Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is a contemporary Southern Gothic novel. It ranks 41st on the American Library Association's 100 Most Challenged Books (banned books) list. The central plot revolves around the trial of an innocent black man accused of murder in a predominately white Southern town. The book was made into a film in 1962, starring Gregory Peck and directed by Robert Mulligan.
Though originally dismissed, the book gathered a great deal of popularity and success throughout its lifetime, becoming the symbol of the "Great American Novel."
Fast Facts:
- Author: Harper Lee
- Publication date: July 11, 1960
- Narration: First person autobiographical
- Awards: Pulitzer Prize (1961)
- Translated into 10 different languages
- Sold over 30 million copies
- Most widely read American novel of the 20th century
- Taught in most U.S. schools
- Paperback and hardcover versions have never been out of print
Plot Synopsis
To Kill a Mockingbird takes place during the great depression of the 1930s, and is narrated by a six year old boy nick-named "Scout", who is one of the primary characters. His father is Atticus Finch, who is a lawyer in the town. When a black man, Tom Robinson, is accused of raping a white woman, Atticus is assigned the role of defending the accused.
At its core, the novel is an examination of issues of race and class in a small southern community. These issues surface in the form of the Tom Robinson trial, Boo Radley, and the loss of childhood innocence of Jem, one of the novel's main characters.
During the trial, Atticus Finch posits that the accusation stems from racial issues rather than rape. He establishes the fact that the woman had affections for Tom of which her father disapproved. Despite these issues, Tom is convicted and shot trying to escape. Throughout the novel the reader is able to see the issues of racism as the children in the story (Scout and friends) seek to understand the injustice that has been done.
The other plot focuses on the existence of a man named Boo Radley, who committed a crime years ago and has been confined to his home by his relatives ever since. The children attempt to discover this individual to no avail.
Important Quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird and Explanations of their Importance
"The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box. As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it - whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash."
This quote comes within the climax of the novel, and describes one of the central conflicts of the novel, the Robinson trial. Though his trial is far from fair, the way in which the injustice is portrayed shows the inherent racism in the southern society of Maycomb.
To Kill a Mockingbird Author Information
- Mahalo's Guide to Harper Lee
- Wikipedia: Harper Lee
- Books and Writers: Harper Lee Biography
- BookRags: Harper Lee Biography
Characters in To Kill a Mockingbird
- Jem - Jem is the eldest of the Finch children. His transition from an innocent boy to a young man is one of the central stories of the novel.
- Scout - Scout in the younger of the Finch children. She tells the story of the novel in her old age. Scout is Lee's representation of herself in the novel.
