To Kill a Mockingbird, Book Review

By Nate Feldman

I have now completed Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.  For those unfamiliar with the story, it's about a young girl, Scout Finch, growing up in a small town in Southern Alabama during the 1930s, whose father, Atticus, is representing an African American who is wrongly accused of battering and raping a white woman.  During this time period, African and White Americans were segregated in the southern United States and prejudice was strong.  So, it is naturally assumed by the white population that the African American man, Tom Robinson, is guilty of the charges.  However, Atticus seeks to prove that the girl was in fact beat up by her father for trying to have a romantic relationship with Tom.  Nevertheless, regardless of all the evidence prevented, it is too difficult to prove a black man's word over a white man's at that moment and location in history.  

While the book is an indictment of racism in the United States' history, what makes it special is its focus on social norms in general and those who fall outside of them.

Scout, the narrator, is not your run-of-the-mill young girl.  She prefers playing with her older brother Jem and their mutual friend Dill rather than with girls her age.  She is heavily criticized by older women, such as her Aunt Alexandra, for her unlady like behavior.  She does not fit the description of the ideal "good girl."  In many ways she is a victim of a society that has already pre-ordained what a good girl is before she can develop her authentic self.

Arthur "Boo" Radley lives in Scout's neighborhood.  He is never seen and hides away.  There are a lot of rumors and gossip about him.  Though Harper Lee never uses such terms, there is an impression given that he is neurodivergent in some way.  Because of his odd situation, people assume the worst about him.  But, we discover in fact that he is kind and protective, despite what is said about him.  This shows how quickly societies overlook those we deem as outcasts.

Finally, Tom Robinson is the victim of a world where his word is valueless against a white person's word.  No matter how incredulous the claims against him may be, the unwritten social codes all but guaranteed his fate at his trial.  

Though the United States in 2026 is different in many ways than the one depicted in this novel, the themes of it still resonate, which is why it remains a must-read after all these years.