To Kill a Mockingbird

This novel is considered the greatest of its kind. I can't argue. The sheer depth of the narrative and the extensive uses of metaphors, themes and symbolism in a world that's dividing itself and trying to stitch itself back together again. Scout, Jem and even Atticus are the central figures to what is a case of dignity and freedom rather than that of truth and heroism. As one of the best novels even written, let me take this time to explain my appreciation for it as much more than just a piece of literature. 

Characters:

Okay, just like everyone else's - my favourite character is Scout Finch. She is headstrong, willing, determined, confused, playful and yet only a child. This child narrates a symbol of apartheid and segregation of black and white people in a place that seemingly becomes more biased and out of control. Boo and Nathan Radley make her confused and scared of the future - her perceptions of people change (and even more so in Go Set A Watchmen) and morph to form new identities that will serve as our impressions of these people. Her world is divided into good and bad - yet she tries her utmost not to group them; and when one person hangs in the middle of her world's separation - she, as many others are trying - attempts to stitch them up and accept the good and bad in everyone. Not just for realisation in herself, but accept it as a requirement of human nature. 

Themes:

The best theme in this novel - I feel - is innocence. Famously:

"You can shoot all the Bluejays you want... but it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." 

The Mockingbird is the obvious symbol of innocence - and then it morphs to become the symbol of the "coloured" people in the novel. As a realisation - Scout takes this on board and as she grows in a court case that seemingly only lasts one or two chapters - she explains to us that the mockingbird never did anything to us - so we have no excuse to criminalise it. 

Storyline:

The storyline is surprisingly simple - and I believe that the most important thing in this novel is not the storyline - but the message we take from it and the interpretation of symbols, themes and motifs in the novel. The storyline itself is exactly what you'd expect of a young girl - she plays outside, she's confused by strangers etc. It's only when we get to talking about her father, Atticus Finch, that things seem to move on and she talks more like an adult than a young child. Through this novel, the storyline shows her narrative voice morphing and changing with various interactions - sounding more like a child and by the end of the novel, sounding more like her father. She, as a person changes so much that we cannot accuse her of first-person narrative bias - it's impossible for a girl who grows as we read. The court case, I believe, changed her the most though - and having an insignificant amount of time in the book only made it more poignant and believable that this is all witnessed by a young girl. 

Verdict:

I give this book 9 out of 9. 

100% for characters: All the characters seem three dimensional - and even through the eyes of a young girl, we get vast an extensive descriptions of emotion and an understanding of human rights. 

100% for themes: All themes, I believe, in this novel link to innocence in some way, shape or form. There are massive amounts of detail and a huge focus on the different kinds of freedoms and how they are attained. The understanding of basic human rights that Scout shows, but the blacks are denied - makes you wonder how an adult of the community can deny someone their human rights when such a young child knows what they are and how they work. 

100% for storyline: With such a simplistic storyline, this novel seeks us to highlight the importance of innocence and freedom - the importance of human nature and how human rights are deserved of those who are wrongly convicted.