To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel of childhood, but it is not told by a child. The narrator, Jean Louise (Scout) Finch, is an adult, recalling events that occurred in the mid-1930's, when her older brother Jem Finch was nearing his teens and she was four years younger. This narrative stance has several advantages.

To Kill a Mockingbird functions on several thematic levels. The novel is essentially about justice, but justice run amok rather than justice fulfilled (Erisman, 2005). Still, the implication is that a better society is emerging. Scout and Jem are relatively ...