To Kill a Mockingbird explores how good and evil may coexist inside a single community or individual while also telling the story of a young girl coming of age and a darker drama about the causes and effects of racism and prejudice.

1. Background for
To Kill a Mockingbird
By Harper Lee

2. Harper Lee
• Born in Monroeville, Alabama, April 28, 1926,
Nelle Harper Lee was the youngest of three
children.
• Lee’s father and older sister both practiced
law in much the same way that Atticus
practices law
• Her family is related to Confederate General
Robert E. Lee, a man especially noted for his
devotion to honor
• Lee received her early education in the
Monroeville public schools
• She later attended University of Alabama to
study law: she left after a year to go to
England

3. Why didn’t she write again?
• Lee never wrote another novel,
although she planned to write a series
of them in which she would somehow
preserve what is beautiful about small-
town, middle-class, Southern life.
• She gave one interview on the subject
in 1964 to Roy Newquist

4. Why didn’t she write again?
• The following is a link to Sam Heath’s blog
in The Weedpatch Gazette. He attempts
to answer the question: Why didn’t she
write again?
• http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Bl
og/samheath/5650

5. • In his February 5, 2006 article, “Mockingbird
Author Steps Out of Shadows,”The Observer’s
Paul Harris stated: “The instant success
terrified Lee. In one of her few detailed
interviews, given in 1964 to author Roy
Newquist, she offered an insight into the
impact of instant fame, for someone who had
been seen as a sidekick to the more glamorous
Capote. 'I sort of hoped someone would like it
enough to give me encouragement ... I hoped
for a little but I got rather a whole lot and in
some ways this was just about as frightening as
the quick, merciful death I'd expected,' she
said.”

6. To Kill a Mockingbird’s Reception
• The novel was an expanded version of a
short story
• It was on best-sellers lists for more than
eighty weeks
• In April 1961, Lee was awarded the
Alabama Library Association Award
• In May 1961 she was the first woman
since 1942 to win the Pulitzer Prize for
fiction.

7. Setting
• Setting is the time and place in
which a story is set. While physical
setting is plainly revealed in the
initial chapter’s exposition, the
social and emotional settings are
not explicitly stated but can be
inferred from the action and
dialogue.

8. Physical Setting
The physical setting includes:
 The region
 The climate
 The buildings
 The size of the location.
 In To Kill a Mockingbird, the general
physical setting is the South: a small
southern Alabama town.
 The five main settings follow.

9. Five main physical
settings…
1. In and around the Finch house
2. In and around the Radley house
3. Schoolgrounds
4. Downtown and around the courthouse
and jail
5. The Robinson house.
These settings relate to themes about family,
superstition and fear, education, justice,
and prejudice.

10. Social Setting
• The social setting is closely related to, and
perhaps a product of, the physical setting.
The social setting is not stated explicitly,
but is developed through the novel.
• The chief element of the social setting are
the caste system of Maycomb, racial
prejudice, and the role of women. It is
important to note occasions when members
of different castes meet.
• Social setting is tied to themes of racial
prejudice, boundaries, and injustice.

11. Southern Society
in the 1930s
In the 1930s, when the story takes place,
African Americans often worked for white
landowners as field hands or for town
dwelling whites as servants, or
sharecroppers. Sharecroppers were freed
slaves who stayed on to farm a chunk of
land on the plantation that he had slaved
on, but this time for a “share” of the
profits. Sound good?

12. Southern
Society in the
1930s
Unfortunately a lot of the landowners
cheated the former slaves to the extent
that at the end of the year, many
former slaves were actually indebted to
their former owners who them turned
them in to the police for “bad debt.”
The result? They would be arrested and
released to the landowner to work the
land for free.

13. Southern Society in
the 1930s
Discriminatory laws, segregation, and
a strict social code governed
interactions between the races.
Sometimes referred to as Jim Crow
Laws, these laws influenced the ways
African Americans lived and
interacted with whites.

14. Some examples of Jim Crow Laws included:
Separate drinking fountains and restrooms
Races sat in different parts of busses
Attend separate schools
Interracial marriage was illegal
These laws were allowed and emboldened
by the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court
decision in 1897 and was not righted until
1957 in Brown v. The Board.
Southern
Society in the
1930s

15. Legalese
The 13th Amendment to the Constitution
prohibits slavery.
The 14th Amendment to the Constitution
promises all native-born American
citizenship, equal protection under the law,
and due process, the course of judicial
proceeding designed to protect an
individual's rights.
These amendments were considered very
“American” and were supposed to ensure
that African-American citizens have a fair
trail. HOWEVER...

16. Legalese
How were People Denied a Trial by jury?
Potential jurors can be struck (eliminated from a
list of candidates) in the process called VOIR DIRE
Or they can be excused (freed from their
obligation to serve because it will cause undue
hardship)
The foreman is chosen to speak with the judge on
behalf of the jury and delivers the verdict—their
vote on guilt or innocence.
Either way, either lawyer can appeal the case
(take the case to a higher court in an attempt to
reverse the decision of a lower court)

17. Legalese
Who's Who in the Courtroom?
Defendant: accused person on trial
Counsel for the Defense: Defendant's lawyer
Prosecutor: Lawyer in charge of initiating the trial,
represents accuser or state
Grand Jury: Group of people who decide wheter a
case warrants a trial
Witnesses: People who tell what they know, or give
testimony about the facts of a case
Judge: presides over the courtroom
Plaintiff: Accuser in a case, represented by the
prosecutor

18. African-Americans were not considered
for jury duty in many places, and in
some cases were not provided with
legal representation. In fact, many
whites administered “justice” to
accused African-American citizen
themselves, and lynchings increased
dramatically in 1930.
Southern Society
in the 1930s

19. The Scottsboro Incident
• In March 1931, nine black youths were
arrested in Alabama for allegedly raping two
white women
The jury consisted of only white men, and
all nine “Scottsboro boys” were found guilty
Local Alabamans assembled outside the
jail and demanded the youths’ lynching
Many aspects of the Tom Robinson case in
the novel are based on the Scottsboro
incident

20. African Americans were supposed to
address whites with titles such as “Mr.”
or “Mrs.” It was acceptable for whites to
call African Americans by their first
names, regardless of their age or
position.
Southern Society
in the 1930s

21. 1920s Culture
What was hot in the 20s?
• Mah Jongg
• The Charleston
• Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford,
and Rudolph Valentino
• Ernest Hemingway, Sinclair Lewis,
and F. Scott Fitzgerald
• George Gershwin

22. 1930s Culture
What was hot in the 30s?
• Bingo
• Shirley Temple
• The Lindy
• “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”
• Gone With the Wind
• “The Lone Ranger,” “Little Orphan
Annie,” and “The Shadow”

23. All Things
Southern
Southern Dialect that you may not know...
All-fired: extremely, very
Britches: pants or trousers
Knowed: variation of knew
Po': pronunciation of poor
Sho': pronunciation of sure
Tol'able: pronunciation of tolerable,
meaning fair, or pretty good
Totin': pronunciation of toting, meaning carrying

24. All Things Southern
Chillun-
Collards-
Crockersack-
Southern pronunciation
of the word children
A variety of greens grown
principally in the South
Originally a crocus sack: a burlap
sack, named because the bulbs of
crocus flowers were shipped in
similar sacks.

25. All Things Southern
Rabbit Tobacco-
A nickname for
balsamweed, a
plant used as a
tobacco substitute
by children

26. All Things
Southern
• A Chifforobe is a piece
of furniture that has
drawer on one half
and a hanging closet
on the other half.

27. Allusions
Everything in the Garden is Lovely
Why does Mrs. Dubose behave so differently to
Atticus than to his children?
Maybe because he is extravagant in his
compliments to her!
He compares her front yard to Bellingrath, one
of the biggest tourist attractions of Alabama.
Located southwest of Mobile, the Bessie Morse
Bellingrath house and gardens include over 60
acres and are specially noted for azaleas and
chrysanthemums.

30. Allusions
• Heck Tate uses the biblical expression,
“Let the dead bury the dead” when he
recalls the events surrounding Jem’s
assault. This is a quotation from the
Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament
of The Bible.

31. Allusion
One of the scribes then came up and said
to {Jesus}, “Master, I will follow you
wherever you go.”…Another man, one
of his disciples, said to him, “Sir, let me
go and bury my father first.” But Jesus
replied, “Follow me, and leave the dead
to bury their dead.” (Matthew 8:19, 21-
22)

32. Mockingbirds
• Praised in songs and poem, the
mockingbird mainly resides in the South. It
is pale gray and white, about the size of
the robin.
• While its call is a harsh-sounding “tchack,”
its song is beautiful and characterized by
repeated notes and phrases.
• It’s gift for imitation is how it got it’s
name.

33. Characters
• Atticus:
• Scout and Jem’s father
• Central figure in the plot
• The name Atticus is the English respelling of the Greek
word “Attikos.” This word, meaning “an Athenian”
was used by an Athenian poet and legal reformer
named Solon (640-559 BCE) in his writings. It ties
Atticus to Solon, who was responsible for instituting
the democratic laws of Athens”
• Also refers to the city of Athens (implies learning,
culture, and heroism)
• Atticus is a father both Scout and Jem can love and
respect who they can look for comfort and reasonable
advice
• Source of strength and of help

34. Atticus
• Respected because people know he
recognizes their personal dignity
and that he will fight to protect it
• Symbol of integrity
• Unconsciously, they know that they
can count on him to do those
things for them that they lack the
courage to do for themselves

35. Characters
Calpurnia
Name history: Calpurnia was the third wife of the Roman
Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar (100-44 BCE), who was noted
for her faithfulness.
Finch family cook and surrogate mother for the children
Link between the black and white worlds of Maycomb
Dual personality
Accepted as a member of the Finch family
Atticus is not afraid to talk openly in front of her because he
knows that she understands
Character also suggests a lesson for blacks
Both whites and blacks are guilty of racism

36. Characters
 Represents traditional (read: not necessarily
honorable) values of the South: home, family,
heredity, gentility, and white supremacy
 She does not change throughout the novel,
which makes her a ______?_______ character.
 Represents the crucial problem of the South:
an unwillingness to forsake a false value
structure even in the face of evidence that it
is meaningless and unjust.
Aunt Alexandra

37. Characters
One of the most colorful characters
Benevolent, brave woman who loves
floral beauty (read archetypal qualities
of a character so at home with nature)
and the Finch children (earth mother?)
Most rational feminine character in the
novel
Female role model Scout most likes and
admires, particularly for her willingness
to be direct and honest
Miss Maudie Atkinson

38. Characters
Scout describes Bob Ewell’s daughter as
the loneliest person in the world
Victim of circumstances
Desire for affection
Fearful of her father
Closely associated with nature, like Miss
Maudie (Ask yourself: What luxury does
she work for? And, what is the symbolic
value of that?)
Mayella Ewell

39.  Jeremy is Scout’s older brother
 10 years old when story begins, 13 years old at
the end
 Events of the story parallel his transition from
child to young man
 Nicknamed “Jem”
 Emerges at the end of his experience completely
changed by his contact with the adult world
 Changes most during the course of the story
 Becomes more sensitive to the meaning of the
happenings around him
 Develops a compassionate attitude toward
Atticus, Tom, Boo Radley, and Mrs. Dubose
Jeremy Finch

40.  Most important character in the story because
we view the action through her eyes and her
opinions about what is happening
 5 years old at start, 8 years old at end
 Above average in intelligence
 Perceptive
 Temper
 Two characters who are in reality one person:
grown Jean Louise who is telling the story, and
the little girl Scout who is a part of the story
 Jean Louise is recalling what happened to her as
a child, Scout is the child herself going through
the actions
Jean Louise Finch

41. Charles Barker Harris is the character
whom the reader might regard as the
outside influence on the story
Not from Maycomb
Dill Harris is put into the story to flavor it
He has been shuffled from relative to
relative
Dill is both imaginative and sensitive
Charles Barker Harris

42.  Known as Boo, only appears once in the story
 Shy man, living in total seclusion
 His real place in the story is as a symbol: unknown,
bravery, and innocence
 Becomes a symbol of kindness as he leaves various things
in the tree for the children to find and then covers Scout
with a blanket on the night of Miss Maudie’s fire
 He is a phantom that goes out only at night
 The town freak, has a more genuine sense of values and
greater compassion than most of the citizens of
Maycomb. The children learn lessons of greater
importance from Boo than they do from almost anyone
else. They learn to judge him by his actions and not by
town gossip
Arthur Radley

43. Historical Setting
• The Historical Setting includes the
dates during which the action takes
place and the major historical events
that shape the action. The action of
this novel begins in 1932, during the
Depression.

44. The Great
Depression
The novel is set in the midst of the Great
Depression, which began in October
of1929 and is considered the worst
economic depression in modern times. In
1933, the United States had a 25%
unemployment rate. Home loss followed
this trend. In contrast, the rate in
September 1995 was 4.2%.
In March 2009 the rate was 8.5%.
In Washington right now it is 9.4%.

45. The Great
Depression
The Great Depression ended in the late
1930s because of the need for war
materials at the beginning of WWII, and
government job creation. Once people
went to work, money went back into
circulation and the economy grew.

46. The Great
Depression
The man most associated with the economic recovery of
the 30’s is Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president of
the United States, inaugurated on March 4, 1933. In his
historic speech he encouraged Americans to put aside their
fears and support his efforts to get America back on track…
“This great nation will endure as it has endured, will
revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert
my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is
fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror
which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into
advance.”

47. The Great
Depression
• Bust: Bankrupt
• Economic Depression: a period of
drastic decline in the national
economy, characterized by decreasing
business activity, falling prices and
unemployment
• Spending Spree: overindulgence in
spending money

48. The Great
Depression
• Stocks: the shares sold by a
corporation that entitle the holder
to benefits of ownership including
dividends
• Play the Market: gamble using
stocks
• Goods and Services: the two
categories of things one can
purchase—these two categories
make up the gross national product

49. The Great
Depression
• Bank Failure: when a bank goes
bankrupt or becomes unable to meet
its debts or discharge its liabilities
• Stock Market: a stock exchange where
stocks are bought and sold according
to fixed regulations
• Bankrupt: a legal declaration of
inability to pay debts
• Relief: aid or help due to need or
poverty.

50. Theme
Themes are the Universal Meanings derived from
art. They are usually not stated directly. To
uncover the theme pay attention to a few things:
•Characters and what happens to them in the end
•The title
•Symbols and figurative language
•Tone
•Imagery
•Details
•Phrases that are repeated

51. Theme
Some themes that are predominant in the
novel:
 Prejudice and superstition can lead to
injustice
 Individuals have a responsibility to protect
the innocent
 One person’s wrongdoing can release evil
into the entire community
 People often fear what they don’t
understand

52. Theme
The most important parts of a child's
education may take place in the home and
the community rather than in the school.
Insight, maturity, understanding, and
integrity have no necessary relation to age,
social position, or formal education
Appearances don't always reflect reality