To Kill a Mockingbird: On Trial

Z: All over the world, To Kill A Mockingbird has been praised, and is required reading in 70% of American schools. Many have claimed it is an amazing book, and when published, was a huge step in the battle against racism. Unfortunately, I disagree. To Kill A Mockingbird follows a six year old, Scout, as she learns the truth about the racist environment she lives in when her father, Atticus, defends a black man (Tom Robinson) who is accused of raping a white woman. On the face of it, the storyline seems excellent, and I was incredibly excited to start reading the book, but I found it lacking character development and a slow meandering plot line.

C: Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird explores a variety of themes, the most prominent being attitudes to racial diversity, placing the trial of Tom Robinson as one of many elements that contribute to a bigger picture. As a counterpoint to Z’s argument, I will set out the strengths of Mockingbird, one of the finest pieces of American-History literature.

Z: Firstly, Scout’s character remains the same. It immediately becomes obvious that Scout is cynical, intelligent and primarily known as a ‘tomboy’, playing ‘Boo Radley’ and messing around with her brother. Her character is portrayed simply, and the only characteristic which Lee develops is Scout’s awareness of racism. In most well written books, the character will change throughout the course of the book and yet Scout does not. This raises many unanswered questions: did the events of the trial change Scout? Did they change Jem? Did the attack on them by Bob Ewell affect them forever? Over the entire three-year timeline, there are no significant changes in any characters, other than Scout’s realisation that she lives in a racist society.

C: Context is crucial; To Kill A Mockingbird is set in 1930s Alabama, in the midst of the American Great Depression. As the narrator relaying her early childhood experiences, Scout’s understanding of such a situation is likely to have been limited at her young age. Lee depicts Scout as highly intelligent, her considerable academic ability far exceeding that of her peers. Lee further highlights Scout’s curiosity by informing the reader of her interest in reading and education, for which she is reprimanded at school. Scout’s childhood, whilst littered with the occasional run-in and argument, not to mention the difficulty she faces at school, typifies that of a young child growing up, happy and (mostly) carefree. The development exhibited, whilst slow, is definitely not lacking interest; Lee merely encourages the reader to ‘read between the lines’, through judgement of her actions and feelings towards others.

Furthermore, it’s worth noticing that her tomboy characteristics are not widely accepted by Scout’s Aunt Alexandra and Mrs Dubose, for example. Lee’s reference to the topic of gender shows the reader how societal expectations surrounding were very specifically moulded. Scout is sensitive to comments concerning her tomboy features and very much shys away from typically ‘girly’ activities. This being highly unusual for the era, I think, makes Scout’s ‘rebellious’ character more unique, as I doubt many young girls - or anybody for that matter - would have been able to behave in the contrary way to societal expectation that Scout appears to.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD:

ON TRIAL by C James & Z Pearce Year 9

Z: Lee has attempted to develop Atticus’ character; Atticus’ main role in the story is his defence of Tom Robinson in the trial. Indeed, Atticus teaches his children important life lessons, and perhaps if he had been written and developed differently, I would perhaps have fallen in love with the book. But I’m not.

To Kill a Mockingbird lacks the pace of a gripping narrative. Books driven by underdeveloped characters but with excellent storylines can still be good but I find the plot of To Kill A Mockingbird to be lacking due to the convoluted side plots and drowsy descriptions of Maycomb in Summer. For example, there is a 10 page long subplot during which Scout tries to persuade Walter to come to lunch with them, a point Lee could have made in a more interesting and faster way. The trial scene shows signs of being compelling, but even these parts are written slowly.

C: Atticus’ character is of vital importance; the author has more than simply “attempted” to develop his character. Atticus strives to demonstrate valuable life lessons to his children, particularly of perspective and respect to contrary opinions. Lee exemplifies Atticus’ care by reflecting his optimistic approach onto his children, encouraging them to stand up, in a respectable manner, to the issues they must face. Atticus Finch is referred to as ‘Atticus’ throughout, which, whilst highly unusual, is perhaps a sign of Scout and Jem’s respect for their father as a ‘role model.’

Atticus, a Lawyer, who Lee portrays as a moral and forgiving character, stands up for Tom Robinson, a black man, falsely accused of the rape of a white woman. Lee portrays Atticus to show extreme bravery, fighting in the face of criticism, judgement and the prospect of loss, much of which is exerted onto Scout and Jem. Not only does such remarks tell of the ‘disheartening’ attitudes towards racial diversity, but also the attitudes towards those who chose to fight for a minority. Although the outcome of the trial may be deemed unsuccessful, in the eyes of Atticus, it should be his strength to persevere in difficult circumstances that is recognised, and ultimately go a long way to reflect his character.

Z: I understand that this book is incredibly popular, but the lack of criticism seems to me rather surprising. Authors can’t write a book that everyone loves, and Lee has certainly written a book that I did not enjoy - I needed there to be interest, and interesting description, rather than generic, long winded descriptions of flowers and women at midday. This book may be a milestone in the fight against racism, but the fact still remains that I do not believe that this book is up to the standard of other books of its genre.

C: Lee is well-respected and renowned for her insightful literature. With respect to contrary opinions, I find it difficult to understand why she is so “awful.” Unfortunately, racial abuse is still highly prevalent in some communities, but, living in a world where we are governed by policies of respect and acceptance, we are able to view a very different way of life that, whilst unusual today, was considered the norm 50 years ago. In the words of Atticus Finch, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”