To Kill A Mockingbird

1. General Info

1.1. July 11,1960

1.2. Novel

1.3. English

1.4. Maycomb County, Alabama

2. Author

2.1. Harper Lee

2.2. Born: August 28, 1926 :

2.3. American

2.4. About

3. Atticus Finch, a lawyer, and his two kids, Jem and Scout, live in the town of Mayvomb Alabama in the 1930's. There life is pretty normal until Atticus is assigned a case for a black man accused of rape. While the story is going on, his two kids are always going on adventures, every day is different. But before the trial, throughout the trial, and after the trial, the Finch family is threatened and made fun of because of what is going on.

3.1. Atticus is assigned a case that involves a black man, Tom Robinson, raping a white girl.

3.2. The majority of the white community believe that what Atticus is doing is wrong and is not right. All of the family being threatened, teased, and treated badly because of this. Once even a mob tries beating up Atticus because of what he is doing.

3.3. Bob Ewell, Mayella Ewell, and Tom Robinson all tell there sides of the story of what happened on November 21st. Mayella & Bob say they both saw Tom Robinson in there house and that it was clearly him. Tom Robinson says that he was just helping her do her chores and never even touched Mayella.

3.4. Tom Robinson is pleaded guilty of rape by an all white jury and is sent to a jail 70 miles outside of Maycomb. Not too long after the trial, Bob Ewell threatens Atticus for being a "negro lover" and that he is one day going to get him. Maycomb is mostly back to normal.

3.5. When all of the Finch's are back to living there normal lives, shocking news is that Tom Robinson tried to escape from prison, then was shot 17 times, and died. Atticus and Calpurnia visit Tom's wife Helen and tell her the news, she is extremely upset. Since this happened, Tom's employer gives his wife Helen a job.

3.6. Time goes by in Maycomb and months pass. On Halloween night Jem and Scout go to the Halloween pageant, and Scout is dressed up as Ham. On there way back, it is pitch black and someone tries attacking them, not to scare them, to hurt them. Boo Radley rescues them and they are immediately rushed back to the house. Atticus calls the sheriff and the doctor, the doctor finds out that Jem has a badly broken arm plus he is unconsious, then the sheriff finds out Bob Ewell was the one trying to attack them. He is also found dead because he fell on top of his own knife.

4. Themes, Allusions & Symbols

4.1. You don't know someone until you have actually met them. This theme is created when Scout finds out all of the rumors about Boo Radley were wrong and that he is actually a nice man.

4.2. Mockingbirds are referenced several times, and they are symbolized by innocence and no harm. Tom Robinson helped out Mayella without wanting a reward, Attucus helped out Tom even though it did him no good.

4.3. Many times in this novel Harper Lee quotes Franklin Roosevelt. When Scout is describing Maycomb she says "...nothing to fear but fear itself." This Alludes to Franklin D. Roosevelt's First Inaugural Address.

5. Characters

5.1. Scoutd

5.2. Jem, Dill, Atticus, Calpurnia

5.3. Boo Radley, all of the people against Atticus

6. Vocabulary

6.1. Section 1

6.1.1. meddling - "Calpurnia's tyranny unfairness, and meddling in my business had faded to gentle grumblings of general disapproval. pg 38. definition - interfere with

6.1.2. diminutive - "He was among the most diminutive of men..." pg 30 definition - small or unusual

6.2. Section 2

6.2.1. tirade - "I was expecting a tirade, but all she said was..." pg 122 definition - a long speech of critcism

6.2.2. beholden - "she was going to leave this world beholden to nothing and nobody" pg 127 definition - owing thanks

6.3. Section 3

6.3.1. battlements - "Gothic joke one cell wide and two cells high, complete with tiny battlements" pg 171 definition - a parapet at the top of a wall

6.3.2. formidable - "Miss Maudies command of Scripture was formidable" pg 182 definition - inspiring fear of respect

6.4. Section 4

6.4.1. bridgework - "She spread her fingers on her knees and settled her bridgework" pg 246 definition - dental bridges

6.4.2. hieroglyphic - "one of them have learned a hieroglyphic or two" 259 definition - ancient Egyptian writing

7. Summary

7.1. Chapters 1-8Scout Finch and her brother live in Maycomb County Alabama and live near a "haunted house" where they say a crazy man lives. Each day they get closer and closer to the house, first touching in, then looking into the open shutters. Every day is a new adventure for them and they are happily living there lives.

7.2. Chapters 9-14 The fire at Mrs. Maudies house continues and is eventually put out, luckily nobody is killed in it. At school and on the streets kids start making fun of Scout and Jem because of the case that was assigned to Atticus. One day when Scout and Jem were going to town, they went past Mrs.Dubose's house and she calls Atticus trash, so he destroys all of her bushes. As a punishment, Atticus makes him and Scout read to her for 2 hours everyday. All of the trash talk Scout and Jem get increases, and they have to learn not to get upset over it. At the very end of Part 1, Mrs. Dubose passes away.

7.3. Chapters 15- 21 This section starts out with Jem, Scout, and Dill sneaking out from the house at around 10 because Atticus is still not home yet. One they are downtown they find him at the jail with a mob of white men . Scout saves Atticus from being hurt by just talking there way out of it. The next day the trial starts with Mr. Ewell and his daughter saying they clearly saw him in there house, but then Tom says he was just helping Mayella do her chores. The section ends while the jury is still deciding Tom Robinson's fate.

7.4. Chapters 22-31. Tom Robinson was pleaded guilty and Atticus left the courtroom. Mr. Bob Ewell threatens to kill Atticus and cusses him out on the street. Tom Robinson tries to escape jail, and dies, getting shot 17 times. Mr. Link Deas' gives Helen, Tom's wife a job because he feels awful for what happened to her husband. Life seems like it is back to normal, but on Halloween Bob Ewell attacks Scout and Jem coming back from the pageant. Jem has a broken arm and is unconscious, Scout is fine, and Mr. Ewell accidentally kills himself by falling on his own knife. Finally Scout meets Boo Radley and finds out that he is actually a nice man.