To Kill A Mockingbird Sumary

Brief Biography of Harper Lee

  • Nelle Harper Lee was born the youngest of four children to Amasa Lee and Frances Finch Lee.

  • Earned a law degree from the University of Alabama in 1949.

  • Spent a year in Oxford, England before moving to New York in 1950 to focus on writing.

  • Published To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960, winning the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961 and "Best Novel of the Century" by Library Journal in 1999.

  • After 1960, retreated to her hometown, Monroeville, Alabama; published nothing until Go Set a Watchman in 2015.

  • Lee received numerous honorary degrees, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the National Medal of Arts before passing away in 2016 at age 89.

Historical Context

  • The Scottsboro Trials in 1931 involved nine black teenagers falsely accused of raping two white girls, sparking national attention and a significant racial debate in America.

  • These events inspired To Kill a Mockingbird, relating to the false accusation faced by Tom Robinson in the novel.

Related Literary Works

  • To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Great Depression and touches on themes of race and racism in Southern literature, which also includes classics like Gone with the Wind, The Sound and the Fury, and A Good Man is Hard to Find.

  • Go Set a Watchman was released in 2015, originally intended as a draft for To Kill a Mockingbird, set 20 years later.

Key Facts

  • Full Title: To Kill a Mockingbird

  • When Written: 1950-1960

  • Where Written: New York City and Monroeville, Alabama

  • Published: 1960

  • Literary Period: Modernism

  • Genre: Bildungsroman; Social Novel

  • Setting: Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression

  • Climax: The trial of Tom Robinson; the attack on Scout and Jem by Bob Ewell

  • Antagonist: Bob Ewell; broadly, racism and mob mentality

  • Point of View: First Person

Extra Credit

  • Dill: The character is based on Harper Lee’s childhood friend, Truman Capote, who became a famous author.

  • Atticus in Real Life: Lee formed a close friendship with Gregory Peck, the actor who portrayed Atticus Finch in the Academy Award-winning film, remaining close to his family after his death.

Introduction to Plot Summary

  • The story centers around Scout Finch, who grows up in the racially charged atmosphere of Maycomb. Under the care of her widowed father, Atticus, she learns about dignity, respect, and through personal morality, learns to confront the prejudices of her community.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, the narrative follows Scout Finch, who recounts her childhood experiences growing up in the racially prejudiced town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Great Depression. The story begins with Scout and her brother Jem befriending Dill, a boy visiting their neighborhood for the summer. They become fascinated with their reclusive neighbor, Boo Radley, and spend much of their time trying to coax him out of his house.

As tensions rise in the community, Scout's father, Atticus Finch, a lawyer, is appointed to defend Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Throughout the trial, Scout and Jem witness the pervasive racism and injustice in their society. Despite clear evidence of Tom's innocence, he is convicted due to his race. The trial serves as a crucial turning point for Scout and Jem, exposing them to the harsh realities of inequality and moral integrity.

The culmination of the story comes to a head when Bob Ewell, Mayella's father and the true abuser, seeks revenge on Atticus for defending Tom. In the climax, Bob attacks Scout and Jem as they walk home one night. Boo Radley, who has been their silent guardian throughout the story, intervenes and saves the children, ultimately revealing his true character and dispelling the myths surrounding him. The story concludes with Scout reflecting on her father's teachings about empathy, justice, and understanding others, recognizing that people are often influenced by their circumstances.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, the narrative follows Scout Finch, who recounts her childhood experiences growing up in the racially prejudiced town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Great Depression. The story begins with Scout and her brother Jem befriending Dill, a boy visiting their neighborhood for the summer. They become fascinated with their reclusive neighbor, Boo Radley, and spend much of their time trying to coax him out of his house.

As tensions rise in the community, Scout's father, Atticus Finch, a lawyer, is appointed to defend Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Throughout the trial, Scout and Jem witness the pervasive racism and injustice in their society. Despite clear evidence of Tom's innocence, he is convicted due to his race. The trial serves as a crucial turning point for Scout and Jem, exposing them to the harsh realities of inequality and moral integrity.

The culmination of the story comes to a head when Bob Ewell, Mayella's father and the true abuser, seeks revenge on Atticus for defending Tom. In the climax, Bob attacks Scout and Jem as they walk home one night. Boo Radley, who has been their silent guardian throughout the story, intervenes and saves the children, ultimately revealing his true character and dispelling the myths surrounding him. The story concludes with Scout reflecting on her father's teachings about empathy, justice, and understanding others, recognizing that people are often influenced by their circumstances.

Additional key details include that the narrative is framed as a recollection by Scout, which adds depth to her character development. The themes of moral growth, loss of innocence, and the coexistence of good and evil are prevalent throughout. Key symbols include the mockingbird, representing innocence and the idea of harming those who do no harm, as well as the courthouse symbolizing justice and its failures. Scout's relationships with other characters, such as Calpurnia, their African American housekeeper, and Boo Radley, serve to emphasize the importance of empathy and understanding diverse perspectives. The story also explores issues related to class, social inequality, and the educational system, making it a rich commentary on American society during that era.

Key Quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird

  1. "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it."

    • This quote reflects the theme of empathy and understanding others, a lesson that Scout learns from her father, Atticus Finch.

  2. "The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."

    • Atticus teaches Scout the importance of personal integrity over popular opinion, highlighting the moral complexities of justice.

  3. "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

    • This quote signifies the innocence that should be protected, which is a core theme of the novel.

  4. "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what."

    • Here, Atticus teaches his children about the true nature of courage, far beyond physical bravery.

  5. "It’s never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it doesn’t hurt you."

    • This quote encapsulates the lesson of resilience and self-worth in the face of prejudice and hate.

These quotes are fundamental in understanding the themes of empathy, moral integrity, innocence, and courage in Harper Lee's novel.