To Kill a Mockingbird is about a young narrator, Scout, who goes from being innocent to seeing the world more clearly as her dad, Atticus, faces the harsh realities of life in the South. Set during the Great Depression, Scout gains a new perspective on her town and family when she witnesses the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of sexual assault. She also confronts her prejudices through her interactions with Boo Radley, a mysterious, reclusive man who Scout first thinks is some terrifying ghost.
The story’s resolution happens when Boo saves Scout and her brother, Jem. Scout realizes Boo is a kind and noble person. At the same time, she feels a deep sense of disappointment as she faces the ugly truths of human nature; her town’s deep-seated racism, the injustice of Tom Robinson’s conviction, and his tragic death force Scout to confront social inequality and the darker side of humanity.
Atticus, Scout’s dad, represents morality and justice, but as Scout grows more aware of the world around her, she sees the toll of trying to remain good and kind in a world that’s far from perfect.
The book opens with Scout reflecting on her family’s past and how her brother, Jem, broke his arm when he was thirteen. Scout is unsure where to begin, so she explains the events leading up to his injury. The story begins almost three years before the accident, raising questions about how the past influences the present. She talks about her family history and how Atticus became a lawyer in Maycomb, Alabama, and paints a picture of Maycomb as a small, sleepy town still stuck in its old ways.
Scout describes her love for the town as the perfect place to grow up. She and Jem spent their summer days playing in the streets. Harper Lee contrasts this innocent beginning with the town’s darker, more complex side, showing the cost of holding onto the past.
Scout shares funny stories that introduce the main characters and give us a sense of the prejudice in Maycomb. Dill, Scout, and Jem try to get their mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley, to come out of his house. Boo has been living like a prisoner in his home ever since he got into trouble as a teenager. When he was in his thirties, he stabbed his father with a pair of scissors.
Boo has become the subject of rumors, with kids thinking he is some creepy, ghost-like figure. Then there is Burris Ewell, another kid at school, who introduces the Ewell family. The Ewells are known for being violent and antisocial, living off government assistance, and only sending their kids to school one day a year to avoid the attendance officers. Burris even threatens the teacher with violence, hinting at the abuse he will later face at home.
Bob, Burris’ dad, represents racism and the violent past of the South, making him one of the story’s antagonists.
The main turning point in To Kill a Mockingbird happens when Scout hears from other kids that her dad is defending Tom Robinson, a black man accused of assaulting Mayella Ewell, a white woman. When Mrs. Dubose, the Finch family’s neighbor, verbally attacks Scout and Jem about their dad’s job, Jem loses his temper and destroys her garden. This event further develops the theme of learning to empathize with others by understanding their situations.
Atticus’ respect for Mrs. Dubose is later echoed in Scout’s admiration for his belief in his values, even if it might cost him his safety. The white people in Maycomb get furious and try to lynch Tom, but Atticus keeps Tom locked in his cell all night. However, Scout stops the lynching attempt and saves both Tom and Atticus. In doing so, she unintentionally reminds the mob of their children.
The way Scout grows and learns is present in her narrative from start to finish.
The climax of To Kill a Mockingbird happens near the end of Tom’s trial when the jury delivers its verdict. Scout and Jem sneak into the courtroom and sit with the black audience, even though Atticus tells them not to. In his defense, Atticus proves that Tom could not have physically attacked Mayella, and he also points out that Mayella made advances toward Tom. When Bob Ewell saw them, he beat her.
Atticus also paints a much darker picture of Maycomb than Scout’s earlier innocent view of the town. By asking Mayella about her family situation, he reveals the huge economic divide between families like the Finches and the Ewells. Even though Atticus puts up a strong defense, the jury still convicts Tom, flipping the reader’s expectation that good will win over evil.
In the end, Tom is shot and killed while trying to escape from prison. This event shows just how badly the justice system failed Tom and the black community in Maycomb. Scout and Jem must accept their new understanding of the world and rethink their old moral standards.
A few months after the trial, after the Halloween contest, Bob attacks Scout and Jem, breaking Jem’s arm because he feels humiliated by the system and the events. Just then, Boo Radley steps in and saves them, killing Bob with his knife. Boo’s actions show how the community can serve as a kind of subtle social critique of a series of wrongs. However, Boo’s closed-off attitude and Atticus’ decision to say that Bob fell on his knife show that both men still see the community as a destructive force.
Boo’s kindness restores Scout’s faith in humanity and shows that she is ready to face the world with her new, more mature understanding of its complexity. After all, Lee leaves us with the bigger issues of racism and economic inequality in the South still unresolved.
The main discussion in To Kill a Mockingbird is about prejudice and racism, driven by some of the most memorable scenes that lead to two dramatic deaths in the story. On one level, the book offers a straightforward view of racial prejudice: racist white people are bad, and good white people stand against it. In this case, Atticus makes the mistake of risking his dilemma when Bob Ewell accuses him of raping Mayella, spits on him in public, and even tries to kill a child out of racial hatred.
The book also tries to explore the complexities of living in a racist society. It introduces Scout and Jem to dealing with everything from discomfort to outright hostility as they discover how their family’s stand against racism affects their place in the community.
In simple terms, how To Kill a Mockingbird deals with prejudice shows how readers can see the characters’ morality in a clear-cut way. One might think that racism is only a problem among educated, wealthy white people. However, the book also shows how racism involves poor, uneducated white people. Black characters rarely have a say on racism, except in the years that followed the story, especially in literature.
When they do speak, it is mostly in gratitude toward white people, both good and bad. Writers tend to show black characters fighting against racist abuse. However, Lee shows how black characters tend to avoid confronting these issues. A simple example is when Tom Robinson tries to escape from prison. Black characters rarely respond directly to racism; they are more likely to react when it happens.
Racism created social status differences, which are shown through Maycomb’s social hierarchy. The complexities of this hierarchy, which often confused the children, are gradually revealed. The Finches, who are relatively wealthy, are near the top of the hierarchy. However, the Cunninghams are lower down and are seen as rural farmers. The Ewells are even lower than the Cunninghams.
The black community is placed even lower than the Ewells. Bob Ewell covers up his shortcomings by persecuting Tom Robinson. The rigid social divisions that shape the adult world are starting to unfold. One example is when Scout does not understand why she has to spend time with Walter Cunningham. The critique of class status as a form of prejudice is meant to show how confusion becomes part of the system.
Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama, on April 28, 1926, and passed away in the same town on February 19, 2016. She became famous for her book To Kill a Mockingbird, published in 1960. She was the daughter of Amasa Coleman Lee, a lawyer who inspired the hero father figure in her novel. The plot of the book is partly based on his unsuccessful attempt to defend two African-American men wrongfully convicted of murder.
Lee also studied law at the University of Alabama, spent a summer as an exchange student at Oxford, and went to New York City without finishing her degree. In New York, she worked as an airline reservationist. Soon, however, she got financial support from friends, who allowed her to write full-time. With the help of an editor, she turned a series of short stories into a novel.
References
- Bloom, H. (Ed.). (2007). Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird: Modern Critical Interpretations (Updated ed.). Chelsea House Publishers.
- Gates, H. L. (2009). African American Literature and Racial Consciousness in To Kill a Mockingbird. In Race and Representation in American Literature (pp. 152-170). University Press.
- Gilyard, K. (2009). Critical Essays on To Kill a Mockingbird. St. Martin’s Press.
- Lee, H. (1960). To Kill a Mockingbird. J.B. Lippincott & Co.
- McElrath, M. (2003). A Study of Moral Development in To Kill a Mockingbird. Journal of Literature and Culture, 15(4), 234-248.
- Shields, C. (2014). The Impact of Historical Context on To Kill a Mockingbird. Journal of Historical Fiction Studies, 11(2), 88-101.
- Sides, H. (2007). Ghosts of the Southern Past: Historical Echoes in To Kill a Mockingbird. Southern Literary Journal, 40(2), 112-130.
- Windham, J. (2015). Racism and Justice in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. American Literature Review, 43(3), 56-72.
Comments
This book left a huge impression on me as young teenager, and still resonates deeply in my consciousness.
I read this when I was in college and had the same feeling about the book. Much appreciated.