To Kill A Mockingbird

 

This is a book; everyone should go through at least once in a lifetime. A gentle piece of modern literature, is candid enough to touch any soul with its simple and lucid account of harsh reality of cruel and discriminative practices that persists in our societies, at that time in the form of Blacks & Whites, that now can be compared and learnt from in respect of discriminative practices being trotter into Minorities and also on people belonging to LGBTQ community.

This book written by Harper lee (It is her only book so far), having been published in 1960, has won Pulitzer prize immediately after its publication and the movie based on the book bagged the Oscar award. It binds the readers in a childish tale, while describing about social issues like rape and inequality. Is a story every person should read. It should be taught as part of the syllabus. It is a story of Morals.

The author has set a plot in a Maycomb county, making us see through the eyes of Ms. Jean louiz finch, who is merely a child of 10 years. Author must have chosen it as a narrator because only a child can see through everything from unfiltered perspective and can treat everyone equally and only a child cannot kill a mockingbird. A story surmounts around the heroic character of Atticus, who is a father of Jean and Jem and also a lawyer by profession, is very articulate, witty, controlled and an epitome of ideals and morals. In today’s era, people find it hard to follow ethics and morals, considering it impossible to delve it into the staunch profession like a Lawyer. Many people consider lying and misrepresenting others as immense part of the profession. But that is so not true; this novel is an eye opener. Profession of a Lawyer is not only about earning money, it involves some morals to be respected too. One can be a successful lawyer like Atticus, who followed his morals, principles in every situation. 

That was an era, when Negros were hated and considered as untouchables. It was considered as sheer shame to even touch them, and they were treated like a lower class of the society. Due to this façade, they faced discrimination and were subjected to brutality afflicted in the form of slavery and trafficking. They were subjected to false criminal cases, which would if dragged in a court of law, always decided against niggers. The one defending a Nigger was considered as criminal by the Society. 

Atticus, even after knowing all these things, considers it morally correct to defend a nigger. He not only defends a nigger, charged for Rape, but also produces evidence  that proved that he was innocent and was falsely charged for the act which was not even committed. As the White girl was madly in love with this nigger, tried to seduce him. Only after the incident she could grab her sense that he is a nigger, so to save herself from undergoing the shame in the society she considered it right to call it a Rape. Even after knowing the Truth, Nigger was considered Guilty by the Jury, Because a Nigger is always guilty. He ended up committing suicide. Such incidents would have been very common in that era. The Story ends with Jem killing the real culprit of the rape case, in private defense. So the Justice is done, as wrong has finally been undone by another wrong, which is not even a wrong, because Jem was a child and not an adult to be charged for Murder.

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