To Kill a Mockingbird
By Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird is a story that is set in the
time of racial discrimination after blacks have
been set free at the Civil War. The story tells the
tale of a family struggling to be socially
accepted after the father must defend a black
man in court that is charged with the rape of a
young white girl.
Scout
Scout is the daughter of the lawyer Atticus.
She is the main character of the story, as well
as the narrator. She is quite young, and
consequently very childish, as well as curious.
Her passion for adventure reaches no
bounds, but it often gets her into more than
she bargained for. As the story progresses,
she faces discrimination from her friends,
family, and much more.
Atticus
Atticus is one of the main characters in the
story. He is the father of Jem, and Scout. He
is to defend a black man in court that is
charged with the rape of a young white girl.
Atticus is probably my favorite character, due
to the fact that he lets his children learn their
own lessons, instead of trying to control them
directly. He is also extremely intelligent, and
he can see through a person like no other.
Maycomb
Maycomb is a small southern town, that
evolved around a family ranch. Due to the
small town atmosphere, nearly everyone in
the town knows each other, and most are
related as well. Due to this, rumors get
around faster than in any big city, so everyone
knows pretty much everything that is going
on. Maycomb represents peace and
innocence.
The Climax
There are many Climaxes in the story, To Kill
a Mockingbird, but I chose the one that seems
the most important to me. The trial at the
courthouse is by far the most monumental,
due to the fact that it is where most of the
action happens. Here, Atticus makes his case
to the court about how Tom Robinson didn't
rape the Ewell girl. Atticus nails his case and
nearly ensures victory for himself.
The Resolution
Atticus made the Ewells look like idiots at his
court case. However, the court still convicted
Tom Robinson. As a result, Tom Robinson
attempted to escape from prison, and was
killed. Later, Mr. Ewell out of revenge
attempted to kill Scout and Jem. Luckily, Boo
Radley was able to help save the children.
This provided closure to the conflict of the
court case.
The Mockingbird
The Mockingbird symbolized pure innocence.
To quote Miss Maudie Atkinson,
“Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make
music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up
people's gardens, the don't nest in corncribs,
they don't do one thing but sing their hearts
out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a
Mockingbird.” Tom Robinson didn't do
anything, and it would be a sin to condemn
him. That's why the Mockingbird is significant.
Historical Context
The story takes place during the time after the
Civil War, when blacks are freed but still
heavily prejudiced. The reason this is
important is because Atticus I hated simply
because he is defending a black man in court.
He didn't do anything else to provoke the
townspeople. This is completely absurd and it
gives the Finch family a hard time.
Theme
The theme of the story is: Just because it
seems everyone in the world is against you, it
doesn't mean that you have to back down.
Conclusion
The conclusion of the story is Mr. Ewell and
Tom Robinson are dead, so the dispute is
entirely over. The blacks living in Maycomb
now feel very endeared to Atticus. And lastly,
Scout and Boo Radley now have a friendship
that will last a long time. In my opinion, the
book was extremely good, without many
boring moments.
Works Cited

Open Office for their Powerpoint program

To Kill A Mockingbird for quotes, etc.

Thanks to Google Images for the Pictures