Literary Merit To Kill A Mockingbird

What makes a “good” book? Although many may argue it all depends on the person reading the book, a list of standards have been developed so that all kinds of works can be evaluated to determine if they hold literary merit, removing most subjectivity from the matter. These standards ensure that the literary piece is judged on far more than just a personal preference. Some works that uphold the outline for literary merit include To Kill a Mockingbird, The Kite Runner, and Jane Eyre – to name a few. The 2014 novel Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult also claims the honor of possessing literary merit, given that it meets nearly all the requirements. The first element the novel has that portrays its literary merit is that of its presence of multiple

For example, as Jenna began to finally search for her mother, she had to face the reality that her mom may have left behind on purpose. However, she knew that the truth would set her free, so she learned to embrace the options. Not only did this lead her to grow up and be more mature, but it also led to her accept her fate in the end and leave her life as a spirit so she could be happy again. Also, Serenity was sent on a mission to uncover the truth about the murder at the elephant sanctuary, find Jenna’s mother, and solve the case. When she stumbled across the body, all the questions she had were suddenly answered. It was in this moment that she realized she was not the failure she had thought herself to be. She thought she had lost all her psychic abilities, but she had actually been building them up to be stronger than they’d ever before, she just didn’t know it at the time. The truth led Serenity to understand and grasp her full potential as a psychic. This theme is common, given that everyone doubts themselves and are not able to see what they’re capable of. They’re on a mission to find themselves, but they can’t do so until the truth is exposed. In the case of Serenity and in many other people, unearthing something new uncovers a new part of their

The very first chapter informs the reader that happy endings don’t always exist; sometimes, things just end. This immediately causes an impactful realization in the audience, which continues to grow as Jenna and her mother progress through their heartbreaking story. Most stories this day in age have at least some kind of happy ending or a sense of closure. However, Picoult stands firm in her claim on happy endings, and leaves her readers without this closure and contentment. If that’s not challenging enough, the unexpected twist in which Jenna and Virgil are actually dead promotes the reader to fall into long thought on the scenes, conversations, and involvement of the characters as all the pieces begin to come together. The plot twist presents many moments in a completely different light. The reader is left to re-analyze the entire plot in order to process the twist and get the most out of the story. Not to mention, the new knowledge on Jenna and Virgil’s condition causes the reader to begin contemplating what the outcome will be, and what actually happened the night the mother went