Views on Narration

There is something very appealing about the beginning of To Kill A Mockingbird. Harper Lee paints such an amazing picture of a small town. Although we are given a fairly static view of whom the main characters are, we also get interesting portraits of other individuals. Everyone within the novel seems to have their own distinct story and it provides a picturesque background of a small southern town. There is also a very charming atmosphere exuded through the eyes of Scout. There is a child like simplicity to her narration and at times I feel that that same simplicity allows us to observe individuals in a clearer light. For example Scout’s description of the Cunningham family on her first day of school is a very interesting view of the class distinctions that were present in Maycomb. Her innocent question of “Are we as poor as the Cunninghams?” (23) to Atticus is a great example of how many children learn about these distinctions. His simple answer is also fairly indicative of how most of the individuals in the town probably feel concerning the present situations of poverty during the depression.

From the scene in the school, and the almost universal knowledge concerning both the Cunninghams and the Ewells, we are easily able to garner that there is a shared consciousness between the individuals of the small town of Maycomb. Even children as old as Scout have a clear picture of the environment around them and the social norms that permeate it. This shared consciousness has a definite effect on the racial tensions that arise later in the novel and we are able to view how in some ways the Finch family is atypical from many of the other individuals in Maycomb. It is their departure from the shared consciousness that highlights its existence so well.

I suppose novels set in small towns are very appealing because the added simplicity allows us to easily discern the motives of various characters. This is a great trait concerning the themes of guilt and innocence that are the center of the plot later in the novel.