Title : To Kill A Mockingbird Author : Harper Lee First Published : 1960 Literary Awards : Putlizer Prize ( 1961 )
Plot Overview
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.
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 and stabbing Ewell
fatally during the struggle. Boo carries the wounded
Jem back to Atticus’s house, where the sheriff, in order to protect Boo,
insists that Ewell tripped over a tree root and fell on his own knife.
After sitting with Scout for a while, Boo disappears once more into
the Radley house.
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.
Character List
Jean Louise “Scout” Finch-
The narrator and protagonist of the story. Scout
lives with her father, Atticus, her brother, Jem, and their black
cook, Calpurnia, in Maycomb. She is intelligent and, by the standards
of her time and place, a tomboy. Scout has a combative streak and
a basic faith in the goodness of the people in her community. As
the novel progresses, this faith is tested by the hatred and prejudice
that emerge during Tom Robinson’s trial. Scout 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, Atticus functions as the novel’s moral backbone.
Jeremy Atticus “Jem” Finch-
Scout’s brother and constant playmate at the beginning
of the story. Jem 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” Radley-
A recluse who never sets foot outside his house,
Boo dominates the imaginations of Jem, Scout, and Dill. He is a
powerful symbol of goodness swathed in an initial 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 praise
the integrity of Tom’s character, Deas epitomizes the opposite of
prejudice.
Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose-
An elderly, ill-tempered, racist woman who lives
near the Finches. Although Jem believes that Mrs. Dubose is a thoroughly
bad woman, Atticus admires her for the courage with which she battles
her morphine addiction.
Nathan Radley- Boo
Radley’s older brother. Scout thinks that Nathan is similar to the
deceased Mr. Radley, Boo and Nathan’s father. Nathan cruelly cuts
off an important element of Boo’s relationship with 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. Dolphu 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. Walter Cunningham displays his
human goodness when Scout’s politeness compels him to disperse the
men at the jail.
Walter Cunningham-
Son of Mr. Walter Cunningham and classmate of Scout.
Walter cannot afford lunch one day at school and accidentally gets
Scout in trouble.
