To_Kill_a_Mockingbird

On To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee To Kill a Mockingbird is set around the early 1930s, the era of The Great Depression. During this time, many people were out of work and became increasingly poor, due to the stock market crash. People eventually had no choice but to start relying on the help of the government or charities for survival. People often lived with little more than necessities. Although, like the Cunningham’s, many even went without food or had to pay for goods with manual labor or bartering. The Great Depression shows the hardships of living in a recession. To Kill a Mockingbird takes readers back to a time where blacks had no freedom and very few rights. Lee based this book off of her own life experiences: her father, like Scout's, was a lawyer and part of the state legislature and she had similar living conditions. To Kill a Mockingbird is the story of an African-American man being tried and convicted of rape simply because of his color. Atticus, a trustworthy man, represents Tom on trial. He tries to fight for Tom’s justice, but, as the whole town is racist, Tom is wrongfully imprisoned. He later attempts to escape, but gets shot and dies. Scout, Jem, and Dill are three adventurous little boys who wrongly accuse the Radley family (especially Boo Radley) of being weird. Because they have never seen Boo come out of the house, the children attempt to break in, but get shot at. Realizing what the children have done, Atticus pursues the children to try and see things from another person's perspective before judging them. Also, Because Atticus is trying to help Tom, his children begin to understand the pain of being outcast from society. The theme and most important message of this book leans on having morals. One of the most interesting aspects of the book had to deal with the way Tom Robinson was treated. Racism is not as much of a problem today, so I was shocked to learn how mean and harsh people once were. Despite the fact that the Ewells cannot prove that Tom is guilty, he is convicted anyway—primarily because of his color. Putting myself in Tom’s shoes made me realize that racism really was a big deal. Another part of the book that stood out to me was how Bob sought out vengeance so much that he actually attempted to attack two little children. This aspect of the book shows me how selfish and uncaring people can be. To Kill A Mockingbird is written in the point of view of Scout, and is shown through its simplicity. Her innocence, in a way, is shown as she is a young child experiencing all of the unordinary events. By some of the more sophisticated vocabulary, one will notice that Scout is older than she was said to be when all of these events occurred. One will also notice that the characters in the To Kill a Mockingbird  quite illiterate and talked in country dialect. You are able determine someone’s intelligence level by their level of vocabulary. I liked the fact that the book was written from Scout's perspective because she is the youngest, and therefore the most innocent. The main symbol of To Kill a Mockingbird is, of course, the mockingbird. The mockingbird throughout the story represents little knowledge and much innocence. Myth says it is sin to kill a mockingbird -- all they do is fly around and sing. This is very similar to how a child acts: unaware, unknowing, uncaring, and harmless. Therefore, killing a mockingbird is like taking away the innocence of a child. To Kill A Mockingbird is a book that I would recommend to anyone. The lesson that is taught through the actions and events that occur are very valuable. One will find that people today are very judgmental . This story can teach one how to be more accepting and caring. I felt that some parts of the book were unnecessary and did not contribute to the plot much, but overall, the book was very enjoyable.