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Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird: A Literary Analysis
It is difficult to give this book a label, since any one could conceivably fit. It could be a romance – the magic and innocence of childhood and all that. It has its funny moments, such as their torment of Boo Radley and Scout’s fight with her cousin, Francis, but the trial of Tom Robinson is made of much more serious stuff. By the same token, it’s too funny to be a drama. I would say it is a historical novel. The events that take place could very well have happened (and possibly did), and the main characters all act in believable ways.
Synopsis
The novel begins with Jem and Scout Finch meeting their summer playmate, Dill. Part One focuses mainly on their exploits, the most important being their fun with Boo Radley, such as sneaking him letters and receiving gifts from a tree. We also meet the other characters, such as Miss Maudie and Miss Stephanie. Atticus begins his representation of Tom Robinson.
Part Two deals predominantly with the trial and the events leading up to it. Atticus and the kids stave off a lynch mob, and Jem and Scout start to get an idea of what their long-time neighbors think of Atticus for defending Robinson. During the trial, Atticus establishes that Mr. Ewell routinely abuses his daughter and has forced her to falsely accuse Robinson of rape. The jury still finds Robinson guilty, and Jem and Scout learn what kind of justice blacks receive from white juries. Ewell vows revenge on Atticus. Robinson is shot and killed trying to escape from prison.
At the end, Ewell attacks the children as they walk home from a Halloween festival at school, but Boo Radley saves them by killing Ewell. The resolution is very tidy as it ties up the two story lines.
Why the novel has been praised
The advertising blurb on the front cover proclaims the book a “timeless classic of growing up and the human dignity that unites us all.” The advertising blurb on the back cover declares that the...
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