To kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee
Purpose: Harper Lee wrote this novel to
Audience: Middle and upper class
show her community how wrong discrimination
of any kind was – but especially against black
people.
America, probably white.
Message: That discrimination is unjust and
we must make sure we don’t foster it.
Themes or important ideas:
Innocence and corruption:
This novel plays the innocent against the corrupt.
Scout and Jem are innocent children coming into
contact with the corrupt – the racism of the Ewells
in particular. We also see the ‘innocence’ of
characters like Boo Radley and how that in the
end is protected as it adds invaluably to the
community (he saves the Finch children). We see
how the loss of innocence costs the community –
especially through Mayella. We see how
corruption (Bob Ewell) costs the community – in his
attack against the innocent Finch children, against
Tom Robinson, and even against his own daughter.
Discrimination and injustice:
there are many places in the novel where we see
discrimination and recognise it as terrible. We see
Mr Dolphus Raymond who is discriminated against
for his choice of wife, the Cunningham’s
discriminated against for their poverty, black
people (Tom Robinson) discriminated against for
skin colour, and children discriminated against for
their age. All these instances are portrayed,
through the eyes of Scout, as injustice.
Integrity:
this is the idea that staying true to what you
believe to be right, even at extreme cost to
yourself and those you love, is the right thing to
do. It’s Atticus’ integrity that makes him a hero.
Lee is trying to show what we need to have in order
to overcome discrimination in our communities –
Integrity.
Heroism or courage:
this novel shows us just what Lee sees as being truly
heroic – through the person of Atticus Finch. He is the
hero of the story – his fight against discrimination
and injustice, his integrity, his compassion for those
less privileged than him, his treatment of all around
him as equals. He shows us that heroism isn’t being
strong physically or even politically, (he lost his court
case) but being strong morally, having integrity. We
also see this in miniature form in the case of Mrs
Dubose overcoming her Morphine addiction. It’s
Atticus courage and integrity that begins to make
change in his community and help it begin to see
beyond it’s racism and discrimination.
Perspective and empathy:
This is the personal revelation of Scout. Throughout
the course of the novel she learns to see things from
other people point of view. She understands Jem,
Aunt Alexandra, Calpurnia, Atticus, and finally even
Boo Radley because she finally understands how
they see the world. Lee sets up this ability to see
other’s perspective as the tool to fight discrimination,
as we finally understand them how can we judge
them or be unjust to them.
Techniques:
Dialogue: How a character speaks is one key
way that Lee communicates who they are.
Atticus is a gentleman to everyone, but Bob
Ewell’s speech always shows him up to being
low, coarse, uneducated and evil.
Narration: it is narrated from the perspective
of Scout – in first person and in past tense. By
making it clear that it’s Scout talking about her
past, it allows Lee to have all the innocence of a
young girl as well as all the reasoning and
clarity of thought of an adult. It’s also a tool to
help the audience think the way Scout does
without realising it – they think she’s just five so
they believe the point of view she presents.
Symbolism: there’s quite a bit of bird
symbolism. The children are often referred to as
the Finch children (a finch is a bird), Tom
Robinson is referred to as a mocking bird (“Mr
Underwood didn’t talk about miscarriages of
justice…. He likened tom’s death to the
senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and
children…”) and Atticus tells Jem it’s a sin to kill
a mocking bird when he gets his first gun. Boo is
also linked in when Scout says, “it’d be sort of
like shooting a mocking bird, wouldn’t it?” The
title is also about birds. The idea is that birds
are innocent, and should be protected, not
destroyed for no reason. By relating Tom and
the children to birds, Lee is highlighting their
innocence.
Contrast: This is massive. Especially between
Atticus (hero) and Bob Ewell (Villain). They talk,
act and think differently, their motivations are
different
Characters:
Scout: the narrator of the story. She is about
six at the start and about 8 or 9 at the end. She
tells us the story in her own perspective as a
child but ‘is’ much older. She learns to see things
from other’s points of view.
Jem: He’s about 12 at the time of the story.
He’s changing from child to man. He learns the
importance of integrity in a corrupt world.
Atticus Finch: The hero of the story, and
probably the most interesting character. He’s
the educated lawyer father of Jem and Scout.
His battle is against the racism against Tom
Robinson. He is the ‘Hero’ of the story. His key
attributes are integrity, ability to see other’s
perspective, his ability to treat all equally and
appropriately.
Bob Ewell: the corrupt villain of the story. He’s
uneducated, in absolute poverty, and too low
for even the legal system to have anything to
do with. His language and behaviour are the
opposite of Atticus. He attacks the Finch
children, and Tom Robinson.
Tom Robinson: He is accused of raping
Mayella Ewell. He is defended by Atticus and is
shot while trying to escape. He is black.
Arthur (Boo) Radley: He is the Finch’s
neighbour. He never leaves the house, but
watches the children, protecting them. He
defends the Finch children from Bob Ewell,
ultimately killing him. He is an ‘innocent’ in the
novel.
Miss Maudie: the children’s other neighbour.
She helps the children understand their father
and the towns people.
Calpurnia: she’s the children’s black
housekeeper.
Mrs Dubose: she’s the Finch’s neighbour, Jem
has to read to her after cutting up her camellias
to help her overcome her Morphine addiction –
the first example of courage.
Aunt Alexandra: is an old fashioned southern
lady who moves in to help Atticus raise Jem and
Scout.
Dill: Jem and Scout’s summer friend. He is
involved in trying to get Boo to come out, and in
watching the Tom Robinson Trial.
Quotes
 "I wanted you to see what real courage is,
instead of getting the idea that courage is a
man with a gun in his hand. It's when you
know you're licked before you begin but you
begin anyway and you see it through no matter
what." Atticus
 "You never really understand a person until
you consider things from his point of viewuntil you climb into his skin and walk around
in it." Atticus
 “She died beholden to nothing and nobody”
 “The bravest person I ever knew” (atticus
about Ms Dubose)
 “Before I can live with other folks I’ve got to
live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t
abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience”
Atticus.
 “There’s only one kind of folks. Folks” Scout
 “Remember, it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”
Atticus.
 "Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is
on the public streets." Miss Maudie
 "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 itwhenever 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." Atticus
 “He (Bob Ewell) thought he’d be a hero, but
all he got for his pains was…, okay, we’ll
convict this Negro, but get back to your
dump.” Atticus
 “Neighbours bring food with death, and
flowers with sickness, and little things in
between. Boo was our neighbour. He gave us
two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a
knife, and our lives.” Scout

“I'm no idealist to believe firmly in the integrity
of our courts and in the jury system -- that is
no ideal to me, it is a living, working reality.
Gentlemen, a court is no better than each man
of you sitting before me on this jury. A court is
only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as
sound as the men who make it up.” Atticus