Harper Lee Harper Lee, in fill Nelle Harper Lee, the American writer nationally acclaimed for her novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960), was born on April 28, 1926, Monroeville, Alabama, U.S and died on February 19, 2016, Monroeville. Harper Lee is the daughter of Amasa Coleman Lee, a lawyer who was by all accounts apparently rather like the hero-father of her novel in his sound citizenship and warmheartedness. The plot of To Kill a Mockingbird is based in part on his unsuccessful youthful defense of two African American men convicted of murder, Lee studied law at the University of Alabama (spending a summer as an exchange student at Oxford) but left for New York City without earning a degree. In New York she worked as an airline t reservationist but soon received financial aid from friends that allowed her to write full-time. With the | 4 help ofan editor, she transformed a series of short stories into To Kill a Mockingbird. } The novel is told predominately from the perspective ofa young girl, Jean Louise (“Scout”) k Finch (who ages from six to nine years old during the course of the novel), the daughter of white lawyer Atticus Finch, and occasionally fiom the retrospective adult voice of Jean Louise. Scout and her brother, Jem, learn the principles of racial justice and open-mindedness from their father, whose just and compassionate acts include an unpopular defense of a black man falsely accused of raping a white girl. They also develop the courage and the strength to follow their convictions in their acquaintance and eventual friendship with a recluse, “Boo” Radley, who has been demonized by the community. To Kill a Mockingbird received a Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. Criticism of its tendency to sermonize has been matched by praise of its insight and stylistic effectiveness. It became a memorable film in 1962 and was filmed again in 1997. A Broadway play, adapted by Aaron Sorkin, appeared in 2018. One character from the novel, Charles Baker (“1 ") Harris, is based on Lee’s childhood. friend and next door neighbour in Monroeville, Alabama, Truman Capote. When Capote traveied to Kansas in 1959 to cover the murders of the Clutter family for The Ne as what he cailed his “assistant researchist.” She spent inonths ¥ accused—contributions Capote would later use in the composition of Jn Cold Blood. After the phenomenal success that followed the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird, some suspected that Capote was the actual author of Lee’s work, a rumour put to rest when in 2006 a 1959. letter from Capote to his aunt was found, stating that he had read and liked the draft of To Kill a Mockingbird that Lee had shown him but making no mention of any role in writing it. After a few years in New York, Lee divided her time between that city and her hometown, eventually settling back in Monroeville, Alabama, She also wrote a few short essays, including “Romance and High Adventure” (1983), devoted to Alabama history. Go Set a Watchman, written before To Kill a Mockingbird but essentially a sequel featuring Scout as a grown woman who returns to her childhood home in Alabama to visit her father, was released in 2015. Novel Summary To Kill a Mockingbird is primarily a novel about growing up under extraordinary circumstances in the 1930s in the Southern United States, The story covers a span of three years, in the fictitious town of Maycomb, Alabama, Maycomb is a small, clos town, and every family has its social station depending on where they live, who their parents are, and how long their ancestors have lived in Maycomb. ‘A widower, Atticus raises his children by himself, with the help of kindly neighbors and a black housekeeper named Calpuria, Scout and Jem almost instinctively understand the complex and machinations of their neighborhood and town. ‘The only neighbor who puzzles them is theRE mysterious Arthur Radley, nicknamed Boo, who never comes outside, When Dill, another neighbor's nephew, starts spending summers in Maycomb, the three children begin an obsessive — and sometimes perilous — quest to bring Boo outside, ; Scout is a tomboy who prefers the company of boys and generally solves her differences with her fists. She tries to make sense of a world that demands that she act like a lady, a brother who criticizes her for acting like a girl, and a father who accepts her just as she i gaining her most valuable education on her own street and from her father. Not quite midway through the story, Scout and Jem discover that their father is going to represent a black man named Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping and beating a white woman named Mayella Ewell. Suddenly, Scout and Jem have to tolerate a barrage of racial slurs and insults because of Atticus’ role in the trial, During this time, Scout has a very difficult time restraining from Physically fighting with other children, a tendency that gets her in trouble with her Aunt Alexandra sa Jom, the older and more levelheaded of the two, loses his temper a time or two, ferresponaine ton nett r a sentenced to read to her every day after school for one month, Ultimately, Scout and Jem learn a powerful lesson about bravery from.this woman. As the trial draws nearer, Aunt Alexandra comes to live with them under the guise of providing a feminine influence for Scout. During the novel's last summer, Tom is tried and convicted even though Atticus proves that ‘Tom could not have possibly committed the crime of which he is accused. It becomes evident that it was Mayella Ewell who approached Tom. In the process of presenting Tom's case, Atticus inadvertently insults and offends Bob Ewell, a nasty, lazy drunkard whose daughter is Tom's accuser, In spite of Tom's conviction, Ewell vows revenge on Atticus and the judge for besmirching his already tamished name, All three children are bewildered by the jury's decision to convict; Atticus tries to explain why the jury's decision was in many ways a foregone conclusion, Shortly after the trial, Scout attends one of her aunt’s Missionary Society meetings. Atticus interrupts the meeting to report that Tom Robinson had been killed in an escape attempt. Scout teams” % valuable lessons about achieving the ideal.of wamanhood-and-carrying-on- ine TACE Of adversity that ‘day. Things slowly return to normal in Maycomb, and Scout and Jem realize that Boo Radley is no Jonger an all-consuming curiosity. The story appears to be winding down, but then Bob Ewell starts making good on his threats of revenge. Scout is in the Halloween pageant at school, playing the part of aham. With Atticus and Aunt Alexandra both too tired to attend, Jem agrees to take Scout to the school. After embarrassing herself on-stage, Scout elects to leave her ham costume on for the walk home with Jem. On the way home, the children hear odd noises, but convince themselves that the noises are ‘coming from another friend who scared them on their way to school that evening, Suddenly, a scutMe occurs. Scout really can't see outside of her costume, but she hears Jem being pushed away, and she feels powerful arms squeezing her costume’s chicken wire against her skin, Duting this attack, Jem badly breaks his arm, Scout gets just enough of a glimpse out of her costume to see a stranger carrying Jem back to their house. The sheriff arrives at the Finch house to announce that Bob Ewell has been found dead under the tree where the children were attacked, having fallen on his own knife, By this time, Scout realizes that the stranger is none other than Boo Radley, and that Boo is actually responsible for killing Ewell, thus saving her and Jem’s lives. In spite of Atticus’ insistence to the contrary, the sheriff re press charges against Boo, Scout agrees with this decision and explains her understanding to her father. Boo sees Jem one more time and then asks Scout to take him home, but rather than escort him home as though he were a child, she has Boo escort her to his house as a gentleman would. With Boo safely home, Scout returns to Jem's room where Atticus is waiting, He reads her to sleep and then waits by Jem's bedside for his son to wake up,Character List Scout Fineh - The nar nch lives with her Hor and protagonist of the story, Jean [Louise “Scout” P father, Atticus, her brother, Jem, and their black cook, Calpurnia, in Maycomb, She is intelligent and, ‘Roodness oF the people in her communny. As the novel progresses, tis faith is tested by and prejudice that emerge during Tom Robinson's trial, Seout eventually develops a more grown-up perspective that enables her to appreciate human goodness without ignoring human evil. Atticus Finch ~ Scout and Jem’s father, a lawyer in Maycomb descended from an old local family. A widower with a dry sense of humor, Atticus has instilled in his children his strong sense of morality and justice. He is one of the few residents of Maycomb committed to racial equality. When he agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a black man charged with raping a white woman, he exposes himself and his family to the anger of the white community. With his strongly held convictions, wisdom, and empathy, Aiticus fimetions as the novel’s moral backbone, Jem Finch - Scout's brother and constant playmate at the beginning of the story. Jeremy Atticus “Jem Finch is something of a typical American boy, refusing to back down from dares and fantasizing about playing football. Four years older than Scout, he gradually separates himself from her games, but he remains her close companion and protector throughout the novel. Jem moves into adolescence during the story, and his ideals are shaken badly by the evil and injustice that he perceives during the trial of Tom Robinson. Arthur “Boo” Body ~ A recluse who never sets foot outside his house, Boo dominates the shroud of creepiness, leaving little presents for Scout and Jem and emerging at an opportune moment to save the children. An intelligent child emotionally damaged by his cruel father, Boo provides an example of the threat that evil poses to innocence and goodness. He is one of the novel’s “mockingbirds,” a good person injured by the evil of mankind. Bob Ewell - A drunken, mostly-unemployed member of Maycomb’s poorest family. In his knowingly wrongful accusation that Tom Robinson raped his daughter, Ewell represents the dark side of the ‘South: ignorance, poverty, squalor, and hate-filled racial prejudice. Charles Baker “Dill” Harris - Jem and Scout’s summer neighbor and friend. Dill is a diminutive, confident boy with an active imagination. He becomes fascinated with Boo Radley and represents the perspective of childhood innocence throughout the novel. Miss Maudie Atkinson - The Finches’ neighbor, a sharp-tongued widow, and an old friend of the family. Miss Maudie is almost the same age as Atticus’s younger brother, Jack. She shares Atticus’s passion for justice and is the children’s best friend among Maycomb’s adults. Calpurnia - The Finches’ black cook. Calpurnia is a stern disciplinarian and the children’s bridge between the white world and her own black community. Aunt Alexandra - Atticus’s sister, a strong-willed woman with a fierce devotion to her family. Alexandra is the perfect Southern lady, and her commitment to propriety and tradition often leads her to clash with Scout, Mayella Ewell - Bob Ewell’s abused, lonely, unhappy daughter, Though one can pity Mayella because of her overbearing father, one cannot pardon her for her shameful indictment of Tom Robinson. ‘Tom Robinson - ‘The black field hand accused of rape, Tom is one of the novel's “mockingbirds,” an important symbol of innocence destroyed by evil, Link Deas - ‘Tom Robinson's employer. In his willingness to look past race and pra Tom’s character, Deas epitomizes the opposite of prejudice, Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose - An elderly, ill-tempered, racist woman who lives near the Although Jem believes that Mrs, Dubose is a thoroughly bad woman, Atticus admires her for the courage with which she battles her morphine addiction, the integrity of hes.+ Nathan Radley - Boo Radley’s older brother. Scout thinks that Nathan js similar (o the deceased Mr. Radley, Boo and Nathan's father, Nathan cruelly cuts off an important element of Boo’s relationship rwith Jem and Scout when he plugs up the knothole in which Boo leaves presents for the children, Heck Tate - The sheriff of Maycomb and a major witness at ‘Tom Robinson's trial. Heck is a decent man who tries to protect the innocent from danger. Mr. Underwood - The publisher of Maycomb's newspaper. Mr. Underwood respects Atticus and proves his ally. Mr. Dolphus Raymond - A wealthy white man who lives with his black mistress and mulatto children. Raymond pretends to be a drunk so that the citizens of Maycomb will have an explanation for his behavior. In reality, he is simply jaded by the hypocrisy of white society and prefers living among blacks. Mr. Walter Cunningham - A poor farmer and part of the mob that seeks to lynch Tom Robinson at the jail. Mr. Cunningham displays his human goodness when Scout's politeness compels him to disperse the men at the j ‘Walter Cunningham - Son of Mr. Cunningham an one day at school and accidentally gets Scout in trouble. .d classmate of Scout. Walter cannot afford lunch Themes The Coexistence of Good and Evil ‘The most important theme of To Kill a Mockingbird is the book’s exploration of the moral nature of human beings—that is, whether people are essentially good or essentially evil. The novel ‘approaches this question by dramatizing Scout and Jem’s transition from a perspective of childhood innocence, in which they assume that people are good because they have never seen evil, to a more adult perspective, in which they have confronted evil and must incorporate it into their understanding ofthe world. As a result of this portrayal of the transition from innocence to experience, one of the book's important subthemes involves the threat that hatred, prejudice, and ignorance pose to the ~~ innocent: people such as Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are not prepared for the evil that they encounter, and, as a result, they are destroyed. Even Jem is victimized to an extent by his discovery of the evil of racism during and after the trial. Whereas Scout is able to maintain her basic faith in human nature despite Tom’s conviction, Jem’s faith in justice and in humanity is badly damaged, and he retreats into a state of disillusionment. ‘The moral voice of To Kill a Mockingbird is embodied by Atticus Finch, who is virtually ‘ovel in that he has experienced and understood evil without losing his faith in the human capacity for goodness. Atticus understands that, rather than being simply creatures of good or creatures of evil, most people have both good and bad qualities. The important thing is to appreciate the good qualities and understand the bad qualities by treating others with sympathy and trying to see Jife from their perspective. He tries to teach this ultimate moral lesson to Jem and Scout to show them that itis possible to live with conscience without losing hope or becoming cynical. In this way, Atticus js able to admire Mrs. Dubose’s courage even while deploring her racism. Scout's progress as a Character in the novel is defined by her gradual development toward understanding Atticus’s lessons, culminating when, in the final chapters, Scout at last sees Boo Radley as a human being. Her . Sewfound ability to view the world from his perspective ensures that she will not become jaded as she Joses her innocence, unique in the né The Importance of Moral Education ‘Because exploration of the novel’s larger moral questions takes place within the perspective of children, the education of children is necessarily involved in the development of all of the novel's themes. In a sense, the plot of the story charts Scout's moral education, and the theme of how child acm jacated—how they are taught o move from innocence to adulthood—recurs throughout the novel Gat the end ofthe book, Scout even says that she has leamed practically everything except algebra).lationship between Atticus and his children, as This theme is explored most powerfully through th: he devotes himself to instilling a social conscience in Jem and Scout. The scenes at school provide a direct counterpoint to Atticus’s effective education of his children: Scout is frequently confronted with teachers who are either frustratingly unsympathetic to children’s needs or morally hypocritical. As is true of To Kill a Mockingbird’s other moral themes, the novel's conclusion about education is that the ost important lessons are those of sympathy and understanding, and that a sympathetic, tnderstanding approach is the best way to teach these lessons. In this way, Atticus’s ability to put himself in his children's shoes makes him an excellent teacher, while Miss Caroline's rigid commitment to the educational techniques that she learned in college makes her ineffective and even dangerous. The Existence of Social Inequality Differences in social status are explored largely through the overcomplicated social hierarchy of Maycomb, the ins and outs of which constantly baffle the children. The relatively well-off Finches stand near the top of Maycomb's social hierarchy, with most of the townspeople beneath them. Ignorant country farmers like the Cunninghams lie below the townspeople, and the white trash Ewells rest below the Cunninghams. But the black community in Maycomb, despite its abundance of admirable qualities, squats below even the Ewells, enabling Bob Ewell to make up for his own lack of importance by persecuting Tom Robinson. These rigid social divisions that make up so much of the adult world are revealed in the book to be both irrational and destructive. For example, Scout cannot understand why Aunt Alexandra refuses to let her consort with young Walter Cunningham. Lee uses the children’s perplexity at the unpleasant layering of Maycomb society to critique the role of class status and, ultimately, prejudice in human interaction. Justice ‘Justice is an important theme in To Kill a Mockingbird, in which Scout confronts difficult truths about bias and racism within her community. She learns that while the courts can be a potential source of justice, there are also other ways of achieving justice outside the courtroom. This lesson is especially important when she discovers that the legal system does not always return the morally right verdict. In his closing remarks during Tom Robinson’s trial, Atticus tells the jury, “Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are the great levelers, and in cour courts all men are created equal.” Their judgment would treat all individuals equally, regardless of their race or social circumstance, because equality and lack of prejudice are essential preconditions to justice. However, the jury finds Tom Robinson guilty even though it was physically impossible for him to commit the crime he’s accused of, which shows that the system is nor equal. As Atticus explains to Jem, “The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box.” When people bring their prejudices into the courtroom, they are unable to make a decision based purely on reason. Even though Atticus suggests the courtroom should be a bastion of justice (“the one place where a man ought to get a square deal”), the failure of the legal system to provide an equal trial suggests that characters must look for other ways to achieve justice, Learning to cope with injustice is an ongoing struggle for the book's main characters, who must continue to fight for justice even as they recogni the difficulty of their quest. The novel carefully distinguishes between justice and revenge. In carly parts of the book, Scout and Jem are focused on revenge. When their cousin makes a negative comment about Atticus, Scout starts a fight with him; when their elderly neighbor Mrs. Dubose insults Atticus for representing Tom Robinson, Jem tears up all her camellia bushes. However, Atticus teaches the children that these acts of revenge do not actually achieve justice. Instead, he insists that Jem apologize to Mrs. Dubose by reading aloud to her every day. Atticus implies that Jem's apology and penance make up for the. é destruction of Mrs. Dubose’s flowers, which suggests that justice is achieved when the guilty person does penance, not when the wronged party returns the negative action as revenge. Bob Ewell’s attempts to seek revenge on the characters he believes humiliated him backfire ~ Tom Robinson's widow is protected, the judge is unharmed, and Scout and Jem eseape mostly unhurt, Ironically, Bob Ewell is the only character who truly suffers from his desire for revenge, as he is killed by Boo while g the children, The most obvious vietim of injustice in Mockingbird is Tom Robinson, who is wrongfully convicted for the rape of Mayella Ewell. Although Atticus has hopes for his appeal, Tom is shot and Killed while trying to escape prison. His death enstires that he will never receive justice through the legal system, Although many people in Maycomb were against Tom, there are also several people who see his conviction and death as terrible miscarriages of justice. The newspaper runs an editorial calling Tom’s killing a “senseless slaughter,” while Miss Maudie and Aunt Alexandra lament his death. Other members of the community believe that Tom's conviction sends an important message to the black community about the negative consequences of seeking equality with whites. While the trial may have changed a few people's minds in Mayeomb, justice for Tom, as well asthe black characters in general, remains unattained, ‘The question of whether justice is served in the death of Bob Ewell after Boo Radley kills him {o protect the children is open to interpretation. In one sense, Bob's death serves as punishment for his crime of attacking Scout and Jem, and for his responsibility in Tom Robinson’s death, As the sheriff tells Atticus, “There’s a black boy dead for no reason, and the man responsible for it's dead. Let the dead bury the dead this time, Mr. Finch.” He decides not to prosecute Boo Radley because he was simply trying to rescue the children, and although Boo would most likely be found innocent, the sheriff does not think justice would be served by bring a shy man so much attention. Atticus eventually accepts that this is the best course of action. When he asks Scout if she understands their decision, she says, “Well, i'd be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn't it?” This line ig a feference to the passage in which Scout learns “it's a innocent 2: id only exist to help others. Similarly. i wats be eae BEN” because they are to rescue the children. naan ae Although Bob Ewell’s death provides some semblance of resolution for the novel and ensures that he is punished for his actions, it also distracts the reader from the permanently unresolved tragedy of Tom Robinson's wrongful conviction. While Bob Ewell’s death may atone for his crime of attacking the children, it does not mitigate the wrongs done to Tom, To Kill a Mockingbird reveals the complexity of justice in episodes such as Mrs. Dubose’s flowers and Bob Ewell’s death, where traditional methods of justice are not employed, but the guilty parties pay penance for their crimes. However, there is no such possibility of redemption to the outcome of Tom’s trial, which is a flagrant miscarriage of justice and is never remedied. As a result, although some forms of justice are achieved through penance or retribution, at the end of the book Tom’s trial remains a lasting injustice that can never be repaired, Prejudice Discussions about prejudice in general, and racism in particular, are at the heart of To Killa Mockingbird. Conflicts over racism drive some of the most compelling and memorable scenes in the novel. Racial conflict causes the two dramatic deaths that occur in the story. On one level, To Kill a Mockingbird represents a simplistic and moralistic view of racial prejudice. White people who are racist are bad, and white people who are not racist are good. Atticus risks his reputation, his position in the community, and ultimately the safety of his children because he is not racist, and therefore good, Bob Ewell falsely accuses a black man of rape, spits on Atticus publicly, and attempts to murder a child because he is racist, and therefore bad. To Kill a Mockingbird does attempt to look at some of the complexities of living in a racist society. Both Scout and Jem confront everything from unpl to murderous hostility as they learn how their family’s resistance to racial prejudice has posi them against the community at large.¥ The treatment of prejudice in To Killa Mockinghird is not only simplistic in terms of morality, but also in terms of perspective. To read the novel one would think racism is a problem that exists between educated, financially stable, moral white people, and ignorant, dirt poor, vicious white people. The black characters in the novel are rarely given voice on the topic of racism. When they do speak it is largely in terms of gratitude for the good white people of town and not in terms of anger, frustration, resistance, or hostility towands the eulture of racism, When the author does present black characters as ying to res s, she shows them doing so by avoiding or retreating, as when Tom Robinson attempts to escape from prison or when Helen Robinson walks through the woods to avoid going past the Ewell house, Black characters in the novel never respond to racism actively and barely respond to it reactively, When a black character is eritical of white people, as when Lula challenges Calpurnia for bringing Jem and Scout to the black church, she is ostracized by the rest of the black community, suggesting her complaints against white people are unfounded. Law Though the trial of Tom Robinson takes up only about one tenth of the book, it represents the narrative center around which the rest of the novel revolves. This trial seems intended as an indictment of the legal system, at the least as it exists of within the town of Maycomb. Procedurally, the judge carries out the trial properly. But the all-white jury does not interpret the evidence according to the law, but rather applies their own prejudices to determine the outcome of the case. Tom Robinson's guilty verdict exemplifies the limitations of the law, and asks the reader to reconsider the meaning of the word “fair” in the phrase “a fair tril.” While Atticus understands that the legal system is flawed, he firmly believes in the legal process. At the same time, Atticus believes the law should be applied differently to different people. He explains to Scout that because she has a good life full of opportunities she should have to obey the law fully, but he suggests that there are others who have much more difficult lives and far fewer opportunities, and that there are times when it is just to let those people break the law in small ways so that they are not overly harmed by the law's application. Lying There are two liés at the heatt'of To-Kill a Mockingbird: Mayella Ewell says that‘Tom Robinson raped her, and Heck Tate says that Bob Ewell accidentally stabbed himself. The first lie estroys an innocent man who occupies a precarious social position in Maycomb because of Ris race. ‘The second lie prevents the destruction of an innocent man who occupies a precarious social position in Maycomb because of his extreme reclusiveness. Taken together, the two lies reflect how deception can be used to harm or to protect. The two lies also reveal how the most vulnerable members of society can be the most deeply affected by the stories people tell about them. Social status also determines who is allowed to tell a lie. During the trial, prosecutor Horace Gilmer confronts Tom Robinson, asking Tom if he is accusing Mayella Ewell of lying. Even though Tom knows full well that Mayella is lying, he cannot say so because in Maycomb the lies of a white woman carry more weight than the truth told by a black man, Atticus, on the other hand, who is white, male, and of a higher class status than Mayella, can accuse her of lying when he suggests that it was really Mayella’s father, not Tom, who beat her. Setting of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in Maycomb, Alabama during 1933-1935. These years place the events of the novel squarely within two important periods of American history: the Great Depression and the Jim Crow era, The Great Depression is reflected in the poverty that afYeets all of the residents of Maycomb. Even the Finches, who are objectively better off than many of the other citizens in the area, are ultimately poor and living within the means available to them. The years depicted in the novel also fall within the much longer period of time that modern historians often refer to as the Jim Crow era. This term describes the time from the late 19th century until the mid-1960s when black people in the United States could no longer be held in slavery, but where laws limited the social, political, and economic possibilities available to black citizens, We should remember that when— y Harper Lee wrote the novel in the late 1950s, the Great Depression was over, but Jim Crow laws were still present in substantial portions of the American South. The fictional town of Maycomb, in the fictional Maycomb County, seems intended not to represent an exact location in the real world, but a kind of small Southern town that existed in the 1930s. Scout describes the town as old, tired, and suffocating. In addition to being literally appropriate, these descriptions also apply to more subtle social aspects of the town. The town is burdened, Atticus might say diseased, by social prejudices in general, and racism in particular. ‘Maycomb is also sharply geographically divided along class lines. While more prosperous families like the Finches live in large houses close to the center of town, the Ewells live in a ramshackle cabin near the dump, out of sight of the rest of the town except at Christmas, when people drive their trees and trash to the dump. The only other dwellings in this area are the cabins where black families live, an indication that the town is both racially and economically segregated. The Ewells lack basic necessities like running water and insulation, and they frequently forage in the dump for food. “Every town the size of the Maycomb had families like the Ewells,” Scout says, implying that the economic inequality is endemic to the region. Symbols Mockingbirds The title of To Kill a Mockingbird has very little literal connection to the plot, but it carries a ‘great deal of symbolic weight in the book. In this story of innocents destroyed by evil, the “mockingbird” comes to represent the idea of innocence. Thus, to kill a mockingbird is to destroy innocence. Throughout the book, a number of characters (Jem, Tom Robinson, Dill, Boo Radley, Mr. Raymond) can be identified as mockingbirds—innocents who have been injured or destroyed through contact with evil. This connection between the novel’s title and its main theme is made explicit several times in the novel: after Tom Robinson is shot, Mr. Underwood compares his death to “the senseless = slaughter of songbirds,” and at the end of the book Scout thinks that hurting Boo Radley would be like shootin’ a mockingbird.” Most important, Miss Maudie explains to Scout: “Mockingbirds don’t do Rane ee eri their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.” That Jem and Scout's fast name is Finch (another type of small bird) indicates that they.are,particularly. vulnerable ins» =the racist world of Maycomb, which often treats the fragile innocence of childhood harshly. “Boo Radley ‘As the novel progresses, the children’s changing attitude toward Boo Radley is an important ‘measurement of their development from innocence toward a grown-up moral perspective. At the ‘beginning of the book, Boo is merely a source of childhood superstition. As he leaves Jem and Scout presents and mends Jems pants, he gradually becomes increasingly and intriguingly real to them. At the end of the novel, he becomes fully human to Scout, illustrating that she has developed into a sympathetic and understanding individual. Boo, an intelligent child ruined by a cruel father, is one of the book’s most important mockingbirds; he is also an important symbol of the good that exists within people. Despite the pain that Boo has suffered, the purity of his heart rules his interaction with the children. In saving Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell, Boo proves the ultimate symbol of good. Study Help Essay Questions 1. Why does Atticus choose not to reveal to his children that Judge Taylor appointed him to Tom's case? How does his decision affect Scout's perception of her father? 2. Do you think that the adult Jean Louise telling the story through Scout's eyes may have added any embellishments to the story? Think of an event from your own life that occurred at least five years ago. Do you see the event differently now? How do memory and education affect your perception of the event?3. If Scout and Jem’s mother svere still alive, how might the following people be different: Atticus, Scout, Jem, Calpurnia, and Aunt Alexandra? + 4. Would Heck Tate have filed charges against Tom Robinson so quickly if'Tom were white? Why or Why not? Would Sheriff Tate have been so unwilling to file charges against Boo Radley if Boo was black? Why or why not? . Read the play To Kill a Mockingbird, by Christopher Sergel. What elements in the story are different? What limitations does the book have that the stage doesn't? What limitations does the stage hhave that the book doesn't? Does Sergel tell the samne story that Harper Lee does? What events does Sergel highlight as important? Why do you think he made those choices? Do you agree with his choices? 6. Compare and contrast the and Aunt Alexandra. 7. Based on what you know about Scout, describe the adult Jean Louise 8. Suppose that Mayella had admitted that she was lying when she testified against Tom. What would have happened to her? What would've hi zl lappened to Tom? How would Scout, Jem, and Dill perceive the situation differently? Would the town have been willing to accept Tom's innocence? Why or why, not? 9. What significance do the items that Boo leaves for the children have? What do they tell you about + Boo? Why does his brother object so strongly to his leaving items for the children? 10. Read Truman Capote's Other Voices, Other Rooms. Capote based the character of Idabel on Harper Lee, his childhood friend, just as she based the character of Dill on him, Compare Idabel and Scout. Do the two characterizations give you any insight to Harper Lee? How are the characters ferent from each other? Compare Joel and Idabel's relationship to Dill and Scout's. What role does friendship play in each of these stories? Compare and contrast the setting in the two stories, 11. Harper Lee uses language and grammar that mirrors how the characters actually speak. Is this technique helpful in understanding the characters?/Is it distracting? Could Lee have told the same story sanielimpact if she'd used proper grammarithroughout? aresthie Way Miss Caroline treats Scout on her fi “Mayella Ewell. 13. What, if any, prejudices do African Americans face in today's world? Have the issues that Lee discusses in To Kill a Mockingbird been resolved or are they ongoing? What forms of prejudice can you identify in your own community? Have you ever been the victim of prejudice? Did the situation end justly? Explain. 14. Why does Boo Radley stay ide all the time? vy 15.The events of To Kill. a Mockingbird are set in the 1930s, but racism is still with us. Can you think of examples of racism today, whether from the news or from your own life? What can the navel tll ns about facing racism today? 16.Is To Kill a Mockingbird a racist novel? Why does it portray African-Ameticans the way it does? 17.15 Scout the hero of the novel? Is Atticus? Are there any heroes? 18.How do gender and race intersect in the novel? In other words, how due not just to her being a white person accusing an African-Ameri telationship between Jem and Scout with the relationship between Atticus ch. rst day of school with the way the town treats much of Mayella's treatment is be different if it were narrated from Jem’s perspective? A\ticus's? Calpurnia's? 20.Many lawyers eredit Atticus as their inspiration for entering the law profession, but others eriticiee that he's portrayed in the novel as the lone protector of powerless African-American who cant da anything for themselves. To what extent can Atticus be taken as a role model? Does he make you want to become a lawyer?