My opinion after finishing To Kill a Mocking Bird

I'm sorry that I haven't been doing a very good job blogging through To Kill a Mockingbird, as I've been a bit busy lately.  Towards the end of June, I was busy volunteering with Kidz Romania at an English camp for children.  A while ago, I got back from an MK camp in Croatia.  I had a great time there, made some new friends, and had many wonderful and memorable experiences, but I didn't have any access to WiFi, which kept me from blogging.  However, between two 18 hour car trips (yes, 18 hours both ways), I did manage to finish reading To Kill a Mockingbird.

First of all I'll confess: reading classics or older books is a little difficult for me.  My mind is so programmed for the non-stop action found in books, movies, and shows today, that I tend to get bored with slower stories.  In older books such as To Kill a Mockingbird, the authors go through great lengths to describe the setting, the characters, and every day life.  Don't misunderstand me, I like descriptions and character development.  In fact, I consider them to be some of the greatest factors in what makes a good book, but I think that it's the description of every day life that tends to bog me down.  Harper Lee spends a great deal of time simply describing Scout's life in Maycomb, Alabama and random events that happened to her.  While some of the events she described where important, others seemed to simply be extra background information.  After finishing the book, I was under the impression that most of it was rather random and even unnecessary.  I'm not trying to say that's wrong, just different than what I'm used to/ prefer.

All that to say, I did like To Kill a Mockingbird.  I'll admit that it's not one of my favorites but I did like it.  When people have described the plot to me before, I've always been told that it's about Scout and Jem growing  up while their lawyer father, Atticus Finch, defends an innocent black man accused of rape.  Thus, it is usually thought of as a book fighting racism.  However, I wouldn't completely agree with that.  The Tom Robinson case isn't even mentioned until about halfway through the book.  The trial takes place over only a few chapters and Tom Robinson is a minor character.  In some ways, the trial seems to be more of a subplot.  Personally, I think that the main focus of the book is Boo Radley, the Finches' freaky white neighbor.  How is this a book about racism when it spends more time talking about the assumptions made about this white man than they ever do Tom Robinson?  Well, I would say that this is a book not about racism but about prejudice in general.  In Maycomb, people tend to make generalizations about certain families, people groups, and individuals.  As the story progresses, Scout learns that not all of these generalizations are true, especially ones made about Boo Radley.  She learns that she has to look at things from some one's point of view before she makes any judgments about them.

My favorite part about the book was the ending.  When I started the book, I expected it to end happily and hopefully, teaching that racism can be overcome.  Instead, Lee refuses to paint a false, rosy picture and shows the harsh reality of prejudice.  I like how she finally explained her point about Boo Radley, her usage of symbolism, and they way she tied the story together.  There is more I have to say about themes and symbols, but I don't think I can without completely ruining the book.