Full-Length Book Report

 

In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, A fiction book by Harper Lee,  it covers the story of a black man falsely accused of rape in a small southern town in the 1930s.  The story is presented to you through the eyes of a child, Scout Finch, learning about the harsh realities of the world we live in.  Three themes in this book are coming of age, loss of innocence, and injustice.  

 

Scout and her brother Jem live with their father Atticus and their maid Calpurnia.  Scout being the age of six at the beginning the of the book and about at the age of eight at the end.  In the beginning of the book, Scout and Jem like to act out plays in their front yard.  They meet another boy named Dill and he encourages them to things their father said that they should.  One of these things being that they go and mess around with their neighbor’s house.  They do this because they think Arthur Radley, the man who lives in the house, is an evil man.  Later on, they learn that this is not true.  She comes of age by making new friends and starting school, but she also experiences things that a girl her age should not.

 

Another theme in this book is a loss of innocence.  Her father Atticus Finch takes a case defending a black man Tom Robinson.  This leads to the kids at school bullying Scout because her father is defending a black man.  She has to ask Atticus why kids make fun of her just because she is defending a black man.  Also, one night when she is walking home from a school pageant she along with Jem are attacked by Bob Ewell.  They are attacked because Atticus embarrassed him in court, where a large injustice was taken place.

The last theme is this book is injustice.  In the case of Tom Robinson and the Ewells, the Ewells are accusing Tom of raping Mayella Ewell.  Atticus makes a strong case for why Tom couldn’t have raped Mayella and insinuates that Bob beat his daughter. Although the whole courtroom knows that Tom did not rape Mayella he is still found guilty just because he is black.

 

In Harper Lee’s masterpiece “To Kill a Mockingbird” demonstrates coming of age, loss of innocence, and injustice in the life of a little girl Scout Finch.  This book is very well known and loved by many.  I myself really enjoyed “To Kill a Mockingbird” as well.  I believe this is a book that everyone should read at one point in their life.