1. Atticus Finch worked in a courthouse in Maycomb, Alabama durring the great depression. He was a really good lawyer. He had a little girl named Scout who was eight, and a son named Jem who was twelve. They became good friends with a boy named Dill who was a new kid in the neighborhood for the summer. They become obsessed with a creepy house on the corner. Apparently there was a man named Boo Radley who lived there, but he never left his house. They would find gifts in the tree near his house. The kids would act out the story of Boo Radley, but Atticus would tell them to stop. He tried to make them see life through someone else's eyes. Boo's real name is Arthur, and one night when the kids sneak onto his property Boo's brother Nathan shoots at them. While they are sneaking away Jem's pants get ripped but when he comes back later to get them they are all fixed. The kids were convinced it was Boo. Maycomb was a racist community but despite that Atticus agrees to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, who was accused of raping a white woman. Because of their father's decision, Jem and Scout get abbuse from other children in school. Calpurnia was the Finches black cook. She took them to her black church and they were welcomed with open arms. When Tom Robinson's trial begins, he was placed in the local jail and outside a mob gathers to lynch him. Atticus gets the mob to leave. Later in court, Atticus provides clear evidence that Mayella Ewell was not raped and that her and her father Bob are lying. Atticus says that Mayella came onto Tom and when she was caught by her father she accused him of rape to cover her shame and guilt. Atticus explains that the marks on Mayella's face came from a left handed person. Tom Robinson was right handed so it would have been very difficult. Bob on the other hand was left handed, showing it was him. Despite everything, the all white jury convicts Tom Robinson. Later he tries to escape from jail but is shot to death. Jem's faith in justice is shaken and he's filled with doubt. Bob Ewell is upset despite the verdict and promises revenge on Atticus. One night when Jem and Scout are walking home from a Halloween play, Bob Ewell tries to attack them with a knife. Boo Radley intervenes, saving the childeren but fatally stabbing Bob Ewell in the struggle. Boo takes the kids home to Atticus. To protect Boo, the sheriff insists Ewell tripped over a tree root and fell on his own knife. After sitting with Scout for a while, Boo disappears back into the Radley house. Finally Scout was able to relate to Boo Radley. She felt sympathy and understanding just like Atticus had advised her to do. She decides that her bad experiences with racism and hatred were not going to destroy the faith she had for the good in people.
Scout's realization was exactly what I think the author wanted the reader to come away with. Although there is clearly evil in this world and terrible people, don't let that stop you from being optimistic and finding the good in people.
2. Theme: The theme comes down to a struggle between good and evil. There is good and bad in everyone. Sometimes it's easier to see the bad but don't let that stop you from searching for and believing in the good.
3. The author's tone seemed depressing, and almost defeated. It was set in the Great Depression so I think that tied into the tone. It seemed to represent the attitude of the people at that time. Most families didn't have much and just weren't happy.
ex. "All we had was Simon Finch, a fur-trapping apothecary from Cornwall whose piety was exceeded only by his stinginess."
ex. "There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County."
ex. "A boy trudged down the sidewalk dragging a fishing pole behind him."
4. *Symbol- "Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it.
“Your father’s right,” she said. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . . . but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird."
*Foreshadowing- There were many clues that Boo Radley was going to end up saving the kids. He would put presents in the whole in the tree by his house, he fixed Jem's pants when they got ripped on the fence, and he put a blanket over Scout when she was watching the fire.
"Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough."
*Irony- It was ironic that Jem and Scout were scared of Boo Radley practically the entire book, but in the end he's the one who saved them.
*Tone- "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
*Imagery- "His hands were under my chin, pulling up the cover, tucking it around me."
*Characterization- "All we had was Simon Finch, a fur-trapping apothecary from Cornwall whose piety was exceeded only by his stinginess."
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