To Kill A Mockingbird : The book that inspires me

Books have always been my solace, my strength and my refuge in any storm. There are quite a lot of books that have left an impact on my mind, some that have moved me immensely, and so many more that have made me want to be a better person and leave my mark on this world. But there’s one book that has quietly made a place in my heart and settled down, remaining as my voice of conscience and my lodestar. It’s Harper Lee’s book, To Kill A Mockingbird. When Harper Lee wrote this book, she would never have imagined the manner in which it would sweep over the minds of countless readers and move into the category of Classics. 

To Kill A Mockingbird is set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, in the Thirties, when America was reeling under the Great Depression. The story unfolds as seen through the eyes of a six-year old child named Scout, who is the quintessential tomboy in literature. She is intelligent, kind and prone to getting into trouble. The other protagonists are her father Atticus Finch, and her older brother Jem. They have an African American maid Calpurnia, who takes care of the children and the house, ever since Atticus Finch’s wife passed away.

Harper Lee is an astute author who threads the narrative with events that are seemingly unique to the place and time, but that actually reflect conflicts that all of us face in life. Instances where we are required to take a stand on issues that might be unpopular, but which is the right thing to do.  Atticus Finch is a lawyer in Maycomb County, who is determined to do what is right and also who wants his children to grow up to be kind and humane. He is not a hero who goes in with guns blazing and wipes out the wrong doers. He is a man who fights with what he has, an infallible faith in justice and a strong intellect. He is not able to ensure justice at all times, but he doesn’t let that get him down. Atticus Finch believes in ethics and honour, and unknowingly, over the years, he has become my standard for humaneness. Atticus Finch shows us what we can be, and what we should be, going beyond every label that we are conditioned to apply on human beings.

To Kill A Mockingbird is about inclusion; about giving a fair chance to people, irrespective of colour, race or creed. The book has been a part of my conscience ever since I read it many years ago. Scout, Jem and Calpurnia are as familiar to me as old neighbours. 

Even now when I’m faced with certain problems in life, I ask myself “What would Atticus have done?”.