1. Themes
1.1. Coexistence of good and evil / Importance of Moral education / Existence of social inequality / Youth and it’s innocence / Femininity / Family / Prejudice / Oppression / Maturity comes with age
2. Plot
2.1. Dill comes from Mississippi (stays with Aunt) / Scout gets in a fight at school with Walter / Jem and Scout spend time with Miss Maudie / Kids start to mess with Boo’s house / Boo continues to leave gifts / Miss Maudie’s house burns down / Boo puts blanket on Scout / Cecil declares the Finches defend “niggers” / Kids go to colored church / Dill runs away from Mississippi to Maycomb / Scout talks to Cunninghams at the jail to get mob to go home / Atticus proves that Bob is left handed / Atticus asks Mayella questions about what side her face was beaten on that she answers unsurely / Tom Robinson stands and is honest in saying he can’t use his left arm / Mayella loses it as she yells at Atticus / Tom loses trail / Jem, Dill, and Scout realize the real world / Tom is shot seventeen times / Robinson family brings food to the Finches / Atticus loses his composer slightly / Jem becomes moody and angered society / Miss Crawford asks kids about trial / Miss Maudie Invites kids for cake / Miss Crawford tells kids that Bob spat on Atticus at the post office / Bob got and lost a job and blames Atticus / Bob is sneaking around judge’s house (to rob) / Bob begins to harass Helen / Events at Tutti and Frutti’s house (“deaf” sisters) leads to halloween celebrations at school to gather children / Jem and Scout are attacked by Bob / Jem gets his arm broken / Boo kills Bob
3. Symbols
3.1. Mockingbird - Innocence Dill - Young childlike perspective / The voice of an inexperienced mind Maycomb - Southern mentality and racism Bob Ewell - The bad side of society Walter - Classism in the south Boo Radley - Don’t Judge a book by its cover / The good in everyone The Radley House - Superstition The Trial - Racial and Social Injustice The Blanket - Boo’s caring mentality Atticus - Bravery in the face of opposition Scout - Innocence / Growing up Jem - The struggle of growing up and the discovering the real world Maycomb’s Fragmentation of Classes - the fragmentation of the US and its beliefs
4. Trial
4.1. Racist jury / massive speculation during testimonies / no call for the doctor / no physical evidence of rape / clear evidence of left handed beating by Bob / Mayella contradicts herself constantly / Bob’s presence influences what Mayella says / Mayella is very emotional / Mayella seems scared of Atticus
5. Main Characters
5.1. Scout
5.1.1. Tom boy / Stubborn / Follows and looks up to Jem + Atticus / Speaks her mind / Dynamic / Innocent / Fights those who disrespect her family
5.2. Dill
5.2.1. Mississippi boy visits for the summers / Curious / Likes movies / Dracula / Ran away because his parents don’t pay enough attention to him /
5.3. Atticus
5.3.1. Reasonable / Quick-Witted / Believes in Equality / Moral Compass / One shot finch / Buries his past / Knows he will lose the trial but fights anyways / Mature and Reserved
5.4. Calpurnia
5.4.1. Caring / conservative / Motherly / Opinionated / Cook / Maid
5.5. Boo
5.5.1. Quiet / Mysterious / Stranger / Caring / Troubled as a boy kept in the house by his dad and later his brother / “Mockingbird” / puts blanket on scout
5.6. Jem
5.6.1. Strong-willed / Leader / Protects Scout / Forced to grow up too soon / Loses innocence after the trial / Changing expectations for Scout / Forced to read to Mrs. Dubose after he ruins her plants for her yelling at them / Analyzes the judicial system and believes it needs to be fixed / Begins to protest and look out for ways to protect Mockingbirds (bug at light that Scout tries to kill)
6. Other Characters
6.1. Bob Ewell
6.1.1. Drunk / Abusive / Unemployed member of Maycomb’s poorest family / ignorant / Prejudice / Racist / Controlling / Opposite of Atticus / Tried to kill Jem and Scout / Very furtive and sly Mayella Ewell
6.2. Mayella Ewell
6.2.1. Abused by Bob / Lonely / Unhappy / Timid / Accused Tom of rapping her / Has a crush on Tom Robinson
6.3. Miss Maudie
6.3.1. Neighbour of Finches / Widow / Friend of Kids / Likes to garden / House burns down / Optimistic / Passion for Justice / Teaches kids that Boo is not a bad person
6.4. Tom Robinson
6.4.1. Black man / Accused of Rape / “Mockingbird” / Modest / Husband of Helen / Belongs to a nice family / Did chores for the Ewells
6.5. Aunt Alexandra
6.5.1. Won’t allow walter to visit the Finch home (too poor)
6.6. Maycomb
6.6.1. Racist / Classist / Sexist in believing women are too frail to be on the jury / Article portrays Tom in a positive light as a “songbird” (flexible morals and beliefs within the community) / Begins to change (getting poor) as National Recovery Act ends
7. Literary Devices
7.1. Symbolism
7.1.1. TKAM is filled with symbolism; especially the extended symbol of the mockingbird as someone that has been wronged by society; innocent
7.2. Tone
7.2.1. The narrator heavily adds to the tone of the novel; especially the idea of innocence and being naive. Since Scout tells the story, the tone established follows her point of view, while we get the perspective of a young and naïve girl who is trying to make sense of the world, we also (occasionally) take part in a more playful tone)
7.3. Foreshadowing
7.3.1. There are multiple examples of foreshadowing in the novel, but the biggest one is the town. The climate of the town and the people that inhabit it is very telling to the ending events in the novel. The town is racially charged and is divided based not just on race, but on class. In addition, the time period in which this takes place also adds to the foreshadowing because we are in a time when the U.S. is socially divided and racism is still heavily accepted.