I finished reading "To Kill A Mockingbird" yesterday morning. I must say it's a good read! It's not as heavy as 1984, my other favorite novel. I'm not really fond of reading. Maybe this is why I appreciate this book so much. It was an easy read.
The theme of racial prejudice was evident when the case of Tom Robinson was presented. My favorite part was when Scout recalls how her teacher taught about Hitler in which she depicted a cruel dictator causing injustice to the Jews and how she was proud of differentiating America as a democracy. Then Scout wondered, about how that same teacher together with the other settlers of Maycomb despised Tom Robinson, a Negro accused of raping Mayella Ewell.
And why did Mayella accused Tom? According to Tom, Mayella tempted her but was caught by her father Bob while Tom was trying to resist. Atticus concluded that in order to wash her hands of the "code" of whites not to have such relations with colored folks, she had to get rid of Tom Robinson, the very sign of her mistake.
It also showed how gender roles affected society as Scout was always reprimanded by her Aunt Alexandra for wearing overalls and emphasizing she should act like a lady.
Religion was also a part of the novel - of how people take the Bible seriously to the point they no longer live normal lives like Arthur Radley who was locked up for 15 years by his father, a foot-washer.
I love that the whole story took place at Scout's point of view. Being the narrator, she told the story with innocence and curiosity.
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mlafleche2/3320813413/ and http://rogersgardengate.com/wpblog/2008/midnight-serenade/
