Child Narration in Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”

Abstract

Children's stories have a significant role in American literature. Such a role is regarded as both instructive and entertaining. A child narration, to Harper Lee (1926–2016), the American novelist, reveals some hidden messages about how a child can develop and can succeed to conform to society. A narrator, to her, could or could not be a character in the events. If a child narrates the events of a novel, he/she will definitely simplify the topics he/she narrates. Hence, Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird portrays a world that is exotic to the reader. The present paper aims to explore how the novel introduces the struggles and the disadvantages of Western society through a child’s narration, which includes the point of view and language. It also tackles how the capacity of childhood innocence shows people’ behavior clearly. This study tries to find some answers to the following questions: Why did Lee use child narration? What is the aim of using first-person narration? Was the narrator successful in reflecting the truth of events as adults did? The paper also aims at shedding light on the western problems through the child’s eyes. It attempts through child narration to expose people’s deceptive appearances, racism, and class distinction.