What are you reading right now? - Page 38

This book, alongside being a huge success, has been subjected to a lot of speculations and interrogation in regard of the title and I wonder what makes it hard for people to understand what's the reason behind the authoress sticking with this particular title. I'd proceed with (a) an explanation of the title as well as (b) with my views.

(a) First and foremost, one needs to become cognizant of the fact that Harper Lee uses "To kill a mockingbird" as a metaphor throughout the story, "mockingbird" is used as a symbol for innocence and with reference to the story, is is used as a symbol for the Negro (Tom Robinson) who was convicted of a crime he didn't commit. Atticus Finch said to his kids, "Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." This quotation is in itself an emblem for the message that the book aims to pass on, i.e the difference between what's right and what's wrong and distinguishing it from only following the law because there's always more to it than that. The question arises, why particularly a mockingbird? And the answer's very simple. Miss Maudie said, "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . . . but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Thus it can be discerned a mocking bird is a harmless, gentle and calm creature and normally, a mockingbird is contemplated to be such an irreproachable creature that one can not come up with a reason to kill it. The mockingbird functions in a way that it repeats whatever noise that it hears, without actually understanding it or delving deeper into it's essence. Humans are homogeneous with regard to this particular trait of the mockingbirds. As gullible kids we are told and taught things regarding the human behavior and the world and thus from that age we develop our own understanding of the world but in reality there is nothing of our own, we just repeat whatever we have been told to us all our lives. Basically, as kids we are the innocent mockingbirds who are later indoctrinated and exposed to the complexities of the world. To kill a mockingbird is thus symbolic of any loss of innocence. Now let's see how the authoress's characters portray the mockingbird. The symbolism of the mockingbird is applied to many of the characters in the novel. The allegory is reflected in several events of the story, particularly and specifically, the persecution of Tom Robinson. The metaphor also refers to the dreadful end to Scout's innocence and her carefree childhood as she later witnesses suffering and injustice, and is thus forced to perceive the fact that the world is not what she thought of it, beautiful and fair, but alongside it is also discriminatory and at many times she will witness injustice. I'd like to emphasize on the death of Tom Robinson, as Scout Jean Louise Finch said, he died long back when Mayella Ewell's father saw him being sexually assaulted by the daughter and it became obvious to the man that he was to suffer simply because he was a colored man for something he never did. His untarnished innocence was murdered as Mr Ewell accused him of raping his daughter.

So basically, and to make this simple, it can be said, the novel is named "To Kill a Mockingbird" because it is used as the main metaphor that runs throughout the story. Jem and Scout are both mockingbirds as ultimately the innocence of their lives is shattered; Arthur Radley's cruel parents robbed him of his innocence as well as Tom Robinson died despite his innocence. (The mockingbirds' murder.)

(b) The novel is brilliant, I'd safely recommend it to anybody though I know of none who reads, what a shame. I had to wait long in order to read it and it did appease my wait and it was proved that my wait and impatient demeanor was justified and fine. The book's theme, though based on racism and prejudice against the black, is concocted with much more than one value. It teaches you a lot. The novel contains many themes and each of the theme has been taught in a way that none seems confusing, every message is delivered so precisely that even the imperceptible ones are easily perceived by the readers and understood. Each of the theme has a different value and what makes them so effective is the fact that they deal with the everyday life of every human being. These messages aren't just the authoress's own thinking or perceptions but are somewhat universal truths that are fit for the whole of humanity.

Out of all of the messages, here are the most influential ones:

(1) The world is unfair.

(2) Keep fighting for what you believe in despite the fact that it is obvious you'll lose.

(3) In order to understand one, you need to put yourself into his/her shoes.

(4) Do not kill a mockingbird. (I'm sure there's no need of an explanation now.)

The novel took me as an reader on a quest to understand and enunciate human behavior. The story has a mixture of sadness and joy, racism and equality, immaturity and maturity and it is filled with interesting characters. The mysterious Arthur Radley's parts were captivating.

That's about it.