To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird
	File:Mockingbirdfirst.JPG
Author	Harper Lee
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Southern Gothic (semi-autobiographical)
Publisher	HarperCollins nee J.B. Lippincott
Publication date	July 11, 1960
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	336 (Hardcover 40th Anniversary edition)
ISBN	ISBN 0-06-019499-5 (Hardcover 40th Anniversary edition) Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character

To Kill a Mockingbird is a semi-autobiographical Southern Gothic novel by Harper Lee. The 1960 novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961, is loosely based on the lives of various friends and members of the author's family, with differing character names. Grappling with themes such as selfishness, courage, pride, prejudice, and life's many stages, with a backdrop of life in the Deep South, Lee weaves together a story that has remained relevant and interesting over years and was adapted for film by director Robert Mulligan with a screenplay by Horton Foote in 1962. It is, to date, her only published novel.

Plot introduction

The novel is a coming of age story about a sister and a brother named Jean Louise "Scout" Finch and Jem Finch respectively, who are growing up in the fictional small town of Maycomb, Alabama, in the Deep South of America in the 1930s. The story takes place over a period of three years and is told from the point of view of younger sister, Jean Louise Finch or "Scout", as she is commonly referred to by friends. During the story the children's father, attorney Atticus Finch, is appointed to defend a black man (Tom Robinson) falsely accused of raping a white girl (Mayella Ewell).

Explanation of the novel's title

After giving Jem and Scout air-rifles as Christmas presents, Atticus warns the children that, although they can "shoot all the bluejays you want," they must remember that "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird". Maudie later explains that it is a sin because mockingbirds do no harm. They only provide pleasure with their songs: "They don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us". The mockingbird is used as a recurring motif to symbolise innocence and victims of injustice throughout the novel.

Plot summary

Template:Spoiler Scout Finch lives with her brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus, a middle-aged lawyer, in Maycomb county, Alabama. One summer, Jem and Scout befriend a boy named Charles Baker Harris (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 House. The house was owned by Mr. Radley, who had two sons, Nathan, who takes over the household after Mr. Radley's death, and Arthur (nicknamed Boo), who has lived there for years without venturing outside in daylight. Boo is infamous for the rumors that abound about him in Maycomb County as a result of his reclusiveness, the two most famous being that he once stabbed his father in the leg on an impulse, and that he sneaks out of the house every night, eats squirrels and cats and lurks outside people's houses.

Scout goes to school for the first time that autumn and has a disastrous day, but gives the readers an introduction to the Ewell family in one of her classmates, the child of infamous town drunk Bob Ewell, layabout and ne'er-do-well who has built a house on the town dump. On the way home, 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 presents in a tree, presumably left for them by the mysterious Boo. Boo's brother Nathan Radley eventually plugs the knothole with cement claiming it was "diseased". However, when the children ask Atticus of the tree's health, he says that it is perfectly fine. Jem breaks down, understanding that their first friendly connection with Boo Radley had been severed. Scout, being too young, thinks of it only as the end of 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 Mayella Ewell. 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 in another town with his "new father" who hasn't paid enough attention to him, runs away and comes to Maycomb. Scout finds him hiding under her bed. 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, Dill, and Scout, who sneaked out of the house, soon join him. Scout recognizes one of the men as Walter Cunningham, father of one of her schoolmates, 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 Ewell, 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 seventeen times, killing him. In the aftermath of the trial, Jem's faith in justice is badly shaken because of the unbelievable verdict, and he lapses into despondency and doubt as Tom Robinson's verdict was chosen by the jury clearly because he was black.

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, spits in Atticus' face on a town street, and finally attacks Jem and Scout as they walk home from a Halloween pageant at their school. After a brief scuffle in the dark, in which Jem breaks his arm, Ewell disappears and Jem and Scout are discovered by an unnamed man and brought to their house. There, it is revealed that the man is, in fact, Boo Radley. The sheriff arrives with the news that Bob Ewell has died of a knife wound to the stomach; Atticus at first believes that Jem fatally stabbed Ewell in the struggle, but the sheriff insists that Ewell tripped over a tree root and fell on his own knife. It is evident (although unsaid) that Boo had actually intervened and killed Ewell to save the children; the sheriff wishes to protect the reclusive Boo, contrary to Atticus's belief, from the publicity certain to follow from the townspeople if they learned the truth of Boo's involvement. Atticus asks if Scout understands what is going on, Scout replies that doing otherwise would be "killing a mockingbird" (as Boo had done nothing to hurt them and has only done good). After sitting with Jem for a while, Scout is asked to walk Boo home. While standing on the Radley porch, Scout imagines many past events from Boo's perspective and feels sorry for him because she and Jem never gave him a chance, and never repaid him for the gifts that he had given them.

Walking home, she recalls all the events that have happened so far in the story (which have taken up about two or three years) and comes home to Atticus and a sedated Jem. While being tucked in, she remarks to Atticus that Boo Radley turned out to be a nice person; Atticus leaves her with the words: "Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them."

Characters

For a more detailed character list, including minor characters, see Main Article: Characters in To Kill a Mockingbird

Jean Louise "Scout" Finch - the novel's narrator. We see the world of Maycomb from her viewpoint, and her childhood innocence is used to expose the illogical and hypocritical prejudices which exist in the town.
Jeremy Atticus "Jem" Finch - Scout's older brother. At first he is shown to be childlike, but as the novel progresses he matures due to his father's parenting, and by the end is very similar to Atticus in many ways, although he has only just become a teenager.
Atticus Finch - Scout's father, and the lawyer who defends Tom Robinson. He is shown to have very high moral standards and retains his integrity by maintaining these values in all situations, no matter what the consequences.
Calpurnia - the Finches' black housekeeper, who although she is a servant, is treated as a member of the family by the Finches, unsual in the extremely racist society that the book is set in.
Alexandra Hancock (née Finch) - Atticus's sister. She comes to live with the Finches to ensure that Jem and Scout are brought up correctly, as she is concerned about Atticus's style of parenting.
Charles Baker "Dill" Harris - a friend of Jem and Scout. Neglected by his mother and her partner, he spends time with various relatives, including his Aunt Rachel in Maycomb in summer, which is how he befriends the children. He is very small for his age, and is shown to have an impressive imagination.
Mayella Violet Ewell - the girl who accuses Tom Robinson of rape. Although in reality she had fallen in love with him and embraced him, prompting her father's violent outburst, she was forced by Bob Ewell to lie under oath and testify that Tom Robinson had beaten and raped her.
Robert E Lee "Bob" Ewell - the father of Mayella Ewell, he is actually responsible for the beating and rape of Mayella, as he ws angry with her for embracing Tom Robinson. After making several threats towards Atticus, he is killed by Arthur "Boo" Radley in the climax of the novel, in the act of attempting to murder Jem and Scout to get revenge on Atticus for his role in the court case.
Tom Robinson - the black man accused of raping Mayella Ewell. He only has the use of his right hand, as his left arm is crippled from a childhood accident. Although Atticus proves he is innocent of the crime, he is nevertheless convicted and is later shot dead attempting to escape jail.
Arthur "Boo" Radley - a shy recluse who is kind to the children. At various points throughout the novel he reaches out to them in small acts of kindness, and ultimately saves their lives by confronting and killing Bob Ewell, who planned to murder them.

Major themes

Courage

Courage is a central theme in To Kill a Mockingbird. There are many examples of courage displayed throughout the novel including:

Atticus defending Tom Robinson in court, despite the strong racist attitudes which prevail in Maycomb.
Atticus shooting and killing Tim Johnson, a rabid dog, to protect the citizens of Maycomb.
Miss Maudie's optimism after the destruction of her house by fire.
Link Deas speaking out in public in support of Tom Robinson.
Arthur "Boo" Radley reaching out and showing kindness to Jem and Scout e.g. via the gifts in the knot hole.
Mrs. Dubose fighting to break her morphine addiction before her death.

Harper Lee presents and contrasts two types of courage, namely:

1. The understanding of others - throughout the book the need for the understanding of others is shown over and over again.

2. Fighting against ignorance and prejudice - the understanding of others is sometimes not enough; an act of bravery is demanded to try and prevent evil taking place and to subdue prejudice. Examples of this courage include:

Mr Underwood's article on the death of Tom Robinson.
Arthur "Boo" Radley's heroic act when he saves Scout and Jem from a vengeful Bob Ewell.
Atticus defying the racial prejudice of Maycomb by defending Tom Robinson.

Some would also say that Harper Lee showed courage herself by writing the novel, considering the social and historical context, a type of political courage.

Destruction of Beauty through Selfishness

Another major theme is the destruction of beauty through selfishness, or circumstances beyond one's control. The title itself is derived from Atticus' warning to Jem that it is a sin to shoot mockingbirds, as all they do is create beauty. Examples of this theme include:

The death of Tom Robinson as a result of a crime he did not commit.
The spiritual death of Mayella Ewell for claiming Tom Robinson raped her, when she actually loved him and was forced to be ashamed of it by the society she lived in.
The destruction of Mrs. Dubose's flowers by Jem.
The cruel imprisonment and isolation of Arthur "Boo" Radley by his father and older brother.
The effect of anger of the town directed at Atticus.
The heartbreaking lesson Jem learns about the town he grows up in: that it is inherently racist at heart.
Dill's rejection by his parents.
The death of Tim Johnson, the dog Atticus shot dead because he had rabies.
The discouragement of Scout and Jem's interest in Calpurnia's life by Aunt Alexandra.

Development of Courage

Throughout the book, Jem and Scout's understanding of courage gradually changes. At the start of the novel, Jem runs over and touches the Radley house. Jem believes this to be an act of great courage (placing oneself in a dangerous situation). However, as Jem matures, he learns that "true" courage is moral courage, standing up for what is right. He learns that what he did is an act of cowardice, as he did not want to be subjected to the ridicule of Scout and Dill. Some even argue that Harper lee showed courage when she wrote this book.

Prejudice

Prejudice is another prominent theme in To Kill a Mockingbird. The most obvious example is racial prejudice; The mob Atticus and the children confront at the jail wishes to lynch Tom Robinson without a trial. Another form of prejudice is class prejudice. This is shown when Aunt Alexandra refuses Scout's request to invite Walter Cunningham, son of the farming Mr. Cunningham, to play, claiming that "he - is - trash". A black man could not say disobey a white man's word. When Tom Robinson said, "Because I pity her", he made his biggest mistake, that caused him his sentence.

Hypocrisy

Many characters in the book display acts of hypocrisy, with the most obvious example being Mrs. Grace Merriweather. Whilst educating all the women about the "poor Mrunas" in Africa, she fails to notice the poverty and suffering of the Negroes in her own community. Mrs. Merriweather is an important character as she represents the dominant ideals and beliefs of Maycomb society, helping us to understand the prejudice and hypocrisy of the general population of Maycomb. Also, the children learn about World War II, democracy, and the persecution of the Jews at school. While sympathizing with the Jews and pointing out the flaws of Hitler's blind racism, they fail to see that the same racism resides in themselves regarding Negroes. The hypocrisy of the teacher, Miss Gates, is clearly highligted here.

Literary significance & criticism

The American Library Association reports that To Kill a Mockingbird was one of the 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990-2000^[1], and cites several cases from that period and earlier of the book being challenged or banned^[2].

In 2001 To Kill a Mockingbird was removed from the freshman required reading list at Muskogee High School, Muskogee, Oklahoma. Complaints of racial slurs, in particular use of the word "nigger", were cited as reasons for the action. The school board voted to reverse the decision later the same year.^[3]^[4]

Allusions/references from other works

In the 2002 novel The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold a paperback copy of To Kill a Mockingbird is among the first items of evidence uncovered during investigations into the murder of the novel's narrator, Susie Salmon. Like To Kill a Mockingbird, The Lovely Bones is told by a female narrator from a first-person perspective and also recounts aspects of American childhood and family life.

In the 2000 film, Almost Famous, 11-year-old William Miller and his mother, Elaine, discuss the novel. He admires Atticus Finch, which his widowed mother (who admires Calpurnia and her efforts to aid the motherless Finch children) encourages in the hope that he will become a lawyer.

Bruce Hornsby wrote a song called "Sneaking Up on Boo Radley," which describes the kids' adventures and reactions with regard to their neighbor Boo. The end of the song suggests that it is written from Jem's point of view. The song can be found on the 1998 studio album Spirit Trail and the live album Here Come the Noise Makers, which was released in 2000.

In the 2006 film Failure to Launch in a gunshop scene, one of the main characters was trying to buy a rifle to kill a mockingbird that was outside her house and depriving her of sleep. The gunshop owner refused to sell her one because mockingbirds are protected, and he mentioned the novel. The character thought it was a novel on how to kill mockingbirds, but the gunshop owner explained it to her.

The 1998 film Pleasantville alludes to To Kill a Mockingbird in its climactic trial scene, as the "colored" characters (those who have become full-color, rather than black-and-white) are required to sit in the balcony of the courtroom.

In the 2002 film Mr. Deeds Babe Bennett (Winona Ryder), a reporter concealing her identity as Pam Dawson from the small town of Winchestertonfieldville, Iowa, borrows descriptions and characters from To Kill a Mockingbird. At one point she claims to have fallen down "Boo Radley's apple tree" and broken her arm when she was a child. Later in the movie, while entering an apartment that is not really hers, she refers to a lady she really doesn't know as "Mrs. Finch, Atticus", in order to convince Deeds that she lives there.

Allusions/references to reality

The novel is semi-autobiographical, and Scout is based on the author herself, Harper Lee, who grew up in Monroeville, Alabama. Monroeville was also the inspiration for the fictional town of Maycomb. The surname 'Finch' is taken from the author's mother's maiden name. Scout's father, Atticus, is said to be based on Lee's father, Amasa Coleman Lee, who was also an attorney, and additionally the character of Dill is purportedly based on the author's childhood friend and neighbor Truman Capote. Furthermore, the trial of Tom Robinson has some similarities to the Scottsboro Trials that really took place in Scottsboro, Alabama in the 1930s. However there are several differences i.e. the Scottsboro trial involved nine defendants instead of just one.

Awards and nominations

1961 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

The book was made into the well-received and Academy Award-winning film, starring Gregory Peck, with the same title, To Kill a Mockingbird, in 1963.

This book has also been adapted as a play by Christopher Sergal.

Release details

1960, USA, J.B. Lippincott ISBN 0397001517, Pub date July 11, 1960, Hardcover
1999, USA, HarperCollins ISBN ISBN 0060194995, Pub date December 1, 1999, Hardcover

References

External Links

Preceded by Advise and Consent by Allen Drury	Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 1961	Succeeded by The Edge of Sadness by Edwin O'Connor

[1] 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000

[2] Banned and/or Challenged Books

[3] NPR's All Things Considered -- 'Mockingbird' Sparks Controversy

[4] reedomforum.org: 'Mockingbird' returns to Oklahoma high school's reading list

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