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To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
ABOUT THE NOVEL & NOVELIST
To Kill a Mockingbird
American author Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" was published in 1960. Highly popular, it has been translated into nearly 40 languages, has sold over 40 million copies worldwide, and is one of the most assigned novels in American schools. In the year 1961, it won the Pulitzer Prize. The novel was praised for the sensitive behaviour of a child towards racism and prejudice in the American South.
MAIN SUMMARY
To Kill a Mockingbird
This play, "To Kill a Mockingbird" takes place in the town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Great Depression. The story of this novel is narrated by the main character, a little girl named Jean Louise Finch, who is referred to as Scout throughout the story. The main characters include Atticus Finch, the father of Scout, and her older brother, Jem Finch, a lawyer with high moral standards.
Charles Baker Harris, who is referred to as Dill throughout the story, is the children's friend who visits them from Mississippi in the summers. Calpurnia, the finch's housekeeper and cook, is a motherly figure for Scout. She treats Scout as her mother. Boo Radley is the finch's mysterious and reclusive neighbour. Walter Cunningham is one of the poorest kids in Scout and Jem's school. Tom Robinson is a black man who is accused of raping a white woman. Mayella Violet Ewell is the white woman accusing Tom. And Mr. Bob Ewell is Mayella's father.
As the story begins, Scout, Jem, and Dill are intrigued by the reclusive Boo. He lives closer to the finch's house, and local legend has it that he once stabbed his father with a pair of scissors in the leg.
They imagine him as a kind of monster. The children make small plays about Boo's life. They start to venture closer to the Radley house, which is said to be haunted. After this, they try to leave notes for Boo on his window with a fishing pole, but are caught by Atticus. Atticus becomes angry and reprimands them for making fun of the life of an unhappy person. The children hang out at Radley House at night. Boo's brother thinks that he hears a hunter's voice and pulls out the gun. The children run away, but Jem loses his pants on a fence. To get them back when he returns in the middle of the night, they have been neatly folded, and the tear from the fence has been roughly sewn up. Other mysterious things start to happen to Finch's children. A tree near the Radley house has a knothole in which someone leaves little presents for them. The children find pennies, chewing gum, and soap-carved figures that bear a striking resemblance to Scout and Jem. When the children try to leave a note for the mystery giver, they find that Boo's brother has sealed the hole with cement.
One day, Jem invites one of his poorest classmates, Walter Cunningham, over for lunch. At Finch's house, Scout notes that Atticus and Walter discuss farming as two men. Walter asks for some molasses and heads to pour it over his meat and vegetables. When Scout rudely asked what Sam Hill was doing, Calpurnia gave her a lecture in the kitchen about how to treat guests, no matter what their background.
In the meantime, Atticus decides to take on a case involving a black man named Tom Robinson, who has been falsely accused of raping a very poor white girl named Mayella Ewell. Atticus' decision to defend Tom has caused Finch's family to face harsh criticism in the heavily racist Maycomb. Atticus and Tom both believe that Tom is innocent and has almost no chance of being acquitted. A white jury will never trust a black man over a white woman. Despite this, Atticus wants to reveal the truth to all his fellow townspeople. Because Atticus is defending a black man, Scout and Jem are the objects of the town's people's whispers and ridicule. At a family Christmas gathering, Scout beats up her cloying relative Francis when he accuses Atticus of ruining the family name. Just after this scene, Atticus speaks one of the most famous lines in the novel. He tells his children, "Shoot all the blue jays you want if you can hit them. But remember, it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." The mockingbird becomes a symbol of innocence in a novel involving both Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. The night before the trial, Tom had moved into the county jail. Atticus stands guard outside the prison doors all night, fearing a possible lynching. Jem is concerned about him, and the three children sneak into town to find him. A group of men arrives, threatening Atticus, and sets out to incite violence. Initially, Jem, Scout, and Dill stand aside, but when Scout senses true danger, she runs out and begins to speak to one of the men, the father of her classmate Walter Cunningham. Her innocence brings the crowd out of their mob mentality, and they leave. During the trial, the Ewells' testified that Mayella asked Tom to do some work for her while her father was out.
And Tom moved into their house and forcibly beat and raped Mayella until her father appeared and scared him away. Tom claims that Mayeela invited him in, threw her arms around him, and started kissing him. Tom tried his best to push her away. When Bob Ewell arrived, his rage increased, and he beat Mayella. Tom ran away in fright. According to the sheriff's testimony, Mayella had bruises on the right side of her face, which means she was punched with the left hand. Tom Robinson's left hand is dysfunctional due to a chronic accident, while Mr. Ewell advances with his left. Given the evidence of reasonable suspicion, Tom should be set free. But after hours of hard work, the jury found him guilty. Scout, Jem, and Dill break into the courthouse to watch the trial and sit on the balcony with Maycomb's black population. They were stunned at the verdict because the evidence for them was clearly in Tom's favour. The verdict is tragic, but Atticus feels some satisfaction that the jury took so long to decide. Atticus expects an appeal, but Tom tries to escape from his prison and is shot to death in the process. Jem struggles with the results of the test, realising that his belief in the goodness and rationality of humanity has been betrayed. Meanwhile, Mr. Ewell, humiliated by the trial, threatens Atticus. He takes his revenge one night while Jem and Scout, who dress up as Ham, are on their way home from the Halloween game at their school. He follows them in the dark and tries to stab them with a large kitchen knife. Jem breaks his arm, and Scout, who is confined by her costume and cannot see what's going on, is helpless throughout the attack. The elusive Boo Radley stabs Mr. Ewell and saves the children. Finally, Scout gets a chance to meet a shy and nervous Boo. At the end of this terrible night, the sheriff announced that Mr. Ewell had fallen on his own knife. So Boo, the hero of the situation, won't have to try for murder. Scout walks Boo home and imagines how he has observed town and her and Jem and Dill from inside his house over the years. Boo walks in, locks the door, and she never sees him again.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
To Kill a Mockingbird
1. How is Tom Robinson a mockingbird?
Answer:
Tom Robinson is considered a mockingbird because, like a mockingbird, he is innocent and does no harm to others. He is falsely accused of a crime that he did not commit.
2. What does the rabid dog Atticus shoots symbolize?
Answer:
The rabid dog that Atticus shoots symbolizes the destructive and dangerous nature of racism in Maycomb. It represents the societal sickness that Atticus is willing to confront.
3. How did Jem break his arm?
Answer:
Jem breaks his arm during the attack by Mr. Ewell while he and Scout are on their way home from the Halloween game at their school.
4. What is the significance of the gifts Boo Radley leaves in the knothole?
Answer:
The gifts Boo Radley leaves in the knothole symbolize his attempt to connect with the children and show kindness, despite his reclusive nature. It highlights the theme of innocence.
5. Why does the jury find Tom guilty?
Answer:
The jury finds Tom guilty due to racial prejudice and bias. In the heavily racist Maycomb, a white jury is unwilling to believe a black man over a white woman, despite evidence favoring Tom.
6. What role does Calpurnia play in the family and in the novel?
Answer:
Calpurnia serves as a motherly figure to Scout and Jem, bridging gaps in their upbringing. In the novel, she also plays a significant role in exposing the children to different perspectives, particularly in the incident with Walter Cunningham.
7. Why is Dill an important character?
Answer:
Dill is an important character as he adds an outsider's perspective to the story, bringing curiosity and excitement to the Finch children's lives during the summer. He also contributes to the children's fascination with Boo Radley.
8. What does Mrs. Dubose teach Scout and Jem?
Answer:
Mrs. Dubose teaches Scout and Jem about courage and morality. Despite her illness and struggles with addiction, she shows them the strength to fight against personal demons.
9. Why does Dolphus Raymond hide Coca-Cola in a brown paper bag?
Answer:
Dolphus Raymond hides Coca-Cola in a brown paper bag to create the appearance of being a drunkard. This allows him to live more freely by avoiding judgment and prejudice from the racially biased community.
10. How does Maycomb react to Tom Robinson’s death?
Answer:
Maycomb reacts with indifference to Tom Robinson's death, reflecting the deep-seated racial prejudice in the town. The tragic event fails to prompt a significant change in the mindset of the community.
11. What happens on Scout and Jem’s walk home from the harvest pageant?
Answer:
On Scout and Jem's walk home from the harvest pageant, they are attacked by Mr. Ewell, seeking revenge for Atticus defending Tom Robinson. Boo Radley intervenes, saving them from harm.
12. Why does Atticus take Tom Robinson’s case knowing that he’ll lose?
Answer:
Atticus takes Tom Robinson's case knowing he'll lose because he believes in upholding justice and defending an innocent man, regardless of the societal prejudices. It reflects his commitment to morality.
13. Why does Mayella Ewell lie on the witness stand?
Answer:
Mayella Ewell lies on the witness stand to cover up her advances towards Tom Robinson. Her false testimony is an attempt to protect herself from the repercussions of breaking social norms.
14. What qualities make Atticus a good father?
Answer:
Atticus exhibits qualities of patience, understanding, and moral integrity, making him a good father. He encourages critical thinking and empathy in Scout and Jem.
15. Why does Aunt Alexandra move into the Finch household?
Answer:
Aunt Alexandra moves into the Finch household to provide a female influence and instill traditional values in Scout. Her presence is partly driven by societal expectations of gender roles and the desire for a more conventional family structure.
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