In this Thursday's Wall Street Journal, Allan Barra wrote a piece on "What 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Isn't". The essay caught my attention because, TKAM is, without a doubt, one of the books I loved reading the most in school. It helped that, when we read it in 8th grade, Mrs. Parker read it aloud to us in her thick Southern accent and made the story come alive. Harper Lee's only published novel brought to light so many social issues in a segregated South that some recognized but few were willing to talk about. TKAM teaches us about racism, hatred and injustice. But it also teaches us a great deal about forgiveness, compassion and grace.
Mr. Barra argues that because 'we know exactly what we knew at the beginning: that Atticus Finch is a good man, that Tom Robinson was an innocent victim of racism, and that lynching is bad', TKAM can't possibly stack up to the 'moral ambiguity' that remains at the end of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or The Great Gatsby. As a result, in Mr. Barra's mind, there's no way that TKAM can possibly be a 'timeless classic that ranks with the great works of American literature.'
I don't think Mr. Barra could be more wrong. While TKAM may be quite simple in its delivery and allow the reader to grasp sound conclusions at the end, it tells the story of a very sad chapter in the history of the South - and it's a lesson we can never forget. So, if you're looking for something to read on a lazy, hazy summer day, dust off that old copy on your bookshelf, and remind yourself that 'you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.'
TKAM is my favorite novel to teach. While Gregory Peck made for an excellent Atticus, it's the first time I am able to convince my kiddos that the book is indeed better than the movie. They don't even want to watch it. It makes this ol' English teacher proud! :)
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