To Kill a Mockingbird 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’S LINKS 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

Reading the Novel Setting is all important –Be aware of the where and when as you begin Point of View – The novel is shaped by the voice of a young girl who sees the story from a position of naïve acceptance Goodness vs. Ignorance (Evil) is an important theme

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?

Literary Terms to Consider Idiom- a construction or expression in one language that cannot be matched or directly translated word-for-word in another language Green with envy Raining cats and dogs Colder than brass comode

Literary Terms to Consider Hyperbole- the use of deliberate exaggeration to achieve an effect Parody- an imitation of a specific literary work or the style of an author for comic effect, usually to ridicule or criticize that work, author, or style

Literary Terms to Consider Paradox- a statement that seems self-contradictory or nonsensical on the surface but that, upon closer examination, may be seen to contain an underlying truth Allegory- the presentation of an abstract idea through more concrete means, type of extended metaphor

Literary Terms to Consider Personification- attributing human characteristics to anything nonhuman, this can be an abstract, inanimate object, or a living organism