Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mocking Bird is a phenomenal novel. It tells the story of Scout and Jem Finch's childhood in Alabama and how a series of events shook their innocence, shaped their character, and taught them the reality of human nature. To me, this novel is definitely considered a bildungsroman. This semi- auto biographical Pulitzer Prize winning novel portrays Harper Lee’s life through a fictional nine year old girl named, Scout. This 5 star novel making Harper Lee’s explicit and direct use of prejudice, and coming of age, as well as justice.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is rightly considered an American classic. Lee’s ability to draw sympathy out of readers allows us as readers to remain content about the plot of the story. To Kill a Mockingbird dabbles with serious every day issues such as racism, oppression, and injustice. Amazingly, Harper Lee is able to handle these deep and sensitive aspects of life without feeling depressing or preachy on the topics. Lee accomplishes this by making the narrator an inexperienced adolescent allowing us to learn along with her.



Harper Lee’s victim of the novel, Tom Robison, is incorporated in to her title To Kill a Mocking Bird. The choosing of the title in corporation with the victim is sheer genius, because it displays the injustices of prejudice and abuse towards someone who does no wrong such as a mocking bird. Harper Lee’s novel has deeper meanings behind the cover of the book. This book has a strong basis for and against bias, segregation and prejudice. The victim’s honorable lawyer, Atticus Finch, is a white man who teaches his children not to be associated with these feats. The lawyer will not stand for any attacks toward his client, because of his strong faith in the law. Atticus can be seen as the hero of the novel who does not enter into gray areas in the law because of race and ethic. Harper Lee makes a great use of this character portraying him as equitable and ethical in a setting that is completely bias and essential selfish.




The two children, Jem and Scout, in this novel have to grow up faster than intended due to the injustice throughout the town. Lee’s portrays these two children as being more mature and fair toward all, although they are white and despite what everyone might say and do to try to sway them away from their values. In this novel there are blurred lines between justice and injustice. Harper Lee only portrays justice in the eyes of the innocent because the two inexperienced children are the only ones who notice that everyone deserves justice no matter ethnicity. I see that the older folks in the town become blinded to true justice or choose to ignore it. Lee shows true justice through the wrongfully sentencing of the victim. She basically connects only innocent with justice instead of justice alone. In my opinion the problem is the society instills beliefs that can act as a veil and blind the people from justice. The only way to uncover this veil is through people like the lawyer who can pass his nobility to this blinded, southern society.










At the conclusion to Harper Lee’s novel, I do not really feel upset with the outcome and the heartlessness of the town. The nature of the times explains the wrongful horrid accusations toward the victim. I should maybe feel disgusted with the way human nature use to be and still is in terms of racism and injustice. I would definitely recommend To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I found it to be an interesting and powerful book. I feel the book does a great job in portraying the extreme prejudice that existed in the South at that time. I feel this book makes a powerful statement on how justice can be altered through race. I also think that the themes found in the book are themes which can still be found in current day society. Harper Lee wrote a fantastic novel, that no one should miss out on. To Kill a Mocking Bird is a fantastic 5 star novel and is the book of this century, as well as future centuries to come!