To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
List Price:
Our Price: $4.16
You Save: $3.83 (48%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.12 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Harper LeeEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1988-10-11
ISBN: 0446310786
Number of pages: 281
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780446310789
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of To Kill a Mockingbird
Book Review: Amazing
Summary: 5 Stars
I had to read this novel for my Advanced Placement English class. It was actually something which I loved. Incredible... Harper Lee's novel is a timeless telling of a battle with morality and ethics during the Depression. Major events include Scout and Jem's developments as human beings, with the senses of justice, morality, and self that are integral to the personal psyche; Tom Robinson's accusation, trial, and death, as well as experiences with and the aftermath of these events; and Bob Ewell's hell-bent campaign of revenge against discreditors, along with Atticus' eternally optimistic, comforting presence.
SCOUT
Scout Finch begins her journey in To Kill A Mockingbird as a naive, childish, innocent 5-year-old who is dependent upon those who surround her: Jem, Atticus, and others. When we leave her, she has become more mature, contemplative, and significantly independent in mental areas. Although she still needs Atticus and Jem, Scout's realization of injustice and her ability to "climb into [a person's] skin and walk around in it" (30) effectively fulfills the moral ambition which Harper Lee had set for the character.
JEM
Jeremy Finch begins the novel as much more mature than his younger sister. However, his journey is no less dramatic. Jem's major developments are in the areas of justice and morals. He was deeply immersed in the trial of Tom Robinson, whose verdict and human loss corrupted his new, inexperienced morals. Via Atticus and the good ol' time, the reader is confident that Jem's pysche will recover.
ATTICUS
Scout and Jem are highly dependent upon their father, who is the basis upon which they are able to morally and mentally develop. Atticus himself, as the foundation, is unwavering. He does not develop so much as details are revealed about him via circumstances that develop the others. If Bob Ewell is the Devil in the novel, Atticus is the always-good Christ figure.
LOSS OF INNOCENCE
The main theme, which is so deeply entwined in the novel that it is the source of the title, is the loss of innocence theme. In chapter 10, Atticus, the eternal voice of reason and conscience, tells Scout that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. This is reaffirmed on several occasions. The theme involves a "mockingbird," or a completely innocent, uncorrupted person, being somehow damaged and hurt by an evil force that casuses them to lose their joy. Mockingbirds in the novel include Dill, Scout (who is able to maintain her optimism), and Jem (who is perhaps not so lucky), as well as Tom Robinson. However, the greatest example of all is that of Arthur "Boo" Radley, an energetic, enigmatic boy who was damaged psychologically by an abusive, neglectful father to the point of exile and withdrawal into himself.
RACISM
There are many who consider To Kill A Mockingbird's discussion of racism to be taboo and thus have challenged the book. However, the trial of Tom Robinson, an event so central to the novel, is governed by Depression-era Southern prejudice, which includes use of the N-word to provide authenticity. THe message of the book is one of denouncing racism, and is thus integral to the development of anti-prejudice beliefs in the reader's psyche, not to mention for Jem and Scout.
CRITIQUE OF ORTHODOX EDUCATION
Harper Lee shows her dislike for orthodox education in two main events. First, Miss Caroline's methods of teaching are shown to be ineffective and encourage Scout to not read until she's supposed to be able to. Atticus, who Lee has established as the voice of right, tells Scout to keep reading, which shows favor for individual development. The second event is the current events sequence, during which Lee claims the objectives of forced public speaking are useless. She is clearly in opposition to the apparent advantages of "being singled out [and made] more than ever anxious to return to the Group" (243) and the theory that the general populace is more important than one person. This may be part of the reason that To Kill A Mockingbird reflects the very individual developments of Scout and Jem.
OPTIMISM VS. PESSIMISM
The novel itself is littered with negative, pessimistic events. The greatest of these is undoubtedly racism, and the townspeople's collective inability to identify and deal with their own prejudice. Countering these events are such things as a three-hour jury deliberation and protection of life by an unexpected hero. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This is certainly true of the novel: Boo Radley will kill them, Boo Radley saves their lives. Maycomb is racist, Scout and Jem are able to use that to develop their morals. However, there are no existences of Maycomb that are so completely different from each other than the existences of Bob Ewell and Atticus Finch. If Bob Ewell wears red horns, Atticus wears a halo, and it is his unceasing presence that comforts his children. Atticus protects justice, innocence, and goodness, and it is no coincidence that in the end it is Bob who is dead and Atticus who thrives. VERDICT: Optimism.
PERSONAL OPINION
It is quite rare that I enjoy examining and dissecting a novel when forced to. TO Kill A Mockingbird is one of those rare books. I enjoyed it as a novel, which has eternally been my main objective. I also very much liked reading into the various morals of the story and learning about the theories and philosophies that Lee had presented.
As a novel, I found it to be controversial, stimulating, educational and well-written. While I admire Atticus for his parenting, sense of justice, morality, disregard for absolute propriety, and optimism without naivete, I found his character to be flawed but a little too Christlike. The same applies to Bob Ewell: nobody is that entirely evil, and for Lee to portray him as such was unrealistic. All in all, though, it was an interesting read.
There has been much discussion about the use of the N-word, especially by people on this board, including one named D.Thill. While I understand the desire to protect young children from offensive language, perhaps parents such as this person should take into account the maturity it takes to read this novel and to comprehend the objectives behind the use of the word. It provides authenticity; for Lee to not include it would not be honoring her own artistic vision. It has nothing to do with a lack of vocabulary. Perhaps such an individual should review their own grammatical abilities and comprehension in order to then understand Lee's brilliance.
The discussion over whether or not the morals of this novel are relevant nowadays ... it's dispicable. I am in an AP English class. Clearly, the Canadian AP board considers this novel to be important. Whether or not the Americans are too offended by a telling of their own sordid history remains to be seen. Not discredting Faulkner or other incredible authors, To Kill A Mockingbird deserves just as much.
Children are not stupid; especially in a society such as today's, exposing them to a piece of classic literature that deals with the controversial events is perhaps the best thing that could be done. Perhaps people would rather children learn about these things from TV or movies, where the messages so clearly outlined in this novel may be distorted.
Summary of To Kill a Mockingbird
The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic.Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into forty languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature.
"When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.... When enough years had gone by to enable us to look back on them, we sometimes discussed the events leading to his accident. I maintain that the Ewells started it all, but Jem, who was four years my senior, said it started long before that. He said it began the summer Dill came to us, when Dill first gave us the idea of making Boo Radley come out."
Set in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Depression, To Kill a Mockingbird follows three years in the life of 8-year-old Scout Finch, her brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus--three years punctuated by the arrest and eventual trial of a young black man accused of raping a white woman. Though her story explores big themes, Harper Lee chooses to tell it through the eyes of a child. The result is a tough and tender novel of race, class, justice, and the pain of growing up.
Like the slow-moving occupants of her fictional town, Lee takes her time getting to the heart of her tale; we first meet the Finches the summer before Scout's first year at school. She, her brother, and Dill Harris, a boy who spends the summers with his aunt in Maycomb, while away the hours reenacting scenes from Dracula and plotting ways to get a peek at the town bogeyman, Boo Radley. At first the circumstances surrounding the alleged rape of Mayella Ewell, the daughter of a drunk and violent white farmer, barely penetrate the children's consciousness. Then Atticus is called on to defend the accused, Tom Robinson, and soon Scout and Jem find themselves caught up in events beyond their understanding. During the trial, the town exhibits its ugly side, but Lee offers plenty of counterbalance as well--in the struggle of an elderly woman to overcome her morphine habit before she dies; in the heroism of Atticus Finch, standing up for what he knows is right; and finally in Scout's hard-won understanding that most people are essentially kind "when you really see them." By turns funny, wise, and heartbreaking, To Kill a Mockingbird is one classic that continues to speak to new generations, and deserves to be reread often. --Alix Wilber
Classics Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Classics Books
Native sonby Richard Wright
Perennial Library; Published: 1987; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.75
Native Son: And How Bigger Was Bornby Richard Wright
Perennial; Published: 1993-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $60.00
Raphael and the Noble Taskby Catherine Salton
Harper; Published: 2000-10-24; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.49
Price in other shops:
Island (Perennial Classics)by Aldous Huxley
Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Published: 2002-07-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops:
A Tree Grows in Brooklynby Betty Smith
Harper; Published: 2001-11-13; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.86
Price in other shops:
The Great Divorce CDby C. S. Lewis
HarperAudio; Published: 2003-11-25; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $13.13
Price in other shops:
Great Expectationsby Charles Dickens
Macmillan Pub Co; Published: 1979-06; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
This Side of Paradiseby Fitzgerald
Scribner Paper Fiction; Published: 1988-09-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.95
Price in other shops:
Black Coffee (Poirot)by Agatha Christie
Harper Collins Pb; Published: 2002-12-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $68.32
Slouching Towards Bethlehem (1960s)by Joan Didion
Flamingo; Published: 2001-04-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $22.25
Similar Books and other products
The Catcher in the Ryeby J. D. Salinger
Perfection Learning; Published: 1991-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.20
Price in other shops:
The Grapes of Wrathby John Steinbeck
Penguin Group USA; Penguin Classics; Published: 2006-03-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.84
Price in other shops:
Romeo and Juliet (Folger Shakespeare Library)by William Shakespeare
Simon & Schuster; Published: 2004-01-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.12
Price in other shops:
Twentysomething Essays by Twentysomething WritersRandom House Trade Paperbacks; Published: 2006-08-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.97
Price in other shops:
To Kill a Mockingbird (Literature Made Easy Series)by Mary Hartley, Tony Buzan
Barron's Educational Series; Published: 1999-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.99
Price in other shops:
The Catcher in the Ryeby J. D. Salinger
Back Bay Books; Published: 2001-01-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.59
Price in other shops:
Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck Centennial Edition)by John Steinbeck
Penguin; Published: 2002-01-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.89
Price in other shops:
To Kill a Mockingbird (Cliffs Notes)by Cliffs, Tamara Castleman
Cliffs Notes; Published: 2000-06-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.41
Price in other shops:
Lord of the Fliesby William Golding
Perigee Books; Published: 1959-07-27; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.02
Price in other shops:
![To Kill a Mockingbird 50th Anniversary Edition [Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy] Image](/images/To-Kill-a-Mockingbird-50th-Anniversary-Edition-Blu-ray-DVD-Digital-Copy-B006FE83U4-X.jpg)
To Kill a Mockingbird 50th Anniversary Edition [Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy]NBC Universal; Release date: 2012-01-31; Blu-ray
Best price: $17.98
Price in other shops: