To Kill a Mockingbird

So I recently finished another year at uni. It is often agreed amongst literature students that despite loving our course for the most part, analysing every specific detail of a novel or a poem can drain the enjoyment from reading. I for one frequently forget what it feels like to read for fun, so when the ever awaited 4 month summer holiday comes around, the first thing I do is get my hands on either a new book I've been dying to read for ages, or an old favourite, and stay up until the early hours of the morning turning the pages and devouring the plot. You know, just because I can. It’s so nice to appreciate a text as the author intended us to – for enjoyment – rather than to consciously bleed it dry on technique and effect for the sake of another assignment.

This summer, the first book I have read is one that has been sitting on my book shelf for so long (literally about 3 years!). Someone once said to me that they considered it a book everyone should read before they are 25 – I guess they had their reasons, but I was determined to follow their advice and went straight out to buy it, along with The Great Gatsby. The book in question is Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, and I'm sure anyone who has read it will understand why it has quickly become known as a modern classic! I am so glad I never studied this at GCSE like many people do; I have been able to make my own judgements on it at a more mature age and at a time in my life where I feel I can appreciate it for the right reasons. But enough of the deep stuff!

There were a few things which struck me about this book, and I certainly understand why it is respected. Firstly, the way in which Atticus Finch instils morals in his young children is kind of heroic, especially in the time it was set – though I get that this was actually written 30 years after the time it is set so it may have been a little bit more acceptable then. The second thing I found interesting about this novel is how powerfully the views of the 6 year old narrator come across. I'm sure Harper had her reasons for using a child narrator but I actually think it encourages us as readers to consider the harsh reality of humanity and judgement, and how many of us think it is acceptable to judge people for deviating from the social norm.

Finally, when I mentioned to a friend that I was reading To Kill a Mockingbird, he got very excited and said that the ending was amazing. Ok, so I don’t want to detract from how amazing the book is, but I predicted the ending. I don’t want to spoil anything in case you've not read it, but the role of the recluse at the end… I saw that coming a mile off. But I guess that’s the great thing about this novel, its personal to each of us, and we all get a unique experience from reading it!