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To Kill a Mockingbird. By Harper Lee. OVERVIEW OF THE NOVEL. AUTHOR: Harper Lee PUBLICATION DATE: 1960 SETTING: Maycomb, Alabama 1933-1935 POINT OF VIEW: First person narrative
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To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee
OVERVIEW OF THE NOVEL • AUTHOR: Harper Lee • PUBLICATION DATE: 1960 • SETTING: Maycomb, Alabama 1933-1935 • POINT OF VIEW: First person narrative • THEMES: Lack of and need for human compassion Need for individual conscience
HARPER LEE • (Nellie) Harper Lee • BORN: April 28, 1926 • PLACE OF BIRTH: Monroe, Alabama • PARENTS: Amasa C. and Frances (Finch) Lee Related to Robert E. Lee
AWARDS • 1960 Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Fiction by an American author • National Conference of Christian and Jews Brotherhood Award • Paperback of the Year Award • Book-of-the-Month Club
EDUCATION • Monroe, Alabama Public School • Huntington College in Montgomery, Alabama (1944) • attended Oxford College one year as a Fullbright scholar
AUTHOR’SLINKS TO THE NOVEL’S PLOT AND CHARACTERS • Harper Lee’s father was a Southern lawyer. He served as the prototype for Atticus Finch. • Harper Lee’s age (6 to 8) correlates with Scout’s age during 1933-1935, the time period of the book. • The courtroom in Maycomb is patterned after the one in Monroeville where Harper Lee observed her father in courtroom proceedings. • Tom Robinson’s trial appears to be a composite of many trials in the South, specifically the Scottsboro trials. • Some of the novel’s characters are composites of people Harper Lee knew personally; for example, the author Truman Capote as Dill.
CHARACTERS • ATTICUS FINCH – lawyer, father of Scout and Jem; widower • JEAN LOUISE “SCOUT” FINCH – adult narrator as story begins; narrates story in retrospect; relates events that begin when she is 6 years old. • JEM FINCH – Scout’s brother, who is 4 years older than she. • CHARLES BAKER “DILL” HARRIS – 7- year-old visitor to Maycomb; acts as a catalyst
MORE CHARACTERS • ARTHUR “BOO” RADLEY – neighborhood recluse • CALPURNIA – the black housekeeper for the Finch family • AUNT ALEXANDRA – Scout & Jem’s aunt • MAUDE ATKINSON – friend of Finch family
MORE CHARACTERS • TOM ROBINSON – black man accused of raping a white girl • MAYELLA EWELL – the girl who accuses Tom of rape • BOB EWELL – Mayella’s father • HECK TATE – sheriff of Maycomb
ATTICUS Justice BOB EWELL Innocence JEM SCOUT DILL Bigotry Or Prejudice CHARACTERS AS SYMBOLS CALPURNIA & MAUDIE TOM ROBINSON & BOO Helpfulness Helplessness
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER • What was America like during the time of this book? • What is the significance of the title with regards to the plot and symbolism? • What experiences and people did Harper Lee rely on in order to develop her plot and characters? • Is there still prejudice in America today?