book.
This may have been due to claims that the novel was in fact written by Truman Capote, another famous author and Lee's lifelong friend. To show the world that she did not support these theories, she decided to never write again.
That is all hearsay and legend and has no solid evidence to prove it, but, whether or not Lee wrote it, it stands today as a great book in American fiction for its depiction of racism and bigotry in the southern United States in the 1930s. The story of the rape of a young girl is only a subplot to the major themes of prejudice and coming of age.
To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in Maycomb, Alabama. Scout Finch, the young narrator of the novel, is growing up with her brother Jem and her father, the famous lawyer Atticus Finch. She and Jem explore life in Maycomb together, meeting interesting people such as the precocious Charles Baker "Dill" Harris, the vile Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose, the gossiping Stephanie Crawford, and the incompetent teacher Caroline Fisher.
The story does not have a solid plot until about halfway through the book, when Atticus is to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of the rape of a girl. Robinson is obviously innocent, yet Atticus has a great struggle in the court against the Ewell family, the degenerate clan of white trash who scrounges off the charity of society for survival. Regardless, Atticus must strain to pass this apparent fact past the skulls of the racist jurymen.
The main story of the novel, however, is Scout and Jem's coming of age in an area stricken by prejudice and bigotry. The friends that they make and the relationships that they make, both good and bad, echo of all children everywhere.
To Kill a Mockingbird is an excellent coming of age story set in a depressing period of time where racism ran rampant in the hearts of everyone. The character Atticus, as the voice of wisdom and equality for the town, can serve as an example for life today. This is definitely one of the best and most meaningful American novels ever written.
http://www.amazon.com/Kill-Mockingbird-Harper-Lee/dp/0060935464/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253374759&sr=8-1
Grade: 8.5
This may have been due to claims that the novel was in fact written by Truman Capote, another famous author and Lee's lifelong friend. To show the world that she did not support these theories, she decided to never write again.
That is all hearsay and legend and has no solid evidence to prove it, but, whether or not Lee wrote it, it stands today as a great book in American fiction for its depiction of racism and bigotry in the southern United States in the 1930s. The story of the rape of a young girl is only a subplot to the major themes of prejudice and coming of age.
To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in Maycomb, Alabama. Scout Finch, the young narrator of the novel, is growing up with her brother Jem and her father, the famous lawyer Atticus Finch. She and Jem explore life in Maycomb together, meeting interesting people such as the precocious Charles Baker "Dill" Harris, the vile Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose, the gossiping Stephanie Crawford, and the incompetent teacher Caroline Fisher.
The story does not have a solid plot until about halfway through the book, when Atticus is to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of the rape of a girl. Robinson is obviously innocent, yet Atticus has a great struggle in the court against the Ewell family, the degenerate clan of white trash who scrounges off the charity of society for survival. Regardless, Atticus must strain to pass this apparent fact past the skulls of the racist jurymen.
The main story of the novel, however, is Scout and Jem's coming of age in an area stricken by prejudice and bigotry. The friends that they make and the relationships that they make, both good and bad, echo of all children everywhere.
To Kill a Mockingbird is an excellent coming of age story set in a depressing period of time where racism ran rampant in the hearts of everyone. The character Atticus, as the voice of wisdom and equality for the town, can serve as an example for life today. This is definitely one of the best and most meaningful American novels ever written.
http://www.amazon.com/Kill-Mockingbird-Harper-Lee/dp/0060935464/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253374759&sr=8-1
Grade: 8.5
No comments:
Post a Comment