In the book ’To kill a mockingbird’ you can see a language not many people are used to today. The language is quite simple but a lot of the words are shorted, especially in the dialogues. But you can still understand it very good if you read the entire sentence.
The book is from the 1960’s so reading the language is a bit strange, but this was the way they talked those days. ”At least we don’t have that sin on our shoulders down here. People up there set ’em free, but you don’t see ’em settin’ at the table with ’em.” ( p. 258 line 18-20 )
Scout, who is the narrator, is only 9 years old. That makes this book from a child’s point of vue. You see it all through her eyes, and children have always had a different way of seeing the world then adults.
When you read the first 100 pages you might want to give up on the book because it is really slow and mostly jumps from on thing to another, but it speeds up after time.
The beauty of the book is how everything is so lovely described. The author ‘Harper Lee’ paints up a whole picture full of colours.
The conflicts of this book is the two story-lines about Boo Radley and the ongoing trial. Both of this events has a great change on the main characters. The Boo Radley story has a change on Jem and Scout. While the trial has most change in Atticus.
What makes Jem and Scout so interested in Boo is probably the curiosity. No one has seen him since he was a little boy, he never walks out of his house and nobody enters. Scout sometimes uses her imagination of her meeting Boo. What they might say to each other and how he looks. This just makes her more interested.
The trial changes Atticus a lot since he feels that it is his calling. He have to do this even if nobody believes in him.
Jem is in his teens and is starting to grow up. He sees the world in a new way then he did before. One day he tells Scout that there are four kinds of people in Maycomb County. ”There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbours, there’s the one like the Cunnighams out in the woods, the kind like Ewells down the dump, and the Negroes.” ( p. 249 line 26-31 ) He also explains that they do not really like each other.
Scout asks why they are different from the others and Jem says ”Atticus said ones the reason Aunty’s so hipped on the family is because all we’ve got’s background and not a dime to our names” ( p. 250 line 11-13 )
You can see this a lot in other countries. In Sweden we are not really different folks like the book but we are in different ‘classes’. You are sort of putted in different folk classes because of how you live, looks or are as a person. Most people see through this, and are usually not judged by the colour of their skin. It happens, but it depends on where you live.
Atticus Finch has been through a lot with the trial. Soon after Mr Bob Ewell stopped Atticus, spat him in the face and told him he would get him even if it would take the rest of his life. He had just took his handkerchief, wiped his face and let Mr Ewell call him names. Atticus later explained how he could see the bright side in people.
”Jem, see if you can out yourself in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at the trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some sort of comeback, his kind always does. So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s something I’ll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody and I’d rather it be me than that houseful of children out there. You understand?” ( p. 241 line 3-11 )
The theme on the book is the withe man’s oppression against the black.
Message: ”The world may not be fair, but you can see it clearer through a child’s eyes.”