There have been few pieces of art, in any medium, that have moved me so deeply that I feel compelled to step back and allow myself to grasp what has entered my conscience. So few, indeed, that I can count them off on one hand- To Kill a Mockingbird holds its head high amongst them. It is art like To Kill a Mockingbird that inspires me unlike anything else. It is an inspiration that exists far beyond the content of the novel, an inspiration of the soul, a sensation that feels bigger than comprehension.
To Kill a Mockingbird represents, in many ways, those joys that a name would stain. It is a story of lost innocence and greed, but beyond that, it is a story of honesty, wisdom, bravery and love prevailing in the face of it all. It is a novel that reminds me what joy can truly be. It is a novel that calls forth the sacred thought, the faith that, whatever it’s worth, anyone can create art that touches one’s anima. Anyone has the power to open the hearts of others, to take their stand against whatever they may, be it prejudice, productivity, or philosophy. Anyone can bottle their senses, their happiness, and their trust to encapsulate whatever they feel. To Kill a Mockingbird reminds me that joy comes from someplace special. It isn’t seeing an “A” on an orange sheet. It isn’t the allure of possession or meaningless hours spent before the television screen. It is seeing the eyes of a friend light up, it is the teary-eyed ramblings of a party gone on for far too long, and it is a whisper from the lips of Boo Radley.
A name may stain this accomplishment of writing, but it isn’t the failings of language at blame. Any single name isn’t enough. It can take hundreds and thousands of words. It can take countless pages, and on occasion, can take a small rural county in southern Alabama. It can take a thoughtful landscape, or a quirky computer game, or a favourite song. But it is something beautiful, and it is joy. It is the reassurance that, both a greedy wretch, a man falsely condemned to death, and a curious little girl can all understand one another in a deep and profound way.
If there is any great moral to To Kill a Mockingbird, it isn’t one that claims prejudice is evil or that we’ve grown callouses over reality- it is one of stories. It is one that tells us that there’s a story behind every face, behind every reaction and every word. There’s a story to us all, and without having read that story, we can’t expect to know the context of those people and actions we see around us. In this great story of life, the best we can hope to do is to have written down our very best.
To Kill a Mockingbird has instilled confidence in me that doing so is within the reach of any willing to grasp it. I wouldn’t change that for the world.
About the Author (in his own words): To get formalities out of the way, my name’s Adam and I’m a diligent student at Dearborn High School. Now, what is there for me to tell you about myself? I’ve never deemed my own life story particularly interesting, to be frank. I’ve had a simple childhood of friendships and summers, and I’m having a simple teenagehood of schoolwork and, well, writing. English has become my own personal escape to extraordinary images of picturesque scenery, impossibly interesting adventures and unfathomable beauty and drama- all things which I regrettably must inform you, do not define my day-to-day lifestyle. But hey, that’s what literature is for, isn’t it?
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