Three Essential Qualities of Good Books and Movies

All good books or movies must have three specific qualities. The first quality of a good book or movie is believable characters. The second quality of a good book or movie is a well-written plot. The third quality of a good book or movie is a universal theme. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee must fulfill these three specific qualities in order to be a considered a good book. Set during the Great Depression, this book teaches its readers why it is ‘a sin to kill a mockingbird’, or in other words, why we should not discipline or blame the innocent. The main characters, Jean “Scout” Louise Finch and Jeremy “Jem” Atticus Finch, brother and sister, should be examples of believable characters, because they are curious and like to do the opposite

of what adults tell them to do, like spying on their never-before-seen neighbor Arthur “Boo” Radley. Their father, Atticus, is an old lawyer, and acts like most parents do, as he disciplines his children, but he also encourages them to work hard and ignore others’ criticisms. Being a lawyer, Atticus must defend many people's cases, but the most controversial case is the Tom Robinson case. Tom is an African American who is accused of raping a 19-year-old girl. Though he is clearly innocent, he is convicted because of his race. The characters’ faith in justice is shattered when Tom is sent to prison, where he is later shot and killed. The father of the ‘victim’ seeks revenge for humiliating his daughter on trial, and attacks Atticus’s children one night, breaking Jem’s arm and knocking him unconscious. Scout struggles to get away, and is helped by a stranger, who stabs and kills the clearly drunken attacker with his own knife. He carries Jem home, and the characters learn that the mysterious person is Arthur Radley himself. The sheriff decides to keep the attention away from the timorous man by claiming the drunk man fell onto his own knife. With the realistic situations and characters, and universal theme that

everyone can learn from, it can make it easier for someone to consider To Kill a Mockingbird a good book.
The first quality of a good book or movie is believable characters. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee should exhibit this quality greatly by providing us with realistic characters that may even remind us of people we have met before. The main character and the narrator of the story, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, is a tomboy who would rather solve her problems with her fists than with her words or head. She is about to punch a boy who is making fun of her father at school, but then remembers that she promised her father that she would not fight anymore, so she keeps her promise. “...word got around that Scout Finch wouldn't fight any more, her daddy wouldn't let her. This was not entirely correct: I wouldn't fight publicly for Atticus, but the family was private ground. I would fight anyone from a third cousin upwards tooth and nail...” This shows us that she acts just as any person that keeps a promise does, and that she respects her father. She ages six to nine throughout the story, and is considered bright for her age. She loves to read, but also remains naive and idealistic, despite an increased understanding of racism in her town. She also teases her big brother Jeremy sometimes like any everyday kid would. An example is when Jeremy tells her not kill the bug that she is about to kill, and she tells the reader that “Jem was the one who was getting more like a girl every day, not I.” This shows us that she acts just as any kid would towards their siblings. Another example of a believable character is Jeremy “Jem” Finch, Scout’s older brother by four years. He ages ten to thirteen throughout the story, and he is clearly more affected by occurring events than Scout is. He seems to have a greater understanding of the problems that are thrown his way, and is shown explaining many things to Scout throughout the story, like an adult would. He stands up for his sister and acts as her guardian, even when he himself is afraid. “Jem said quietly, ‘My sister ain't dirty and I ain't

scared of you,’ although I noticed his knees shaking.” With believable characters like Scout, Jeremy, and many others that may remind us of people we know, it can make it easier for someone to consider To Kill a Mockingbird a good book.
The second quality of a good book is a well-written plot.

This particular novel is famous for its warmth and humor, despite dealing with the serious issues of rape and racial inequality. It is set during the Great Depression, and the author Harper Lee uses language just as people living during that time would use. Lee keeps the story together in chronological order, and keeps it all logically connected. She makes sure the story isn’t scattered about and confusing, and doesn’t leave us with any cliffhangers either. She bases the story off of her childhood, but instead of calling it an autobiography, she calls it an example of how an author should write about what he or she knows and write truthfully. Usually, a well-written plot has the five main parts of a story (the exposition, the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution). To Kill a Mockingbird should fill each part

easily.
A good book or movie must have a universal theme, or a common idea or theme that appears in literature. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee projects many universal themes such as good versus evil, social inequality, racism, bravery, and many more. The main theme that everyone who has read the book understands is innocence. Tom Robinson, an innocent African American man who is wrongfully convicted of raping a nineteen-year-old girl, is the symbol of innocence. The title To Kill a Mockingbird means ‘to kill innocence’, and that is exactly what Tom Robinson is the symbol of. When Tom is shot and killed in prison after he is wrongfully convicted just because of his race, our faith, along with the characters’ faith, in justice, is shattered. To kill a mockingbird, which is an innocent animal, is a sin. To kill an innocent person is a sin. Therefore,

to kill innocence is a sin, according to this novel.

With a universal theme that we can all understand, this novel by Harper Lee is in fact, a good book.

All good books or movies must have three specific qualities. The first quality is believable characters. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee exhibits this quality greatly by providing us with realistic characters that may even remind us of people we have met before. The second quality

is a well-written plot. Lee keeps the story together in chronological order, and keeps it all logically connected. The third quality is a universal theme. Lee conveys many themes in this story, but the most important theme she shows is innocence. With the realistic situations and characters in this novel, and universal theme that everyone can learn from, we can now call To Kill a Mockingbird a good

book.