To Kill a mockingbird (1962) compared to the novel

The 1962 adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird was very true to the book. I liked the way things were blended in the movie. For example, at the beginning of the movie, Mr. Walter Cunningham delivers a gesture for the Finches, since Atticus helped him with something in the past and Cunningham can’t afford to pay him with money. This was not shown at the beginning of the book, and it was blended in nicely in the movie. The important quotes were also kept, and the script wasn’t changed completely from the novel. Gregory Peck was the ideal person to play Atticus Finch, and he portrayed him very well. The hearing was also similar to the one in the book.

I think that it is significant to watch and read To Kill a Mockingbird as a pair. The movie supports the novel very well and makes the characters come to life. I liked the parts when Scout is often left out by Dill and her brother Jem, but she just keeps strong and runs after them. That’s how a movie visualizes the characters. But the movie also missed out on important things in the book. Scouts observations of Atticus weren’t as detailed as they were in the book.  To Kill a Mockingbird won 3 Oscars, and I think that it is major companion to the book. You should read To Kill a Mockingbird and see the movie ( I recommend that you read the book first).

You can rent To Kill a Mockingbird for $2.99 from iTunes or buy it for $9.99.

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Thoughts on To Kill a Mockingbird

I have just finished reading Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, and in this post I’d like to focus on Atticus’ character, which I admire because of its decency and ethical behavior.

I think that although this book is about racial prejudice and injustice, it is also centered around the character and views of Mr. Atticus Finch, who is the narrator’s father and the lawyer defending the black man, Tom Robinson. I find Atticus a very idealistic, moral character. He has a great sense of humor and tries his best to raise his children as a single parent. I think that the hearing was not shown until the second part of To Kill a Mockingbird because the author wanted the reader to get to know Atticus as a person and a father, not just as a white lawyer defending an African American. The ending was so poignant and peaceful, and also showed Atticus as a loving and caring father. This view is best rendered by his young daughter because it shows his intimate and personal side. He is always pressured by his family to raise his children properly; he never hits them, and he doesn’t insist that his daughter act ‘like a lady’, as his sister thinks.

Atticus Finch also has strong views on the treatment of whites toward blacks. He considers his black cook, Calpurnia, as family and refuses to fire her even when his sister tells him to. In another moment in the book, he drives her home. He also tells Scout that he despises it when a white person takes advantage of a black person’s ignorance.

Atticus said a great thing at the end of the book, which was “Most people are [nice] Scout, when you finally see them”. When Jem shows dislike towards their dying, mean elderly neighbor, Mrs. Dubose, Atticus tells him that she already has problems and that she is courageous for fighting her morphine addiction before dying. Scout appreciates this, and realizes that Atticus was right when she notices Mrs. Dubose’s gentle side.

To Kill a Mockingbird is such a great novel because Harper Lee’s storytelling abilities are very moving, and she could play with your emotions at all the surprises, warm moments, and downturns in the book. To Kill a Mockingbird is a stirring book. For example, the cross-examination scene had a lot of tension in it and the moment when Dill secretly arrives without the knowing of his aunt had me flabbergasted. The dialogue of the book was very funny and filled with rich Southern culture. I think that it is loved by so many people because people could personally relate to To Kill a Mockingbird, which is an intimate account of the southern life, racial inequality and family. Harper Lee’s detailed and heart-warming writing brings the character of Atticus to life by observing him through the eyes of his daughter, making him an utmost idyllic, unforgettable character.

“… As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it – whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash.”
Atticus Finch

 

“Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”
Atticus Finch

 

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