Critical Criticism Of To Kill A Mockingbird

In order for a novel to be considered as a timeless classic, it needs to meet these two criterias. First of all, characters in the novel has to be realistic; round and dynamic, so that readers can relate and believe that those characters can be someone they know in real life. Also, the themes should be significant and discusses a social issue today which can keeper readers engaged. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is definitely a timeless classic, because not only the characters in this novel have flaws and are dynamic, the themes of this novel also addresses important issues and still applies to the present day.
To begin with, the main character, Jem, who is proud and impetuous, undergoes a series of events in which he learns

Dill, a seven-year-old boy neighbor of Jem, bets that “he is too scared to put [his] big toe in the front yard”. After two days, Jem claims that he is not scared and that “[he] wants Dill to know once and for all he [is not] scared of anything”, then he states, “it’s just that I can’t think of a way to make him come out without him gettin’ us”. His sister, Scout, realizes from previous experience that “Jem [is] afraid”. Then she sees “[him walking] to the corner of the lot, then back again, studying the simple terrain as if deciding how best to effect an entry, frowning and scratching his head” (16-18). Here, the phrase “not scared of anything” implies that Jem is very conscious about his appearance, and he does not want Dill and Scout to think that he is scared of something because they are younger than him. In fact, the action that Jem is doing, “walking…then back again” and “frowning and

An example of classism in this novel is the Cunningham family, the farmers that were knocked by the Depression. On Scout’s first day of school, her classmate Walter Cunningham refuses to take a loaned quarter offered by Miss Caroline, their teacher. Knowing this, Jem invites Walter back for dinner with the Finches which then Scout judges the way he eats at the dining table. Calpurnia, a black housekeeper, becomes furious and scolds Scout, “‘That boy’s yo’ comp’ny and if he wants to eat up the table cloth you let him, you hear?’. However, Scout still thinks that, ‘He ain’t company, Cal, he’s just a Cunningham —’. Then, Calpurnia shouts, ‘Hush your mouth! Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house’s yo’ comp’ny (32-33). In the first place, it is important to know that people in Maycomb are grouped by last name, land and reputation. By looking at the way Scout treats Walter, the difference between the two family’s social status is palpable. Classism is when one is treated differently because they belong to a particular social class. Scout’s attitude towards Walter is an example of classism because Scout does not think that he is an accompany but “just a Cunningham”, meaning that he does not need to be respected. It is also important to recognize Calpurnia’s reaction to Scout’s behavior. She is certainly furious seeing the way Scout treats Walter