To Kill a Classic

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Rating:

6 Kisses: Borderline okay.

Spoilers: Many.

Recommended: Yes, if only to understand allusions in other books...

***

Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is often referred to as "an American Classic." Let's analyze that for a moment. A classic, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is a book that "[serves] as a standard of excellence : of recognized value" and is generally judged continuously such over time. First of all, To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960, just over 50 years ago. The average American lifespan is roughly 80 years, and so it may very well be the same people vouching for this book over and over again. Or perhaps people just have low standards when it comes to literature. How else would this book stay on school reading lists with works such as Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front? I, for one, do not believe that To Kill a Mockingbird deserves all of the praise it receives. I found the book anti-climatic, mediocre, and boring, as well as lacking of a solid plot-line. 

The writing style of Harper Lee, who never published any other novels, is fair at best, dragging on in an indifferent, uninteresting way. She writes from the perspective of Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, an independent-minded young girl living in 1930s Alabama. The first half of the book is essentially all exposition, describing Scout's daily routine, her relationships with various other characters, and showcasing her unique character. All of this would be fine, if Lee was trying to write a 100 page memoir and not a full length novel. But the fact is, it is a full length novel, a nearly 300 page one at that. There's no real plot until the middle of the book, and even then, it's not substantial. 

Scout's father Atticus is a lawyer. It's the 1930s, and he has been asked to defend a black man accused of raping a white woman. Regardless of what Atticus does, it's clear he's going to lose the case. But he will not give up. Essentially, the second half of the book is about the case and the racial injustice present at the time. However decent of a plot, it is far from engaging unless you're studying racism in America. Even then, there are so many more real cases you could explore. In addition, the ending is extremely anti-climatic. Sure, the kids get attacked by the mad/crazy/evil Bob Ewell. Sure, Jem's arm is broken and he can never play football again. Sure, Scout is nearly killed, and only saved by the elusive Boo Radley. But through all of this, you can't help but feel that it's lacking something. Excitement, maybe. Or thrill. Being not an action or suspense book, no one would expect this scene to rival the drama of, say, the Twilight Zone, but Lee could have at least made an effort to lead into it. Then, perhaps, it wouldn't remind me so much of a 4th grader's personal narrative. Do recall that although Scout is very young in the text, Harper Lee is recalling the story as an adult.

All in all, To Kill a Mockingbird was not horrible. Neither was it amazing. I gave it 6 stars because although it isn't, in my opinion, the best writing, and the plot is somewhat lacking, it isn't the worst writing, and the plot isn't that bad. It would actually have been nice for light reading (my experience was somewhat ruined by reading it in English class), and I would certainly recommend it, as I've found numerous other texts allude to it, and it contains a fairly truthful account of American racism in the 1930s. 

~Ellen~