To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird

Author : Harper Lee (f)

First Published in 1960

Language : English

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view—”

Excerpt From: Lee, Harper. “To Kill a Mockingbird. 

It is the winner of Pulitzer Prize book. Aside from the prize, I think this is a must-read book for those whom love humanity issues.

To kill A mockingbird is a story to understand about a real world from 7-9 years old girl, Jean Louise Finch or Scout. Scout is a lively, boyish, and smart girl. She is living with her brother, Jem and her Father Atticus whom worked as a Lawyer.

Finch family is old family that have long story in Maycomb, city where they lived. In Maycomb, people almost know each of citizens, family know each family because there a lot of old family whom settle in there.

The flow of this story is initially trying to tell the reader ; the background how Jem broke his hand. Jem and Scout believe that it started since Dill, a neighbour's nephew, Miss Rachel coming into the town at summer break. Soon they closed each other and Jem started telling story about their other neighbour, Radley family. Radley Family living accross their home, Jem used to cross Mr.Radley yard to go anywhere especially to the school. But Radley family is different from any other family, they are very quiet and hardly going out. Their home always locked and dark. Radley family have two sons, and one of them is Arthur Radley, or Boo Radley that believed as locked monster inside the house because his ability to hurt any persons. 

The three of them are scared to death to Radley family even just entering their teritories. One day, Dill challange Jem to peeping the Radley's house to find Boo. They want to leave a note that asking Boo to come out. That didnt went well, they saw a shadow inside the house and run scarely. 

Summer break is over and Scout should go to school for the first time. She is 7 years old and entering her first class taught by the new comer Miss Caroline. Miss Caroline is hardly know each family of Maycomb folks. She doesn't know that Cunningham family is so poor so that they don't bring meal to the school, she doesnt know Ewell's children only come to the school for one day or two because the truant lady gets them because she threatens them with the sherrif. Ewell family living in the cabin with their unemployed Dad. 

Miss Caroline seems giving a hard time to Scout at their first day school. Miss Caroline didn't like Scout already able to read, and didn't approve the way Scout speaking especially how she accused Miss Caroline for shaming Cunningham for not bring any meal. Thats make Scout didn't like go to school and ask Atticus to homeschooling her just like Atticus did.

That night, Atticus figure just very clear to me that he is a very integrity man who always trying to be honest and treat his children as equal for him. He taught Scout-an seven years old girl about compromise. 

“Do you know what a compromise is?” he asked.

“Bending the law?”

“No, an agreement reached by mutual concessions. It works this way,” he said. “If you’ll concede the necessity of going to school, we’ll go on reading every night just as we always have. Is it a bargain?”

Atticus try to teach Scout about compromise regarding her prohibition to read with her own method in class.

The problem is coming since Atticus appointed as defender of Negro people Tom Robinson. Tom is accused for raping Mayela Ewell-a daughter of Bob Ewell. Bob Ewell has been digrace Maycomb for three generations. None of them had done an honest day's work in their recollection. 

That time in America, especially in Maycomb, Negro isn't treated equally. They had their own church alone, working as maid or another rough job and didn't served equally in front of law. Atticus'd defense on Negro against white man made the society questioning Atticus, thus take effect on their children. Jem and Scout's friend usually teased him and called their father as Nigger lover. 

But the great thing about Atticus is he expecting something like that will coming. Before this problem heated, he told his children to not get angry or fight over this trouble. He made Scout swear to hold her self  and didnt cause any further trouble if she is teased regarding his father.

But Scout tolerance limit is gone up when Francis- Alexandra's-Scout's auntie grandson told Scout that her father is bad enough to let Scout all run wild, but now he's turned out a nigger liver that made Finch family never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb again. Scout asked Francis to take it back but Francis persistent so Scout punched him. 

The best part of this scene is Scout is willing to take the blame of Francis and refuse to inform the reason why she punched Francis. She stick to her promise with her Father to not get mad over his father matter. Her father knew it without the notice of Scout's uncle Jack. And all of the matter is his father knew she tried. 

The Negro-defend matter is also trouble his father. Atticus get threat and almost beat up when Atticus hiding Tom Robinson from some people include the Cunningham. Scout is the hero who saved his father. She suddenly emerged to defend his father by talking to Cunningham lighty. She is innocently talking about Walter Cunningham, her classmate that happen to be Cunningham's son. Cunningham went away and leave Atticus.

The hardest lesson is when Jem, Scout and Dill come to the courtroom to see Atticus defending Tom Tobinson. They sit with all black people that they knew earlier from Calpurina, their black maid. That's a bold act and made people of Maycomb questioning how atticus teach his children.

From the courtroom, the answer of this matter is revelaed. Tom Robinson is never raped Mayela Ewell, but its Mayela who invited Tom inside Ewell's cabin and kissed him. Suddenly Bob saw this. Shocked, Tom is very scare so he run, Bob chase him but Tom run like a lightning bolt. So Bob comeback and beat Mayela for kissing a negro. 

The motive of Mayela accused Tom is because she is very guilty. She is kissing a negro and she is very ashamed of it so she tried to covered it up with the story about Tom raped him.

But the question is 'will the court winning a colored man over a white man?' there is no history recorded that a black man ever win against white man, will they brave enough to change the history? Everybody in Maycomb know that Bob is the one who should take the blame, even the judge Taylor, but they are too affraid to take a bold step.

Later, the story goes to how Bob Ewell trying to threat persons whom related to his daughter cases, including Atticus family and the reader will know the story about how Jem got his broken hand, and the mystery of Boo Radley will solved. 

Overall this novel is about the human equallity above all. Harper Lee try to convince the world how this world seen from a children's vision. Jem and Scout are questioning about what kind of mandkind they living with, their critize mind questioning about humanity. 

“When I was your age. If there’s just one kind of folks, why can’t they get along with each other? If they’re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other? Scout, I think I’m beginning to understand something. I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time… it’s because he wants to stay inside.” Jem telling Scout about his thinking of the world consist of.

Even the easy going Dill is learn about this world and thinking what he want when he grow up.

“I think I’ll be a clown when I get grown,” said Dill.

Jem and I stopped in our tracks.

“Yes sir, a clown,” he said. “There ain’t one thing in this world I can do about folks except laugh, so I’m gonna join the circus and laugh my head off.”

“You got it backwards, Dill,” said Jem. “Clowns are sad, it’s folks that laugh at them.”

Scout also learning from her Aunt Alexandra how to be a lady and what kind of world they living in. Scout love a man better because they just simply telling what's on their mind, and rarely ciriticize people instead if there is too troubled and harm. Man aren't hypocrite. 

“But I was more at home in my father’s world. People like Mr. Heck Tate did not trap you with innocent questions to make fun of you; even Jem was not highly critical unless you said something stupid. Ladies seemed to live in faint horror of men, seemed unwilling to approve wholeheartedly of them. But I liked them. There was something about them, no matter how much they cussed and drank and gambled and chewed; no matter how undelectable they were, there was something about them that I instinctively liked… they weren’t—” Scout's mind after seeing her aunt Alexandra's girl friends.

Also the big portions of parenthood to made a children having a good attitude when they are grow up.

“Before Jem looks at anyone else he looks at me " Atticus troubled over his integrity and his role as parent. 

Gee...I love this book a lot. Some of you will think this book is boring because long dialouge, and hundreds questions about humanity. Or some of you will found this book is written from a naive author. But hey, tough the storyline is simple, not much popular drama, but here is a new world that we can recall from our chilhood. The naive, innocent, and fast adsorb typically of children. This book is very idealist and I should admit very worthy to read. I should suggest that To kill a mockingbird is a-must-read literature for human.

Get back your sense, dear readers!

“Fine Folks were people who did the best they could with the sense they had,”

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