Mar 17, 2008 08:16 PM
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I have a fancy of reading classics. While going through many
top-100-books-ever-written lists, I came across this title. It was on the top
of every list.
After much research I came across a few interesting facts, that I would like to
share with you.
This is the only book published by the author.
This book is termed as Southern Gothic, as it deals with multiple themes.
This book has done something very rare: It has made it to the list of my
favourite books. I don’t like 80% of the books I read; and only 5% make it to
my favourite list.
This book is one of the greatest pieces of literature.
But beware! There are many monsters hidden in the pages of the book.
Innocence lurks on ever page, waiting to engulf you in. Charm has it's presence
on every odd page, waiting to hypnotise you. Each page has a soul: Turn the
pages deliberately, it might hurt them.
To be precise: This book had life.
It seems that the writer has laid bare her heart in front of us. Every incident
either lights your face with a wide smile; or leaves water-marks on your
cheeks.
I don’t go out of my house often and hence, all the people I have met belong to
a very narrow slice of this world. I've never met a foreigner in person. Many
questions cross my mind before reading any foreign book: Whether I would be
able to connect with the characters, with the culture?
This is specially so when I read classics.
My fear met a fatal end by the time I had read just 10 pages of this book.
Emotions have no strands and no boundaries; I was able to connect with every
incident. By the end of the book, it seemed that I've had a holiday with the
Finchs; it seemed that they were my friends. They were no longer characters to
me; Lee's writing gave them life.
The biggest plus point of the book is the narration. The book is written from
the perspective of a nine or ten year old girl(Don’t remember the exact age)
We come to know how children see this world. One ends up doubting if Lee has
written this book or her ten-year-old daughter. Her writing is very truthful.
Every character in the book is amazing. She has done 100% justice to the book.
Storyline:
The book is written in first-person. We see the world from the eyes of a child.
This world is filled with appalling facts and gruesome people; what effect do
these have on children? Every thing happening around them is arouses excitement
in them.
I remember one scene from the book. The main character, Scout, approaches the
window and looks out. She shouts, "The World is ending. The World is
ending, Atticus!". His dad runs out of the bathroom and assures her that
the world is in good health; and it is snow falling outside. Scout had never
seen snow before.
Atticus once told his children, "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you
can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird." Atticus is
fighting a case against the false accusations of a black man charged with the
rape of a white girl.
Another part of the book worth highlighting is Mr. Arthur. On their way to
school, children come across a seemingly-empty house. After much research from
local people, they come to know that Radleys live there; and seldom come out.
This arouses eagerness among the children. They device many plans to meet Mr.
Arthur.
They tie a message to the end of a fishing rod and try to drop
it inside the house via the window . . .
I would recommend the following two types of people to read this book:
Those
who read literary fiction; andThose
who don’t
