A Final Overview

            After reading this book, I now understand why it is an American literature classic. This book leaves the reader with a new outlook on the importance of morality. Though Harper Lee’s characters, I learned so much about being a good and moral person. Through the many symbols readers can learn life lessons about concepts such as innocence, the evils of discrimination, and understanding.

            Mockingbirds in this book are a symbol for innocence. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, they don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us” (Lee 119). This is what Miss Maudie says when Scout asks why it is a sin to kill mockingbirds. When Tom Robinson tries to escape prison after being committed for a crime he was innocent of; he is shot and killed. Through his death Lee symbolizes a mockingbird being killed. Tom is innocent but he is still killed because of discrimination. His death teaches us about how wrong discrimination is and the injustice that comes from it. Tom is innocent; therefore he should not have been killed, just like a mockingbird.

             Another lesson I learned from To Kill a Mockingbird is the importance of understanding others and not basing judgment based of rumors and stories. In the beginning of the book, Boo Radley is just the mysterious neighbor that lives near the Finch kids. With their friend Dill, the kids play games that essentially go along with the mean spirited stories they hear. However, throughout the story Boo showed kindness to the Finch kids by giving them things in the tree or fixing Jem’s pants.  The biggest moment of kindness through Boo is one night when Bob Ewell tries to kill both Scout and Jem. Boo saves the kids and Bob Ewell is killed. Boo who is known because he does not leave his home; leaves in order to save the kids. So despite the nasty rumors that he is a terrible person, Boo is kind in reality.

            This book taught me a lot about myself as a reader. I learned that I enjoy books with deep messages and meaning rather than just a story. It was fairly an easy read but did have many symbols and underlying messages that were not explicitly said in the book. My favorite message of the book is the importance of getting to know someone before making assumptions about him or her. I also enjoyed reading as Scout matured as a young adult from an outspoken little girl. She reminds me of myself in many ways, especially since when I was little I would say everything that came to mind out loud and always had many questions to ask the adults around me. I will definitely reread this book again and maybe catch more symbols and messages that I did not the first time around.