In the words of Atticus Finch, “it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird,” this famous line can be recognized anywhere because it is from Harper Lee’s classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. According to the Library of Congress, Lee’s novel is one of the most influential pieces of literature second only to the Bible.

This celebrated novel is required reading in many high schools across the country, so it is with great sadness that Mockingbird fans mourn the death of author Harper Lee who passed away on February 19th at age 89.  Many people viewed Lee as a fantastic author, and those that knew her well saw her as a generous soul in the community as well as a wonderful friend who will be missed dearly.

Most of the students at RV have read To Kill a Mockingbird, required reading for freshmen in Honors English, and many would say that it is one of the few books that they have actually read cover to cover, some multiple times. Ms. Vette, English teacher at RV, discussed her view on what makes this novel so extraordinary.

“I first read To Kill a Mockingbird when I was in high school, probably a freshman, and I remember feeling like it was a little hard to get into initially. The vocabulary was a little intimidating, but then once we really got into it, the momentum started to pick up and I loved it.”

Before Lee’s passing, a sequel to Mockingbird was published under the title Go Set a Watchman. There was much controversy over whether this sequel should have been published especially since Lee was reported to have dementia leaving many questioning whether she actually wanted this novel published.

“If publishing Watchman was part of her wishes then I fully support it, but if it was something that she did not want to be published then I think that the world should be satisfied with To Kill a Mockingbird.”

Watchman has been rumored to paint Atticus Finch, one of the most beloved characters as a racist. Jem is dead; Scout is no longer the innocent young girl who adores her righteous father, and the entire mood of the novel is much darker and far less hopeful–no longer the coming of age story we loved so well.

“I’m a little hesitant to read Watchman because I hear it paints Atticus in a different light and I’m not ready for that, because he is a literary character that I admire and he provides so many great lessons to the reader.”

Mockingbird has been widely adored and its appeal never seems to fade. Readers love the characters as well as the many life lessons that can be gleaned from this coming of age tale.

“I think it’s so appealing because of the style that it’s written in, it’s a book that I think makes the reader feel a variety of emotions. It’s a book that still makes me laugh and cry every time I read it. It has lessons that many people can relate to and they can see a lot of aspects of themselves or aspects that they would like to see in themselves in a lot of different characters like Scout, Atticus, and Jem.”

Harper Lee may be gone, but her beloved novel will never leave us. It’s a novel that will continue to make us laugh and cry as well as teach some of the most important lessons for life.  Lee’s spirit will be memorialized in the pages and characters of her beautiful novel.