Should you kill a Mockingbird?

 Let's have a talk.

I'm sure most people know that I am currently pursuing my bachelors degree in English language and literature and today we had our American literature internal exam. For this exam we had to read the novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. This is an American classic that has had movie adaptations as well. But while reading the book, I couldn't help but think about the novel's relevance today. With a cup of coffee in my hand, I started thinking. And this is was the conclusion of that thought.

The book deals with heavy themes of racism and rape in the years 1933-36. Right after the American civil war. This was the time when slavery was just abolished but the black people in the fictional town in the story are still being treated like slaves and are being prejudiced over. The reason the book stands out to me is because of the narrator of the book, Scout. At the start of the novel, Scout is 6 years old and we travel with her thoughts and the way she sees and perceives these serious topics as she grows up. The story revolves around many characters and many incidents but at the heart of it is a trial. The crime committed? A black man has raped a white woman. The reason this trail is significant is because it is Scout's father, Atticus who works as the black man's attorney. And even though everyone knows by the end of the trail that Tom Robinson, (the black man) is innocent, their prejudice against black people drives the jury to convict him guilty on all charges. The book ends with young Scout realizing most people are nice, not all are as they seem.

In today's context, a lot of these themes are relevant but I want to focus on 2 things: Innocence and Racism. Innocence is a huge theme in the book. A lot of metaphors revolve around this. In fact, the title of the book is a metaphor to innocence. But nowadays, innocence has a very different meaning. I think it is safe to assume in an ever-changing world, it is best for us as people to keep up with the change. But a lot of people nowadays are scared of change. There are some heavy topics that children should learn about nowadays to keep up with the world. It is sad that kids should learn about them, but to live in this world, they should. And adults responsible should be open to let them explore. So my question is, what do you think innocence is in today's world?

Now, the other topic: Racism. This is a very sensitive topic and I hope I convey what I think clearly. The book explores racism fresh after the civil war. But my first question was, why did slavery ever start? Why were The British (who themselves were colonized once in history by the Romans) so arrogant that they thought themselves superior to every other human race, to the point of deeming someone beneath them and unworthy of the same things they own just because they come from a different place, speak a different language and look different? But that is a topic for another day. My thoughts for today is, what is racism today? There are two ways I see this. There are actual racial issues still prevailing. I'm sure everyone remembers Black Lives Matter. But the one I see more is not exactly racism. 

"Racism: the belief that some races are better than the others". This is Cambridge's definition. In India, we are all Indians. Yet, we claim people to be racist. How? This is when people discriminate us based on our skin tone. This is a colonial idea that stayed with Indians after the 300 long years of colonization. The idea that fair skin is better and dark skin means something is wrong. Which is absurd for us Indians who are brown genetically and live in heat all through the year. Now, my question is, is this racism or is there another term for this that I am not aware of?

It's weird how a book like this made me think about these topics. They are similar to what the book focuses on yet so different. and I'm happy that reading the book led me to write this. So, let's discuss. Is there a book that made you think about things to this extent? If so, what is it?

(P.S: Even though I read this book for college, it has been on my reading list for years now. I'm glad I got to it. Thanks to my degree.)