To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

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The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, "To Kill a Mockingbird" became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made... read more

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Summary edit see section history

Written by Harper Lee and based on her youth in Monroeville, Alabama, the story takes place during three years of the Great Depression in the fictional "tired old town" of Maycomb, Alabama. The narrator, six-year-old Scout Finch, lives with her older brother Jem and their widowed father Atticus, a middle-aged lawyer. Jem and Scout befriend a boy named Dill who visits Maycomb to stay with his aunt for the summer. The three children are terrified of, and fascinated with, their neighbor, the reclusive "Boo" Radley. The adults of Maycomb are hesitant to talk about Boo and for many years, few have seen him. The children feed each other's imaginations with rumors about his appearance and reasons for remaining hidden, and they fantasize about how to get him out of his house. Following two summers of friendship with Dill, Scout and Jem find that someone is leaving them small gifts in a tree outside the Radley place. Several times, the mysterious Boo makes gestures of affection to the children, but, to their disappointment, never appears in person.

Atticus is appointed by the court to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a young white woman. Although many of Maycomb's citizens disapprove, Atticus agrees to defend Tom to the best of his ability. Other children taunt Jem and Scout for Atticus' actions. Scout is tempted to stand up for her father's honor by fighting, even though he has told her not to. For his part, Atticus faces a group of men intent on lynching Tom. This danger is averted when Scout, Jem, and Dill shame the mob into dispersing by forcing them to view the situation from Atticus' and Tom's points of view.

Because Atticus does not want them to be present at Tom Robinson's trial, Scout, Jem, and Dill watch in secret from the colored balcony. Atticus establishes that the accusers—Mayella and her father, Bob Ewell, the town drunk—are lying. It also becomes clear that the friendless Mayella was making sexual advances towards Tom and her father caught her in the act. Despite significant evidence of Tom's innocence, the jury convicts him. Jem's faith in justice is badly shaken, as is Atticus', when a hopeless Tom is shot and killed while trying to escape from prison.

Humiliated by the trial, Bob Ewell vows revenge. He spits in Atticus' face on the street, tries to break into the presiding judge's house, and menaces Tom Robinson's widow. Finally, he attacks the defenseless Jem and Scout as they walk home from the school Halloween pageant. Jem's arm is broken in the struggle, but amid the confusion, someone comes to the children's rescue. The mysterious man carries Jem home, where Scout realizes that he is the reclusive Boo Radley.

Maycomb's sheriff arrives and discovers that Bob Ewell has been killed in the struggle. The sheriff argues with Atticus about the prudence and ethics of holding Jem or Boo responsible. Atticus eventually accepts the sheriff's story that Ewell simply fell on his own knife. Boo asks Scout to walk him home, and after she says goodbye to him at his front door, he disappears again. While standing on the Radley porch, Scout imagines life from Boo's perspective and regrets that they never repaid him for the gifts he had given them.

Characters edit see section history

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Jean Louise "Scout" Finch: An adult Scout narrates the novel from an unspecified time in the future. In the story of the novel, Scout starts out as a five year old and ends the story eight years old. An incurable tomboy, Scout would rather play with Jem and Dill than wear dresses and learn how to be a lady.
Jeremy Atticus "Jem" Finch: Scout's older brother (nine at the start of the novel and twelve at its end), Jem has a wild imagination and loves to playact. He wants to grow up to be a gentleman and a lawyer like his father.
Charles Baker "Dill" Harris: Dill is the summer neighbor of Scout and Jem. He lives with his Aunt Rachel during part of the year. When he arrives, he tells extravagant stories about the adventures he has had in his time away from Maycomb. He is said to be based on Truman Capote, a childhood friend of Harper Lee's.
Atticus Finch: Atticus is Scout and Jem's father. He is well-educated for the time period and has an unusual style of parenting. The children call him by his first name.
Bob Ewell: Reputed to be a drunkard, Bob Ewell is racist and trashy. He hunts and traps out of season to feed his large family, which lives on the edge of the town dump.
Mayella Violet Ewell: The oldest of the Ewell children, Mayella has a mere two or three years of education. She and her siblings live with their father on the edge of the town dump. A neat row of red geraniums that line the fence outside the home are said to be hers.
Thomas "Tom" Robinson: A black fieldhand who is a member of Calpurnia's church. Atticus serves as Tom's lawyer later in the novel.
Calpurnia: Cal is the Finches' cook and housekeeper. She is very strict with Scout because she wants her to grow up to be a lady. She has been a member of the Finch household for many years.
Arthur "Boo" Radley: Boo lives in the Radley House next door to Scout and Jem. He is called a "malevolent phantom," and the children devise plans to get him to come out of the house.
Miss Maudie Atkinson: A nice old lady who lives next door to Scout and Jem who loves her azaleas and makes the best cake in the neighborhood. A Baptist, but not a foot-washing Baptist, Miss Maudie is reasonable and talkative.
Aunt Alexandra: Scout and Jem's aunt who disapproves of Scout because she believes she should be more ladylike.
Mr. Heck Tate: Sheriff of Maycomb county
Mr. Horace Gilmer: Prosecution lawyer for the plaintiffs in the trial
Mr. Walter Cunningham: Mr. Cunningham is a poor farmer who hires Atticus as his lawyer to get legal advice regarding his financial situation. He is too poor to pay in money, so he must pay Atticus in stovewood, hickory nuts, and other useful items.
Mrs. Dubose: An elderly, ill neighbor of Scout and Jem's
Judge Taylor: The local judge who appoints Atticus to Tom's case
Francis: Scout and Jem's tattle-tale cousin.
Reverend Sykes: The minister of Calpurnia's church, First Purchase
Uncle Jack: A man who has a lot to learn about children but tries his best to understand them. He is a doctor. Sympathetic towards Scout, Atticus, and Jem to the situation they face.
Mrs. Merriweather: An older member of Aunt Alexandria's ladies' group.
Cecil Jacobs: A schoolmate of Scout's who calls Atticus a "nigger-lover."
Walter Cunningham: Son of Mr. Walter Cunningham. His family has little money, and they are known for not taking money from people because they cannot pay.
Mr. Avery: A neighbor who sneezes a lot in the evenings. The children catch him urinating off his porch one night.
Miss Rachel: Dill's aunt, with whom he stays every summer.
Dr. Reynolds: Town doctor
Stephanie Crawford: The town gossip.
Helen Robinson: Tom Robinson's wife.
Mr. Underwood: The editor of the local newspaper
Miss Caroline: Scout's first grade teacher
Zeebo: The town garbage collector and Calpurnia's son
Tim Johnson: A local dog
Mr. Link Deas: A local store-owner who is also Tom Robinson's employer
Mr. Nathan Radley: Boo Radley's older brother
Miss Eula May: The town switchboard operator

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Quotes edit see section history

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“I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks.”
Jean Louise "Scout" Finch
“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.”
Atticus Finch
“<B>efore I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.”
Atticus Finch
“I'd rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you'll go after birds. Shoot all the Blue Jays 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.”
Jean Louise 'Scout' Finch
“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
“I'm afraid our activities would be received with considerable disapprobation by the more learned authorities.”
Atticus Finch
“...sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whiskey bottle in the hand of -- oh, of your father.”
Miss Maudie Atkinson
“Lawyers, I suppose, were children once.”
Charles Lamb
“No, everybody's gotta learn, nobody's born knowin'.”
Jean Louise "Scout" Finch
“I never figured out how Atticus knew I was listening, and it was not until many years later that I realized he wanted me to hear every word he said.”
Jean Louise "Scout" Finch
“I shall never marry, Atticus.""Why?" "I might have children.”
Uncle Jack and Atticus
“For one thing, Miss Maudie can't serve on a jury because she's a woman-" "You mean women in Alabama can't-?" "I do. I doubt if we'd ever get a complete case tried- the ladies'd be interrupting to ask questions.”
Atticus, Scout
“Jem was a born hero.”
Jean Louise "Scout" Finch
“There are just some kind of men who - who're so busy worrying about the next world they've never learned to live in this one.”
Miss Maudie Atkinson
“Mutual defiance made them alike.”
Jean Louise "Scout" Finch
“<I>t'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.”
Atticus Finch
“... Atticus, he was nice ..." "Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.”
Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, Atticus Finch
“There is a tendency in this year of grace, 1935, for certain people to use this phrase <all men are created equal> out of context, to satisfy all conditions. The most ridiculous example I can think of is that the people who run public education promote the stupid and the idle along with the industrious--because all men are created equal, educators will gravely tell you, the children left behind suffer terrible feelings of inferiority.”
Atticus Finch, in his closing argument to the jury

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Setting & Locations edit see section history

The novel takes place in a worn out town in Alabama during the Great Depression. Though told from an unidentified point in the future, the action of the novel begins in the summer of 1933 and ends in October 1935.

Maycomb, Alabama

Organizations edit see section history

Baptists: They were described as "foot-washing" Baptists.
The Black People: They were segregated from the American public.

First Sentence edit see section history

When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Part One: Chapters 1-11
Part Two: Chapters 12-31

Glossary edit see section history

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," which is a common shortening of the word "hermaphrodite," 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
Scuppernongs: Sweet grapes grown in the American South.

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

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The Importance of Perspective: Atticus tells Scout, "you never really understand a person until you see things from his perspective... Until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." This idea of seeing life as another sees it is incredibly important throughout the novel in addition to being a valuable piece of advice for all readers.
The Mockingbird: In the novel, the mockingbird is a symbol of innocence or of a person who does not do anything wrong but is mocked, killed, or berated for doing the right thing. Some examples could be Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Atticus.
Courage: Several characters embody what Atticus defines as true courage: "knowing you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what."
Innocence: This book is filled with the theme of innocence. Is Tom Robinson innocent of raping Mayella? Is Boo Radley innocent of using scissors to stab someone. But more than that is the fact that Jem and Scout are just two innocent children who don't really know anything as murky as corruption that can make its way into the world of adults and this is because they are stuck in the world of children. As the book continues we see Scout and Jem lose some of their innocence as they continue on the path into adulthood.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 82 of 30 in Top selling 100 books 1998-2010 (Guardian). (authoritative list)

This is book 21 of 37 in First Edition Library. (publisher edition list)

This is book 3 of 10 in Publishers Weekly Bestselling Novels In 1961. (authoritative list)

This book is in National Endowment for the Arts The Big Read Books. (authoritative list)

This book is in Random Synapses: 100 Book Reading Challenge (2011). (community list)

This is book 90 of 95 in The Art of Manliness' Essential Man’s Library. (authoritative list)

This is book 14 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2011). (authoritative list)

This is book 68 of 37 in 100 Books Every Child Should Read - Part 03: Early Teens (The Telegraph). (authoritative list)

This book is in 100 Fantabulous Book Challenge. (community list)

This book is in Book Lover's Cook Book, The. (authoritative list)

This is book 14 of 194 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2010). (authoritative list)

This book is in Best Books of All Time. (community list)

This is book 819 of 986 in 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up. (authoritative list)

This is book 21 of 100 in ALA's Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009. (authoritative list)

This book is in KCPL Discussion Kit (Aug2010). (community list)

This is book 14 of 213 in Best English-Language Fiction of the 20th Century. (authoritative list)

This is book 60 of 100 in Top 100 Mysteries of All Time (Mystery Writers of America, 1995). (authoritative list)

This is book 16 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2010). (authoritative list)

This is book 5 of 95 in Telegraph Top 100 Books, 2008. (authoritative list)

This is book 7 of 97 in Waterstone's Top 100 Books of the 20th Century. (authoritative list)

This book is in TIME Magazine Top 100 English-Language Novels. (community list)

This is book 96 of 113 in Book Smart Reading List. (community list)

This is book 6 of 200 in BBC 'Big Read' Top 200 Novels, 2003. (authoritative list)

This is book 1961 of 85 in Pulitzer Prize Winners - Fiction. (authoritative list)

This is book 456 of 1286 in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. (authoritative list)

This is book 5 of 98 in Modern Library's 100 Best Novels: Reader's List. (authoritative list)

This book is in Guardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read. (authoritative list)

This is book 14 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2011). (authoritative list)

This book is in Readers Digest Press. (publisher edition list)

This is book 16 of 145 in Whitcoulls Top 100 (2011). (authoritative list)

This is book 40 of 100 in ALA's Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 1990-1999. (authoritative list)

This is book 6 of 82 in BBC "Big Read" Top 100 Novels. (authoritative list)

This is book 14 of 121 in Whitcoulls Top 100 (2012). (authoritative list)

This is book 40 of 93 in Newsweek's Top 100 Books: The Meta-List. (authoritative list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

Harper Lee (Author)

Other Contributors:

Sissy Spacek (Reader) - Audiobook read by Sissy Spacek
Baldomera Porta (Translator) - Spanish Translation

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: J. B. Lippincott & Co.
Country: United States
Publication Date: July 11, 1960
ISBN: 0060935464
Page Count: 296

Awards edit see section history

The Brotherhood Award (1961)
Pulitzer Prize (1961: Fiction)
National Book Award (Finalist, 1961: Fiction)
Quill Award (2007: Audio Book)

Classification edit see section history

Library of Congress: PS3562.E353
Dewey: 813.54

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Young Adults

Often taught early on in high school.

Subjects edit see section history

Books › Literature & Fiction › Authors, A-Z › ( L ) › Lee, Harper
Books › Mystery & Thrillers › Thrillers › Legal
Books › Literature & Fiction › Classics

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Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

To Kill a Mockingbird Wikipedia Page
Spark Notes: To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird Student Guide
To Kill a Mockingbird Unit Materials & Resources: Complete unit for teaching To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Includes comprehensive teacher's guide with chapter quizzes, discussion points, tests, activities for every novel, critical-thinking activities, creative projects, and more. All answer keys provided.
To Kill a Mockingbird Literature Guide by Secondary Solutions

Movie Connections edit see section history

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) (IMDb): Starring Gregory Peck, Frank Overton, Mary Badham, and Phillip Alford. Peck as Atticus Finch, was voted the #1 film hero by the AFI in 2001.