To Kill a Mockingbird By:
Harper Lee
GENERAL
1.To Kill a
Mockingbird is a story about a girl named Scout and her story about how
her brother Jem broke his arm. To explain how he broke his arm she takes us
back to help us understand how it all started. Scout's family lives in
Alabama during the great depression and eventually both Scout and Jem become
friends with a boy named Dill who is always interested in the spooky Radley
house at the end of the street. Eventually Dill has to leave and the year
goes on, but Jem and Scout start finding what they believe to be gifts in a
tree in the Radley's yard. When Dill returns the next summer he is still
infatuated with the Radley house. On his last night, the children decided to
sneak onto the property to get a closer look at the house. They are
shot at by Nathan Radley and while trying to escape Jem loses his pants. When
he goes back the pants are fixed and folded for him. Jem and Scout continue to
find gifts in the tree until Nathan Radley plugs it up. Scout’s father Atticus
defends Tom Robinson (a black man) on trial and even though the man is
innocent, he is still convicted because of the racist community. He is later
shot to death while trying to escape. Bob Ewell (the man who with his
daughter convicted Robinson) is furious at Atticus and vows to get revenge. He
attacks Jem and Scout on their way home from a Halloween party and breaks Jem’s
arm. Boo Radley steps in and saves the children and kills Bob Ewell. Scout
finally felt as though she can see Boo Radley as an actual person and believes
once again in human goodness. Boo Radley
was the man leaving the presents.
2. I believe that the
theme of the novel is Human Goodness. The book goes against all of the
stereotypes that were in place during the great depression and shows that there
is good in everyone no matter what their color of skin is or how different they
are. It really emphasizes to not judge the book by its cover especially in
times where everyone else seems to be doing it that way.
3.The author’s tone is
innocent. It’s told in a way that could only be done through the eyes of a
child.
"I think there's
just one kind of folks. Folks."
“Neighbors bring food
with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between. Boo was our
neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of
good-luck pennies, and our lives. But neighbors give in return. We never put
back into the tree what we took out of it: we had given him nothing, and it
made me sad.”
(Talking to Jem about
Dill) “Yeah. Don’t say anything about it yet, but we’re gonna get married as
soon as we’re big enough. He asked me last summer.”
4. Symbols: The Mocking bird was the biggest one and
represented innocence. Therefore to kill a mocking bird is to kill
innocence.
“Mockingbirds don't
do one thing but make music for us to enjoy... but sing their hearts out for
us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."
Imagery: The imagery that Lee uses throughout the book
paints a vivid picture in your head about how Scout sees the people in her
life.
“It was times like
these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars,
was the bravest man who ever lived."
Setting: The setting itself explains a lot. A small town in
the south during the great depression is the only place where a story like this
could take place.
“Maycomb was an old
town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the
streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged
in the square.”
“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.”
CHARACTERIZATION
1. "The main one is, if I didn't I couldn't hold my head up
in town, I couldn't
represent this county in the legislature, I couldn't even tell
you or Jem not to do
something again." (75) Atticus
This is an example of indirect characterization to Atticus
and how he can’t stand up for himself and is somewhat of a coward.
"Atticus was feeble: he was nearly fifty." (89) Narration
This explains to us that Atticus is an older man and therefor we get a sort of picture as to what he looks like.
2. Being as the narration is being told in a "child's" point of view it is not very dynamic. The narrator keeps that ideas on the people pretty innocent and simple. The emotions are all very blunt because of the fact that it is supposed to be a child's narration.
3.Jem who is one of the main characters is
a dynamic character in To Kill A Mockingbird because he
changes throughout the book. For example, at the beginning of the book, Scout
and Jem are best of friends. In the first summer that Dill came they played
together every day. Later, in the middle of the book, Jem starts to mature and
stray from Scout. Scout describes the way he acted towards her, “Jem was
twelve. He was difficult to live with, inconsistent, moody,” (Lee 115). She
goes on to say she cannot understand why he has changed so much. He starts to
impose rules on her and tells her to be more of a woman. Scout thought about
how just a month ago they were having fun and wrestling like two boys. Later
Jem changes again, but this time he starts to become best friends with Scout
again. For instance, Scout gets laughed at when she messes up the play, but Jem
comforts her and tells her it is okay (227). For these reasons, Jem is a
dynamic character.
4. I just felt that I had read a character in the end of the book. Not that it is a bad thing or anything I just kind of felt the emotions half way. Usually when the narrator is a more philosophical person or more mature that is when I actually feel like I met the person. However since this story was told in a childs perspective I just felt the innocence the whole time and no real connection. True there was some very mature scenes in the book but I feel if the narration would have been different then my whole outlook on the story would have changed.
