BOOK REVIEW 1

Book review
Mirgaziyev Radmir, Makhambetova Zhaniya

Maqsut Narikbayev University

Lit 113253: Literature

Prof. Samatkyzy, A.

December 1, 2024
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The story about the author of one book is related to many writers in world literature. The

same story can be fully associated with the name of Harper Lee, who entered literature in the

twentieth century, namely in 1960 with the debut novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”. At her early

thirties, Harper Lee was given a year's paid vacation by friends for Christmas to concentrate on

writing. Within a year, she had already written a novel, and after three years of editing, it was

published by Lippincott Publishing (Kerasheva, 2012).

The novel depicts the events of the 30s of the XX century, the period of the ‘Great

Depression’, the world economic crisis, which took place in the state of Alabama. The novel is

still relevant today, as violence and violation of human rights are tragic signs of modern society.

Events in the small, quiet town of Maycomb in the south of America are told on behalf of a little

girl named Jean Finch. Lee (1960) described the town as: “Maycomb was an old town, but it was

a tired old town when I first knew it”. The description of a southern town is associated with the

image of a sleepy and slow life, where leisurely and unhurried residents lived out their days. The

backdrop of an American city plays an important role in the formation of Jean Finch, her brother

Jem and their friend Dill (Baranova & Shalimova, 2023). Like all children their age, they make

tree houses, put on plays, and become fascinated by the mysterious figure of their neighbor

Arthur “Boo” Radley, who never leaves the house. But life changes when her father Atticus,

who is raising his son and daughter alone, takes on a pre-loss case to defend Tom Robinson, a

dark-skinned man, unjustly accused of abusing a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Despite clear

evidence of Tom's innocence, the local townspeople, are against him because of racial prejudice.

Atticus tries to bring the truth to the jury, but the prejudiced community passes a guilty verdict.

After the trial, Tom is killed trying to escape from prison. At the climax of the novel, Mayella's
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father, Bob Ewell, wants to avenge Atticus' humiliation in court by killing his children. They

would not have made it home if a stranger had not helped them. ‘Boo’ Radley killed Ewell and

carried home Jim, who had passed out from the pain. In the finale, Scout realizes that Boo is a

‘mockingbird’ who cannot be judged, and a symbol of innocence and goodness.

The characters in the novel epitomize key moral and social conflicts. Atticus Finch, not

only a principled and just lawyer, but also a discreet, kind and wise father. He is the embodiment

of a moral ideal, striving to defend the truth even in the face of racial prejudice. His daughter,

Jean, is intelligent and, by the standards of her time and place, a tomboy. Scout has a warrior

attitude and a basic belief in the goodness of the people in her community. And her brother Jem

symbolizes the loss of innocence as she grows up. Tom Robinson, a black field laborer, is

accused of rape. Tom is one of the novel's ‘mockingbirds,’ an important symbol of innocence

destroyed by evil. Boo Radley, a mysterious recluse, becomes symbols of the ‘mockingbirds’

whose goodness is destroyed by the injustice of society. Opposing them is Bob Ewell, a cruel

and hypocritical anti-hero who epitomizes the worst traits of human nature. Through these

multifaceted characters, Lee explores themes of racism, compassion, and moral duty.

“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing except make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up

people’s gardens, don’t nest in corn cribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us.

That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee, 1960). The quote is undoubtedly the main heart

and meaning of this novel. The mockingbird is a symbolic metaphor that reflects defenseless,

kind people who do no harm to anyone. It is their purity that not only brings joy to this world,

but also, unfortunately, makes them vulnerable to unfair injustice. There are two “mockingbirds”

- Tom Robinson, who was an unjustly convicted black man, and Arthur Radley, an introverted

neighbor boy.
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“People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for” (Lee, 1960). This

quote is a clear example of the injustice and subjectivity of human perception. People tend to see

and judge others through their own prism of vision, and don’t notice what a person really is. The

residents of the town of Maycomb have a negative attitude towards all black people, not wanting

to see their true personality, interests, and opinions.

“The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience” (Lee, 1960).

The real value is inside the human soul, and it is his conscience, justice and principles. Atticus

Finch, one of the main characters of the book, is a direct embodiment of this quote, because

despite public pressure, he honestly defended the rights of his defendant, never ceasing to believe

in his rightness for a second. This is a lesson for readers about the importance of following your

intuition, conscience and sticking to your own opinion, regardless of the world around you.

“To Kill a Mockingbird” is associated with the discipline of Critical Race Studies. Harper

Lee's novel not only highlights racism in America in the 1960s, but also criticizes the treatment

of people of color. Critical race studies also highlight the author's choice of characters, because

with their help she hoped to create a certain influence on society. In addition to the black

defendant Tom, the role of the maid Calpurnia, who is practically the mother of the children, is

no less important in the book. Calpurnia not only fulfills all household responsibilities, but also

is engaged in strict upbringing of the children. The children, in turn, express respect for

Calpurnia, despite any social status (Kayghan & Dabbagh, 2019). The book explores the

intersection of racism, power, and xenophobia. At the time of the book's publication, there was

an active fight for equality and measures against racism, so the author, using a small girl as a

narrator, achieved success through the prism of humanism and childish innocence, raising an

actual issue.
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Nowadays, the novel remains not only a favorite among millions of readers, but also

relevant for studying and understanding racial injustice, oppression, and social prejudices that

can still be found in modern society. The book aims to show, through the narration of a child, a

look of sincerity and truth at a hardened world, and also to question seemingly correct human

norms. Social movements, for example, #BLM, various social reforms once again confirm the

lessons of the novel about how society needs humanism, empathy, and understanding. In

addition, the story of lawyer Atticus Finch, the story of Arthur Radley and Tom Robinson

resonates in debates and discussions about conscience, equality, and inclusivity.

References

Lee, H. (1960.) To kill a mockingbird. Philadelphia, Lippincott.

Kayghan, M., & Dabbagh, T. (2019). An Analysis of “To Kill a Mockingbird” through

the Lens of Critical Race Theory. Journal of Arts Literature Humanities and Social

Sciences, 42, 492-510.

Kerasheva, F. N. (2012). Poiski “Smysla jizni» cherez prizmu detskogo mira v romane

Harper Lee «Ubit peresmeshnika.” Vestnik Adygeiskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta.

Seriya 2: Filologiya i iskusstvovedenie, (4 (107)), 87-90.

Baranova, K. M., & Shalimova, N. S. (2023). Tema vzrosleniya v romane H. Lee “Ubit

Peresmeshnika”.Vestnik Kostromskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta, 29(4), 85-91.