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Description
The explosion of racial hate in an Alabama town is viewed by a little girl whose father defends a black man accused of rape.
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis
Summary
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee introduces many diverse characters that help tell the story of racism and its domino effects: Scout, the main character, is 9 years old and struggles with understanding racism and the uglier side of the human race; Boo Radley, a mysterious man who many... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Cast of Characters
- Jean Louise Finch (aka Scout): The narrator and protagonist of the story. Scout lives with her father, Atticus, her brother, Jem, and their black cook, Calpurnia, in Maycomb.
- Jeremy Atticus Finch (aka Jem): Scout’s brother and constant playmate at the beginning of the story.
- Charles Baker Harris (aka Dill): Jem and Scout’s summer neighbor and friend.
- Atticus Finch: Scout and Jem’s father, a lawyer in Maycomb descended from an old local family.
- Calpurnia: The Finches’ black cook.
- Arthur Radley (aka Boo): A recluse who never sets foot outside his house, Boo dominates the imaginations of Jem, Scout, and Dill.
- Maudie Atkinson: The Finches’ neighbor, a sharp-tongued widow, and an old friend of the family.
- Thomas Robinson: The black field hand accused of rape.
- Mayella Violet Ewell: Bob Ewell’s abused, lonely, unhappy daughter.
- Bob Ewell: A drunken, mostly unemployed member of Maycomb’s poorest family. In his knowingly wrongful accusation that Tom Robinson raped his daughter.
Memorable Quotes
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“The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience”
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“If there's just one kind of folks, why can't they get along with each other? If they're all like, why do they go out of their way to despise each other? I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time...it's because he WANTS to stay inside.”
Jem -
“I'd rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you'll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.”
Atticus Finch -
“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”
Scout -
“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.”
Miss Maudie Atkinson -
“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 you see it through no matter what.”
Atticus Finch
First Sentence
When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.
Table of Contents
Glossary
- Asafoetida: Strong smelling substance made from parsley that is often used in folk medicine.
- Jew's Harp: Small musical instrument played by plucking a piece of metal while holding the instrument to one's mouth.
- Morphodite: Scout hears Miss Maudie call her and Jem's snowman a "morphodite". Miss Maudie most likely said "hermaphrodite", which is an animal or plant with both male and female reproductive organs.
- Scrip stamps: Paper money of small denominations issued by government agencies for temporary emergency use; particularly common during the Great Depression
- Scuppernogs: Sweet grapes grown in the American South.
Authors & Contributors
- Harper Lee (Author)
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