To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird is a 1960 novel by Harper Lee, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961. A coming-of-age story, it is told from the point of view of Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, the young daughter of Atticus Finch, an educated lawyer in Maycomb, Alabama, a fictional small town in the Deep South of the United States. She is accompanied by her brother Jem and their mutual friend Dill.
Plot
Scout Finch lives with her brother, Jem, and their widowed father, Atticus, in the sleepy Alabama town of Maycomb. Maycomb is suffering through the Great Depression, but Atticus is a prominent lawyer and the Finch family is reasonably well off in comparison to the rest of society. One summer, Jem and Scout befriend a boy named Dill, who has come to live in their neighborhood for the summer, and the trio acts out stories together. Eventually, Dill becomes fascinated with the spooky house on their street called the Radley Place. The house is owned by Mr. Nathan Radley, whose brother, Arthur (nicknamed Boo), has lived there for years without venturing outside in daylight.
Scout goes to school for the first time that fall and detests it. She and Jem find gifts apparently left for them in a knothole of a tree on the Radley property. Dill returns the following summer, and he, Scout, and Jem begin to act out the story of Boo Radley. Atticus puts a stop to their antics, urging the children to try to see life from another person’s perspective before making judgments. But, on Dill’s last night in Maycomb for the summer, the three sneak onto the Radley property, where Nathan Radley shoots at them. Jem loses his pants in the ensuing escape. When he returns for them, he finds them mended and hung over the fence. The next winter, Jem and Scout find more presents in the tree, presumably left by the mysterious Boo. Nathan Radley eventually plugs the knothole with cement. Shortly thereafter, a fire breaks out in another neighbor’s house, and during the fire someone slips a blanket on Scout’s shoulders as she watches the blaze. Convinced that Boo did it, Jem tells Atticus about the mended pants and the presents.
To the consternation of Maycomb’s racist white community, Atticus agrees to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping a white woman. Because of Atticus’s decision, Jem and Scout are subjected to abuse from other children, even when they celebrate Christmas at the family compound on Finch’s Landing. Calpurnia, the Finches’ black cook, takes them to the local black church, where the warm and close-knit community largely embraces the children.
Atticus’s sister, Alexandra, comes to live with the Finches the next summer. Dill, who is supposed to live with his “new father” in another town, runs away and comes to Maycomb. Tom Robinson’s trial begins, and when the accused man is placed in the local jail, a mob gathers to lynch him. Atticus faces the mob down the night before the trial. Jem and Scout, who have sneaked out of the house, soon join him. Scout recognizes one of the men, and her polite questioning about his son shames him into dispersing the mob.
At the trial itself, the children sit in the “colored balcony” with the town’s black citizens. Atticus provides clear evidence that the accusers, Mayella Ewell and her father, Bob, are lying: in fact, Mayella propositioned Tom Robinson, was caught by her father, and then accused Tom of rape to cover her shame and guilt. Atticus provides impressive evidence that the marks on Mayella’s face are from wounds that her father inflicted; upon discovering her with Tom, he called her a whore and beat her. Yet, despite the significant evidence pointing to Tom’s innocence, the all-white jury convicts him. The innocent Tom later tries to escape from prison and is shot to death. In the aftermath of the trial, Jem’s faith in justice is badly shaken, and he lapses into despondency and doubt.
Despite the verdict, Bob Ewell feels that Atticus and the judge have made a fool out of him, and he vows revenge. He menaces Tom Robinson’s widow, tries to break into the judge’s house, and finally attacks Jem and Scout as they walk home from a Halloween party. Boo Radley intervenes, however, saving the children. Atticus believes that Jem fatally stabbed Mr. Ewell in the struggle. Boo carries the wounded Jem back to Atticus’s house, where the sheriff, in order to protect Boo (who probably did stab Mr. Ewell), insists that Ewell tripped over a tree root and fell on his own knife. After sitting with Scout for a while, Boo is walked to his home by Scout. While standing on the Radley porch Scout feels sorry for Boo because she and Jem never gave him a chance, and never repaid him for the gifts that he gave them.
Later, Scout feels as though she can finally imagine what life is like for Boo. He has become a human being to her at last. With this realization, Scout embraces her father’s advice to practice sympathy and understanding and demonstrates that her experiences with hatred and prejudice will not sully her faith in human goodness.
Analysis
The title of the book is taken from Atticus's advice to his children about firing their air rifles at birds: "Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird". The blue jay is a very common bird, and is often perceived as a bully and a pest, whereas mockingbirds do nothing but "sing their hearts out for us". Metaphorically, several of the book's characters can be seen as "mockingbirds" (Tom Robinson and Boo Radley), because they are constantly attacked despite doing nothing but good. The mockingbird represents innocence, and to kill one is to metaphorically kill innocence. Note that the protagonists are also named after birds: Tom Robinson and the Finch family. However, "Finch" was also Lee's mother's maiden name. Harper Lee stated, "To get the ideas for the book I used recent events in my time like the Scottsboro Trials." (Harper Lee, Book Review, 1964)
Characters
Primary characters
Jean Louise "Scout" Finch is the protagonist of the story. She is a 6 year old girl and is a bit of a tomboy, since she enjoys activities such as fighting and hates wearing dresses. She is also quite intelligent; she could read since she was a toddler and takes advanced math and science courses at school. It is stated that she has bangs and wears jeans. She has a crush on Charles Baker Harris (Dill) and wants to marry him in the future.
Jeremy Atticus "Jem" Finch is Scout's older brother. Jem undergoes crucial transformations in the work as he becomes a man. The trial of Tom Robinson is Jem's first real encounter with true evil, and the realization of its existence drives him into a sullen state. Prior to this, he had viewed the world innocently, thinking of people as one-sided. He viewed Boo Radley, for example, as a frightening figure. Jem was able to overcome his sullenness due to the strong presence of Atticus in his life, and became a bigger person as he achieved a greater understanding of the world and how to view and treat other human beings. He also grew away from Scout, who he often asked to act more like a lady as the book progresses.
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Atticus Finch is one of the most important characters in the story. He represents morality and kindness. He defends Tom Robinson because he feels that not doing so would make him a hypocrite. Atticus serves as a guiding light for his children, always calm and patient. He allows them to come to the understanding that, although evil exists, one should not dwell on that but should instead realize that the existence of this evil is a sign that there is work to do, and progress to be made. His strong presence in his children's lives prevents them from becoming symbols of destroyed innocence, such as Boo Radley and Tom Robinson.
Arthur "Boo" Radley symbolizes destroyed innocence. Having been involved in a petty gang as a teenager, his father ensured that he stayed at home rather than be sent to the State Industrial School by the judge. However, this led him to be isolated from the outside world. A gentle creature, he is viewed with fear by the children, who do not come to a better understanding of him until the end of the work. He does several heroic things, including giving Scout a blanket during a neighborhood fire, and saving the children from an assault. His misconceived good nature testifies to the message of the story, one of kindness and the notion that people should not make judgments on others, since human beings are not that simple.
Tom Robinson is important to the novel for many different reasons. Firstly, he acts as a scapegoat in the novel — allowed to take the blame for something he didn't do (raping Mayella). He represents the 'mockingbird,' doing nothing but good (helping Mayella with various tasks and expecting no payment in return). In addition, his case shows that many White people are prejudiced against the Black people of Maycomb. Although Scout is too young to understand the basic principle of racism, her description of the trial of Tom lets the readers know that the author is against racism. The book is Bildungsroman — showing how she and Jem are growing up.
Mayella Violet Ewell is Tom Robinson's 19 year old accuser. She is the eldest daughter of Bob Ewell and all Ewell children go to school only one day per school year. Mayella's mother died when Mayella was a child or adolescent and since the mother's untimely passing her daughter has become her widower's surrogate wife and children's mother. She was continuously physically abused by her father; Atticus politely and indirectly proves this by mentioning the bruises concentrated on her right side. Mayella cannot attend school because she must stay home, take care of her siblings, and clean. She is isolated from her peers and very lonely. She wants a better life for herself and lovingly grows red geraniums, but a change in her situation is unlikely. To get the human contact that she so craves, she attempts to seduce a black man, but her father sees this and beats her up, calling her a whore, then he finds the sheriff and tells him that his daughter has been raped. By testifying against Tom she contributes to the racism that divides the town and the situation escalates to the point where everyone is involved.
Other characters
Aunt Alexandra is Atticus’ proper sister, who came to live with them to make a lady out of the tomboy Scout and restore proper Southern order to their home. Her views on Atticus' decision to have a "negro" in the house are made clear as she asks Atticus to 'get rid of her'.
Miss Maudie Atkinson lives across the street from the Finches. She enjoys baking and gardening. At one time, her house burns down. She is also considered by some to be a symbolic Mockingbird, as she is frequently harassed by devote Baptists who tell her that her enjoyment of gardening is sin.
Calpurnia is the cook and maid to the Finch family. In Scout's early life, Calpurnia acts as her mother figure, providing discipline, instruction, and love. Calpurnia is one of the few Negros able to read and write, and teaches Scout to write prior to Scout's entry into school.
Charles Baker "Dill" Harris is one year older than Scout. He spends the summer with his aunt, Miss Rachel Haverford, in Maycomb. He lives for the rest of the year in Meridian, Mississippi. Dill has a crush on Jean Louise "Scout" Finch and wants to marry her in the future.
Mrs. Henry-Lafayette Dubose is an old lady who lives near the Finches. She shouts her opinion at all who pass, and is often extremely impolite. Dubose has many stereotypes that were common during the time period. She heavily critizes Jem and Scout's father Atticus for defending Tom Robinson. After this, Jem cuts the tops off of her camellias. He is then punished by his father. The punishment is he must help to replant her flowers and read to her. She dies soon after his punishment is over. It is now Atticus reveals that the reading sessions were helping her to break her addiction to morphine, a goal she wanted to accomplish before she died.
Mr. Horace Gilmer is a lawyer from Abbotsville. He is the man who presents prosecution against Tom Robinson.
Miss Rachel Haverford is Dill's aunt and lives next door to the Finches. During the course of the novel her house burns down.
Miss Stephanie Crawford lives next door to the Finches and enjoys gossiping.
The Cunninghams are a poor family in Maycomb. The father is a part of the Old Sarum mob that tries to lynch Tom Robinson.
Nathan Radley is Arthur Radley's brother, who now is the head of the Radley house, since his father died. Like his father, he tries to isolate Arthur Boo Radley from the outside world.
Mr. Avery is an unpleasant old man who lives near the Finch house.
Dr. Dolphus Raymond is a disliked white man who married a black woman. He pretends he is an alcoholic, but he only drinks Coca Cola out of a sack. He does this to put the people of Maycomb at ease, to give them a reason why he married a black woman. He knows they will not understand why he lives as he does, so by pretending he is a drunk, he makes life easier for himself (and for Maycomb).
Mr. Underwood writes the Maycomb Tribute. He helped Atticus protect Tom Robinson from the mob. He said that killing a cripple was like killing a mockingbird.
Miss Caroline Fisher is Scout's first grade teacher and is new to Maycomb and its ways. She suffers an embarrassing event as Scout tries to teach her the ways of Maycomb County
Miss Gates is Scout's third grade teacher. She is nice, but is unable to see the prejudice that African Americans face in the US, as opposed to her hatred and understanding of the discrimination that Jews faced in Nazi Germany.
Reverend Sykes is the reverend of the First Purchase M.E. African Church in Maycomb County. This is the church where Tom Robinson attended. Reverend Sykes forces the congregation to donate $10 for Tom Robinson's family.
Mrs. Grace Merriweather is one of Scout's neighbors. She attended the Missionary Tea. She feels bad for the Mrunas who suffer because they don't act as a real family and have a poor social status in society and also supports the way that J. Grimes Everett is the only person who is willing to help the Mrunas. She, however, does not see how the blacks suffer and can also not see how Atticus is the only white in Maycomb who is willing to directly support Tom Robinson. This way, by talking about this under Atticus's own roof, angers Miss Maudie. Mrs. Merriweather was also the leader of the Halloween Paegeant where Scout was a ham.
Trivia
- The character of Boo Radley — a mysterious neighbor who lives quietly in his dark house and is feared by the local children — gave his name to the British band The Boo Radleys.
- In the 2002 film Mr. Deeds when Winona Ryder is telling Adam Sandler about her "hometown" she mentions breaking her arm after falling from "Boo Radley's" tree house.
- Demi Moore and Bruce Willis named their daughter "Scout" after the book's young heroine.
- American actor Jake Gyllenhaal named his German Shepherd "Atticus" and his Puggle "Boo Radley" after characters from the novel, as his favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird.
- In 2001, Blink-182 band members Tom Delonge and Mark Hoppus created the clothing line Atticus, named after the character in this book. Similarly, the female line of the brand is called Scout.
- In 2002, The Episode of Smallville called "Hug" Lex compares Clark (Superman) to Atticus Finch.
- In 2005, the Seattle, WA-based rock group Acceptance released an instrumental track on their album "Phantoms" titled "Ad Astra Per Aspera", after the Halloween pageant that Scout is in near the end of the book.
- The book is also commonly used in England as a piece of literature for the English Lit. GCSE examinations and in the Republic of Ireland in the Junior Cert examinations.
- Truman Capote frequently implied that he himself had written a considerable portion of her novel and some have said he ghosted the entire novel. At least one person — Pearl Kazin Bell, an editor at Harper's — has gone on record as believing his assertions were true. However, Capote would likely have been much more aggressive in claiming credit for the novel's Pulitzer Prize had he been the real author, since he never achieved a Pulitzer for his own work. His persona was far more flamboyant than hers, and their writing styles reflect this difference. And a letter (dated July 9, 1959) from Capote to his aunt indicates that Lee did indeed write the entire book herself [1]. However, in one respect, his influence on the work is inescapable: he was the model for the character of Dill.