Oh, Atticus..

Everyone has heard of To Kill A Mockingbird. But I guess not many people my age have read it without being forced to. I'm one of the minority that did- I picked it up on my holiday this summer and ever since I've picked it up and reread it countless times. Why? Because, simply, it is a great novel with a great message and wonderful narration. It's a portrait of innocence being corrupted; of the injustice of society in the 1930's through the eyes of a child. And no voice is more resonant in describing how ugly the world can be.

I wanted to read it just to see what all the fuss was about. Usually, I tend to hate anything that's too mainstream or too well known- I like to feel like I've discovered something wonderful that is a secret just for me. But after reading this book, I didn't mind; infact, I wanted other people to read it just so that something inside them clicked the way it did with me. I wanted everyone to understand how Scout felt. I wanted everyone to cry for poor Tom Robinson, the real 'mockingbird' of the title.

It was such an insightful book and it remains a big favourite of mine. It was such an accurate portrait of humans, especially back in the 1930's. People were so judgemental and harsh; so quick to derride other people. I wanted to throw a brick at most of them, but it was just the norm. I thanked the lord to be living in much fairer times, with much more equality, for both gender and race!

And can I just say again, poor Tom Robinson? I cried, cried again and cried some more at his plight which probably makes me a bit sappy but I don't care. And I totally love Dill, who was based on another wonderful writer of the time, Truman Capote (of Breakfast at Tiffany's fame) because he was a childhood friend to Harper Lee. Their 'engagement' made me smile. I love the contrasts between naivety and corruption in this book. Actually, I love everything about it. I even loved Calpurnia, although I would totally stove her head in if I lived with her.