Many people, before reading a particular book, first try to find various reviews about it. âTo Kill a Mockingbirdâ is a work that has gathered a huge audience of people who were extremely pleased with the reading of this masterpiece and who remained deeply impressed by it, so it is natural that many try to learn more about it.
Story of the author
Like many others, the author of this work is recognized as "the genius of one book." The thing is that the novel âTo Kill a Mockingbird" remained the only Harper work, however, for this book, which ultimately received a full translation in almost all languages ââof the world, the writer was awarded the most honorable Pulitzer Prize.
Subsequently, the Library Journal recognized this work as the best novel written in America throughout the 20th century, and over time, the author was also awarded the Liberty Medal - the highest civilian award in the United States.
The author herself has repeatedly spoken out about the success of her work. If we talk about the content of the novel âTo Kill a Mockingbirdâ, then this description of the main problems of society at that time, as well as their vision on the part of the child, and Harper did not even expect any success of this work. Even more: the author believed that in the hands of critics the novel is doomed to rapid "death". But at the same time, she thought that someone might still like the book, and in the future she continued to write. In other words, writing âTo Kill a Mockingbirdâ, she hoped for the least, but in the end she received much more.
What is this book?
âTo Kill a Mockingbirdâ is a novel that was published already in the relatively distant 1960. The author of this work is an American named Harper Lee, and it itself belongs to the genre of an educational novel. It is worth noting that, unlike most other masterpieces known today, this work was almost immediately recognized by the international community, and a year later received the Pulitzer Prize.
Special attention should be paid to the fact that the characters and plot are based on the authorâs personal observations of his family and neighboring families near his hometown. Basically, these memories, according to the writer herself, are taken from 1936, when she was only 10 years old. Despite the fact that the book was originally an educational one, it receives extremely flattering reviews from readers of all age categories. âTo Kill a Mockingbirdâ today is included in the compulsory school curriculum of the United States, at the moment it is studied in approximately 80% of the total number of American schools.
The novel is known to many for its unique humor and unique warmth. This atmosphere of the work remains, even though serious things such as racism and rape are discussed in the process of reading. The storyteller's father, whose name is Atticus Finch, is a true example of morality for every reader, and also represents a unique example of an honest lawyer. As domestic critic E. B. Kuzmin said, Harper Lee, with his help, gives a lesson in high human and civil courage, because Atticus, in fact, is an absolutely ordinary and inconspicuous person, but at the same time he is shown here through the perception of children who are passionately worried by everyone his act and ultimately they themselves acquire something really important.
Perhaps that is why even children leave positive reviews about this novel. âTo Kill a Mockingbirdâ suggests that every child has a sense of justice, which is innate, but over time, under the influence of the outside world, children begin to acquire all kinds of prejudices, gradually dulling this feeling more and more.
Awards and prizes
According to the Air Force 2003, in the ranking of the 200 best world books, this novel took the sixth position, and by the beginning of 2016 its total circulation had already reached 30 million copies. The Russian translation of this work was carried out by Raisa Oblonskaya and Nora Gal, which may be interesting to those who remained under the positive influence of this novel and left positive feedback about it. âTo Kill a Mockingbirdâ is one of those books that every person must read. Officially, this opinion is supported only by the US government.
The author created heroes based on real personalities, this is a well-known fact. Thus, the prototype of Dill, a friend of the main characters, is an American writer named Truman Capote, with whom the writer was friends in his childhood, since he lived next door.
It is also worth mentioning the fact that Finch is not a randomly chosen surname, it is the nickname of Father Harper.
Key messages
In Killing a Mockingbird, the story unfolds around the touching story of a family who lives in a small town called Mayomb, Alabama. All the action takes place in the thirties of the last century, during the Great Depression, and the story itself is told to us by a girl at the age of eight.
In âTo Kill a Mockingbird,â the plot shows readers an incredibly complex, ambiguous, and contradictory world that opens up to the eyes of the child, and with it also sweeps in front of the reader. This universe has it all: adult problems and childhood fears, a bitter reality and an inexorable thirst for justice, the difficulties of this family and racial problems, extremely relevant at that time for the south of America.
The novel âTo Kill a Mockingbird" contains in the center of history the trial of a black man who is accused of a crime that he did not commit. However, the father of the main character, who works as a lawyer, still decides to intercede for the young man and fights hard in order to achieve justice. Although for many this is only a mockery.
Such an annotation to Kill a Mockingbird can roughly describe the main messages of this work.
Plot
The book begins with a story about the ancestor of the Finch family, whose name was Simon. He was a Methodist, and at the same time tried to avoid religious intolerance in England, which ultimately led him to Alabama. Here he acquired his fortune and, despite having certain religious convictions, decided to acquire several slaves. Actually, this is only the beginning, which is told so that the reader can understand the origin of the family of the main characters. So begins Harper Lee's Kill a Mockingbird. What the book is about, this beginning does not give a complete picture.
The main story begins about three years after the most difficult period of the Great Depression and unfolds in the city of Maycombe, which is fictional and is positioned by the author as "tired of a long life." According to the narrator, this city is located in Alabama.
The main character in the novel is Jean Louise Finch, who is eight years old and who lives in the same house with her father Atticus and older brother Jim. Her father works as a lawyer, and according to the book, as stated above, he is positioned as an invariably fair, wise and kind person with stable moral principles.
Jim and Gene suddenly meet a boy named Dill, who visits Maycomb every year in the summer to visit his aunt. It turns out that all the children are extremely scared by their neighbor named Radley, and even gave him the nickname Scarecrow. Radley himself is a recluse, and rarely appears on the eyes.
Maycombâs adults, in principle, try to avoid discussing the Scarecrow in every possible way, and for many years only a few have seen him, however, children actively excite each otherâs imagination with various rumors about his appearance, as well as possible reasons for his so great seclusion. In particular, they fantasize about how you can try to lure him out of the house. After two summer vacations, together with Dill, Jim and Gene saw that someone regularly left small gifts for them in a tree located near Radley's house. Thus, several times the mysterious man gives them obvious signs of attention, but the children are disappointed that he still does not dare to appear in front of them personally.
At this time, Atticus decided to take up the obviously losing case, trying in every possible way to defend the rights of Tom Robinson, a black man who was charged with raping a young white woman, despite the fact that most citizens did not adhere to the position of a lawyer and even strongly opposed her. Other children constantly tease brother and sister because of the actions of their father, and Gene tries to stand up for the dignity of his dad, although he told her that this is not worth it. Atticus himself is confronted with a group of people who are going to completely lynch Tom himself, but this danger passed after three children shame the crowd, forcing them to look at the current situation from the point of view of Tom and Atticus.
Due to the fact that dad did not want to bring his children to the trial of Tom Robinson, Dill, Jim and Gene decided to hide on the balcony. Atticus noticed that the accusers, who are Mayella, and her father named Bob Ewell (who was also a local drunkard) are trying to slander his client, and it turns out that the lone Mayella tried to harass Tom, but after her father caught her In this, he severely beat her. Despite the presence of very substantial evidence of the innocence of his client, Atticus still does not manage to convince the jury, as a result of which Jim and Atticus are very disappointed in U.S. justice, because Tom is shot in the near future when trying to escape.
However, the story âTo Kill a Mockingbirdâ does not end there - the author (Harper Lee) is trying to restore justice. Despite the fact that this case was won, Bob Ewellâs reputation was completely destroyed, and therefore he decided to take revenge. On the street, at a meeting, he publicly spits in Atticus' face, and after that he tries to break into the house of the presiding judge, threatening also the wife of Tom Robinson, who remained a widow. After that, he decides to attack the completely defenseless Jin and Jim while they go to their home after the end of the school Halloween party. Suddenly, someone comes to the rescue of the children, and a mysterious man takes Jim with a broken arm to the house, where the boy realizes that he was really helped by the same Scarecrow Radley.
After that, the climax of âTo Kill a Mockingbirdâ begins. The author (Harper Lee) tells how the Maycomb sheriff sees that Bob Ewell died in a fight, and then argues with Atticus about Jim's prudence or Radleyâs responsibility. The lawyer, ultimately, decided to accept the sheriffâs version that Ewell simply accidentally fell on his knife, and Scarecrow asks Gene to carry him to his home, and after she says goodbye to him at the front door, he is completely invisible disappears. Gene remains on the porch of Radley herself and tries to understand what life looks like from the point of view of the owner of this house, regretting that they never had the opportunity to thank him for the gifts he made.
Film adaptation
From the work âTo Kill a Mockingbirdâ, the quotes cut into consciousness so much and carry such a deep meaning that already in 1962, director Robert Mulligan decided to film the novel in his new film. The main role in the movie was given to Gregory Peck, and the picture ultimately turned out to be incredibly successful, as a result of which she was nominated for an Oscar in eight different categories at once. The film won in three categories:
- Best Actor
- the best scenery;
- best adapted script.
Thanks to this, quotes from âTo Kill a Mockingbirdâ began to spread throughout the world, and the film to this day regularly tops the various ratings of the best films released in the history of American cinema. Often, even in other countries, this picture is recognized as one of the greatest works in the history of cinema around the world.
For this reason, the adaptation of âTo Kill a Mockingbirdâ is recommended for viewing, as well as reading the novel.
What will you see here?
The book makes a lasting impression on almost every reader.
Naturally, the description cannot convey the essence of this work to âTo Kill a Mockingbirdâ, therefore, perhaps the reason for reading it for someone will be reviews from people who were very impressed by this novel. As mentioned above, reviews, with rare exceptions, are left only positive.
At the same time, some users indicate that in âTo Kill a Mockingbirdâ the translation of the nickname of the main character is not entirely correct, but at the same time they themselves most often say that this in no way affects the overall impression and in no way spoils the opinion of the book in Russian translation.
Key points
If we talk about the main features of this book, noted by readers, it is worth noting a few:
- Universality . The novel can be read by children, adults and adolescents, and adults will not even make any discounts on the fact that the work was originally intended only as children's literature.
- Versatility . Here we consider a huge number of problems that are described extremely simply and clearly in small things, and even if you look at their enumeration, you can already get a good essay.
- Autobiography . In the process of reading, it becomes clear that the thoughts expressed by the author are taken from personal experience. At the time of the creation of âTo Kill a Mockingbirdâ about what to write, the author did not think, she knew.
- Scary moments. Despite the fact that the book was originally a children's book, even adults sometimes notice some frightening moments that actually reflect our reality with you. Moreover, this does not apply to the horrors of black oppression, but, for example, to the atmosphere created by the Scarecrow - a strange person living in a gloomy house and leading a hermit lifestyle.
- Parenting . Since this is an educational novel, special attention is paid to this topic, and even the problem of oppression of blacks ultimately fades into the background. Atticus appears before us in the role of an ideal father, and it turns out that you do not even need to read any books on teenage psychology in order to somehow find a common language with the child, and just read this book, because not a single phrase has been dropped by Atticus about raising their children, can not be called incorrect, stupid or superfluous. At the same time, in the end, the child himself feels comfortable, not the parents.
- Racism . The author also touches on this sensitive topic, which is especially relevant for the southern states of America of those years.
- Herd feeling. The child pacifies a huge crowd in simple words, dividing them into small components and making everyone think about what is happening.
Short description
This is a fair and kind book, which is often looked closely at, but far from always dare to acquire and read. It takes the reader to childhood and shows how the foundation is laid for each personâs life, because children look at the world around them through the eyes of adults and draw their own conclusions, determining the slightest lie and instantly noticing the discrepancy between actions and words. That is why it is impossible to deceive the child, and it is very important to remain in front of him by himself.
The title of this book can repel many people, because with a similar name and children painted on the cover, many do not have the most pleasant associations, although some are even a little intriguing. Fortunately, the work is often included in various collections, so many more and more often come across it and try to read it.
It is worth noting that some people who have studied the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" content are even a little jealous of those who have not read it yet, but after studying the whole plot they still re-read the book repeatedly, trying to focus on some subtleties, moments, which you have to look for between the lines.
What can be learned?
In fact, from this work you can draw a lot of useful ideas about learning, about raising your own children, as well as views on the world and the contradictions to these views. In addition, here you can see the ideal family relations, which include not only the interaction between children and parents, but also the great friendship of a brother and sister, when they are ready to intercede for each other in any conditions, but they do not give themselves away offended.
That is exactly what a review from an ordinary reader might look like for the novel âTo Kill a Mockingbird". This is a book with incredible meaning, which was not just added to the official school curriculum of the United States, but might have been added to the programs of other countries, despite the fact that not all the problems that are addressed in it are relevant in today's world . The books âTo Kill a Mockingbirdâ should be conveyed to every child and adult, and that is why it is recommended for reading not only to children, but to every person.
This book is included in that list of literature, without reading which, you really lose a lot, regardless of what the final opinion about this book is. A huge number of awards and mostly positive reviews are just an additional incentive for those who still doubt whether to read Harper Leeâs novel âTo Kill a Mockingbirdâ. What the book is about is simply difficult to convey in words, it is better to read it yourself.