Atticus is another prominent character throughout the novel. As a
single parent, he faces the world, raising his two children with his
maid,
Calpurnia, (who experiences better conditions and responsibilities
than other
African Americans of her time, due to Atticus' beliefs). He has a reputation
for being an open-minded, fair man, overflowing with integrity. It
is also
learned that he is self-educated, and tries to indoctrinate his children
to
love education and literature as much as he does. The relationship
he holds
with his children should also be noted. Even though he is incredibly
busy
Atticus always seems to find time for Scout and Jem. He comforts them
in their time of need, compromises, but always puts them back in their
place, if they get out of hand.
Tom Robinson, the accused, has a reputation within his own black community
as
an upright, honest, church-going family man. The Ewells, as a contrast
to
Robinson, aren't exactly noted for being model citizens. Bob Ewell,
the
father, has a reputation for being the town drunk, allowing his children
to
miss out on valuable education.
The major event that has started to unravel, prior to the novel is the
case
between Tom Robinson and the Ewells. Robinson, who was a hired hand,
is
accused of raping Ewell's daughter, Mayella. The case falls into Atticus'
lap, not because he believes that Robinson is innocent, but because
it is his
job to prove the latter so.
Jeremy Finch (Jem) - Jem is Scout's older brother. He is 10 as the story begins, and 13 at its end.He is very wise for his age, and also very emotional. He takes after his father Atticus a lot.He is more easy-going and not as adventurous as Scout.
Atticus Finch - Atticus is the town's most respected lawyer. He is not wealthy, but he is well off in the community and kind towards everyone. He has been assigned a case of defending a black man accused of rape. Now he is both revered and reviled by the townspeople. After all, they do live in the south in the early 1930's. Atticus gives a lot of advice to his kids. He tells them that they cannot judge people until they "climb into their skin and walk around in it".
Arthur (Boo) Radley- Boo Radley is a recluse who lives near to the Finches. He is the subject of various rumors that he is a ghost, or a murderer. All of the kids in Maycomb are afraid of him. He is just very shy and he does not wish to interact with the townspeople.
Calpurnia - Calpurnia is the black maid and cook of the Finch household. She acts like a mother figure towards Scout, as in the scene where Scout unknowingly insults a poor neighbor boy, and Calpurnia teaches her how to behave. She takes the children to her black church to sing and pray with them since all of the black townspeople like them because Atticus is defending Tom.
Tom Robinson - Tom is the black man who was accused of rape by Mayella Ewell. He is a young man who works around the town doing labor. He was hired by Mayella to do chores for her. He is strong and a hard worker, even though his left arm is shriveled and useless. He is innocent of the crime, but because he is black, he is considered guilty by the townspeople.
Mayella Ewell - Mayella is the daughter of Bob Ewell. She is a teenager, who is very spiteful and emotional. No one has ever liked her, and when Tom tries to be nice to her, she accuses him of rape. She lives at the end of town in squalor with her father and other brothers and sisters.
Bob Ewell - Bob is the head of the least respected and most hated family in the town. They live like animals and are always dirty and illiterate. They are not included in any part of the town, as they are considered too low and animal-like to go with whites, and they are white, so they can't go with the blacks. The Ewell children only go to school on the first day, and they are never bathed or in good clothes. They just go that one day to get their records in, then they never attend another school day. Bob is an older man, who is very selfish and mean. He tries to kill Jem at the end, and he is the one who most likely raped Mayella.
Dill -Dill is a friend of Scout and Jem. He is seven years old. He has white hair and is very small for his age. He seems to be very intelligent. He tells Scout and Jem about all the stories of his family in other towns and his travels to New York.
Walter Cunningham - Walter is a classmate of Scout who is extremely poor. He is very nice. He is very thin because he has various diseases like hookworm. Scout invites him over for dinner one night because she feels sorry for him. Walter's dad is a good friend of Atticus, and it is because of him that Atticus is not harmed in the incident at the jail.
Mrs. Dubose - She is a very old woman who lives near to the Finch family. She has Jem read to her each week. One time when Jem and Scout were over to visit her, she goes off on an attack of their family. She says that Jem should be sent to reform school, and that Scout should quit wearing overalls and start acting like a lady. She then criticizes Atticus, which enrages Jem and Scout. She is addicted to morphine, which is the reason that she is so mean to everyone.
Aunt Alexandria - She is Atticus's sister. She wishes to make Scout behave like a "lady", and she takes her to a party with all of her older women friends. She doesn't approve of Atticus's defense of a black man, even though he is innocent. She is very concerned about how the Finch family is seen in the community. She doesn't want them to do anything that will make the town go against them.
Jem, Dill, and Scout venture out one night to try to see into Boo Radley's
back window - an adventure that leads to frightening results, especially
for
Jem.
As the summer comes to a close, Scout and Jem find more presents in
the Radley
tree. Their treasures include small sculptures and a watch. Unfortunately,
their bounty is suddenly cut off by Mr. Radley, who seals up the hole
in the
tree.
Winter comes quickly, bringing a rare snowstorm to Maycomb. Miss Maudie's
house is ruined in a fire, and Scout has a rare encounter with Boo
Radley
without even knowing it.
Scout gets into a number of fisticuffs with both a classmate and her
cousin
when the two boys taunt her about her father, whom they insult by calling
him
a "nigger lover." Atticus explains to Scout that he will be defending
a black
man named Tom Robinson on the charge of rape.
When the danger of a rabid dog threatens the town, Scout discovers that
her
father, whom she previously thought too old to do anything, does possess
some
talents. Atticus turns out be a crack shot, killing the dog in one
shot at a
great distance.
Jem and Scout learn more about their neighbor Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose.
Atticus eventually has Jem read to her, as she is a sick woman, and
needs
something to take her mind off of her predicament.
Atticus leaves town, and Calpurnia, the Finch's black maid, takes Jem
and
Scout to her church. They also learn more information about Tom Robinson,
the
man who Atticus intends to defend.
As Tom Robinson's trial approaches, Atticus worries about the safety
of his
client. This fear that proves to be justified. A group of townspeople,
including Walter Cunningham, appear at the courthouse one night, with
the
intention of lynching Tom Robinson. The only person who stands in their
way
is Atticus. At first, the mob intends to plow right through him, but
with the
unexpected arrival of Scout, they realize the error of their actions.
When Tom Robinson's trial finally begins, evidence begins to show that
Robinson is obviously innocent. Heck Tate and Mr. Ewell take the stand
in Tom
Robinson's trial, giving further evidence to prove Robinson's innocence.
Atticus points out that a left-handed man must have beaten Mayella
Ewell. He
goes on to show that while Mr. Ewell is left-handed, Tom Robinson's
left arm
is crippled due to a farming accident. When Mayella Ewell takes the
stand, it
becomes obvious that her story has many holes in it. However, she starts
crying hysterically before Atticus may point many of them out.
When Tom Robinson takes the stand, the obviously true story comes out.
It
becomes evident that Mayella Ewell was a very lonely person who's only
crime
was to kiss a black man. Her father, Bob Ewell, beat and raped her
for this
crime. Mr. Ewell also forced her to say that Tom Robinson did it, so
that he
wouldn't get in trouble.
As they take a break from the trial, Scout and Dill get to know Dolphus
Raymond better. He is thought to be a town drunk, looked badly upon
for being
a white man that married a black woman. As it turns out, he isn't drunk
after
all. He merely uses it as a cover-up, so that he doesn't have to answer
questions about his life. Afterwards, Scout and Jem listen to Atticus's
closing statements in the trial.
After the verdict is announced in Tom Robinson's case, guilty,
the children, as well as other members of the community, discuss and
react to
the verdict. Atticus and the children discuss the trial, Scout and
Aunt
Alexandra discuss Walter Cunningham, and Jem and Scout discuss class
distinctions.
As Scout suffers through one of her Aunt's missionary circle affairs,
Atticus
returns home with the news that Tom Robinson has been killed. He brings
the
news to Tom's family, who reacts as can be expected. Tom was killed
while
trying to escape, but he knew he never had a chance, with his crippled
arm.
After a classroom discussion of Adolf Hitler and his treatment of the
Jews,
Scout is struck by the hypocrisy of many of Maycomb's residents. While
condemning Hitler for being prejudiced and genocidal, the same people
act
racist and genocidal themselves.
It would appear that Bob Ewell has not forgotten his grudge against
some of
Maycomb's citizens, including Judge Taylor and Helen Robinson. In the
meantime, Scout prepares for a Halloween night presentation at her
school.
She plans to wear a bulky pig costume, one the severely limits her
vision.
While returning home from the school pageant, Jem and Scout are attacked.
Jem's arm is broken, and a stranger carries him home. Scout cannot
see what
is happening due the darkness and her constrictive costume. Afterwards,
a
search of the area by the local officials turns up Bob Ewell's dead
body.
As Heck Tate and Atticus listen, Scout tells them what happened to
her and
Jem, ending by pointing to the man who had carried Jem home, who she
realizes
is Boo Radley. Atticus assumes that it was Jem who stabbed Bob Ewell,
but the
sheriff tells Atticus that he intends to report that Ewell fell on
his own
knife. Atticus is sure that the sheriff is trying to protect Jem, until
it finally
dawns on him that it was actually Boo Radley who killed Ewell. Scout
walks
Boo Radley home, and then returns to her house to see Atticus sitting
by her
unconscious brother, as the novel ends.
Boo Radley vs. Society: The fear of the unknown plays a major
role in this
conflict. Viewed as the town freak, the parents of the community tell
stories of Boo,
and warn their children against going near him, or even worse: becoming
him.
These stories and the curiosity built up inside every child leads Radley
to be
set off from society.
Robinson vs. White Society: As another "mockingbird", of the
story, Robinson
is wrongly accused, and loses his life due to the racism of the community.
Even
though it is obvious, to every person in the jury, that Robinson could
not
have committed the crime, and that he is an upright and religious churchgoing
man,
he is still accused of rape, and jailed.
Man vs. Man - The conflict of man vs. man is a vengeful
one. The
conflict is usually present due to a feud, disagreement with principles
or
an actual physical confrontation. It is expressed and enacted in various
ways. This type of conflict is expressed in certain situations in this
novel.
Bob Ewell vs. Tom Robinson - The conflict between the
Ewells and Tom is not necessarily a direct hatred but it is a significant
conflict in the story. Bob Ewell has his daughter, Mayella, accuse Tom
of raping her. In truth, it was Bob who had raped and beat her. So Bob
creates the conflict so he can get away with the crime. Tom is also a
convenient and convincing "rapist" because he was at the house frequently
and because he is black. This indirect conflict was settled in court
and
Tom was convicted of Bob' crime.
The Ewells vs. Atticus Finch - During the trial, Atticus
was the lawyer for Tom. He proved through various examples and forms
of
evidence that Bob was guilty, not Tom. This completely, but silently,
destroys any type of credibility that Bob possessed. He now resented
Atticus and sought revenge on him. He took the matter into his own
hands
again and attacked the things that Atticus held most dear, his children.
After a Halloween ball, Jem and Scout were walking home. Bob Ewell
followed them and attacked them with a knife. If Boo Radley had not
been
there, then Jem would definitely have been killed.
Atticus' hidden courage : Atticus was truly a brave man, although on the outside he appeared to be a pacifist. He often encouraged his children to avoid conflict (Mrs. Dubose is one example). When Atticus killed the rabid dog, his children gained a totally different view of him. The whole town had revealed to them the secret of their father, that he was an excellent marksman and a brave man. Scout and Jem saw the Atticus that was once brave and daring. Thus, they became proud to model themselves after their own father, once shunning him.
Mob mentality : Mob mentality is when a whole group of people, in this case, the people of Maycomb County, is caught in one specific mind set, for or against something. The mob mentality of the town allowed the residents to believe that Tom Robinson was guilty, despite Atticus' excellent defense of Robinson in court. The town's mentality would never allow them to set a black man free, so they were prejudiced against Tom Robinson from the start. Tom Robinson had one arm, was a decent man, and never raped Mayella Ewell, which would have been sufficient proof to set any other man free. Since Tom Robinson was a black man, and since the town was prejudiced against him, the jury ignored all the evidence on convicted Tom solely because he was a black man.
Social classes : The County of Maycomb was divided into strict social classes, with each bearing animosity towards each one another. There were the black people, living in their own section of Maycomb, the Ewells, which were a class unto themselves, and the middle class of Maycomb County. Because of the great differences in the classes, Tom Robinson never had a chance of being set free, since he is of a "lower" class in the eyes of most of Maycomb county's citizens.
Mrs. Dubose's morphine addiction : Mrs. Dubose was an old lady who was very ill. As such, she was put on morphine and had become addicted to it. Before she died, her one wish was that she would conquer her addiction to morphine. So she spent her days and nights in bed, suffering through morphine withdrawal. At one point, Jem was read for her, as a punishment from his father for destroying Mrs. Dubose's flowers. It was at this point that the magnitude of her sickness could be seen. Mrs. Dubose was a very sick old woman. She could barely stay awake through Jem's readings. She would have fits of coughing. This was all a result of being deprived of morphine. Still, she soldiered on, and died shortly thereafter, having been free from the drug. She was no longer bound to morphine, or the earthly realm, and had thus prevailed through adversity.
Jem's Maturity : Jem started out as a playful child who was often a companion to Scout. Later on though, you could see his personality change from immature to mature. He grew to understand the ways of life, racism, and toleration. His experience with Mrs. Dubose was a learning one. He learned toleration, for by destroying her flowers after mere taunts from her brought him nothing but grief. In addition, after Mrs. Dubose died, he learns of her struggle and looks at her in a new light. This is an example of the ongoing theme of maturity in the book.
Jem and Scout's experiences with Boo Radley : Jem and Scout's experiences with Boo Radley allowed them to learn and accept those who are different from them. Boo Radley was viewed as the town freak, because he was very reclusive. As a result, the children are curious to learn more about him, so they launch a series of covert operations to penetrate the outer layer of the Radley house. They are scared off by someone, and are terribly afraid of that house from that day on. Still, Boo Radley comes to their aid when Scout and Jem are attacked by Bob Ewell, showing that the rumors were untrue. They gain a newfound respect for Boo Radley, and learn to accept him though he may be a little different from them. This demonstrates the theme of respect.
The Cunningham's Financial Status vs. The Ewell's Financial Status
: The Cunninghams were just as poor as the Ewells, yet they dealt with
their poverty in a different manner. They did not suck money from the state
through welfare as the Ewells did, and paid for what they could. They would
not take handouts. An example of this is when Walter Cunningham was offered
lunch money by his teacher. he wouldn't take it because he knew he would
never be able to repay it. Poverty reduced the Ewells to an animalistic
style of life, where fathers rape their own daughters. The Ewells also
never attended school, aside from the first day, whereas the Cunninghams
were faithfully attending school. In addition, the Cunninghams remained
honorable despite their situation, while the Ewells didn't. The Cunninghams
and the Ewells are two examples of how different people deal with the same
situation of poverty.
Unfortunately, prejudice is still applicable to today's society. Perhaps
not
as rampant as when the novel was written, but its venom can still be
observed.
The racial prejudice that was around in the 1930s, is still around
40 years
later. Some things just don't change.
The importance of education can also be applied to life. Whether coming
from
the mouths of our parents, or teachers, it is constantly reminded that
the
road to bettering oneself is by education. Atticus constantly reminded
Scout
of this, and Harper Lee depicted it by contrasting the Cunninghams
with the
Ewells.
Respect and understanding are the key to peaceful coexistence. If one
can
achieve these two factors, then one can safely say that an armistice
has been
reached. Scout and Jem learned this by their dealings with Mrs. Dubose
and
Boo Radley.
Don't Judge Others:
Mrs. Dubose: She is also judged by the town. Others view of her is
specifically expressed through Jem. He feels that she is an old hag
who
hates everything and scares everyone, especially children. When Jem
is
made by Atticus to go to her home and keep her company through reading
and
other activities he learns about the real Mrs. Dubose. He found that
she
was a genuine person who was only spiteful because of her addiction
to the
pain-killer morphine. But, she was inspired to spend her last days
free
from the drug. If the people of the town took the time to learn about
Mrs.Dubose the way that Jem had maybe they would be more sympathetic
and
inspired as well.
Maturity : Different degrees of maturity are displayed
by the
characters of the novel. ex1. Atticus. One might say he is an adult
and
therefore mature. This is a very irrational statement because there
are many
adults that have no hint of maturity. His view is very enlightened
for a
white southern man in the thirties. He shows his mature and enlightened
views
in the court room while defending Tom Robinson. He doesn't take Tom's
defense
lightly because he's black but tries hard to with his case. He also
shows how
mature he is in the way he treats and raises his children. The life
lessons
and the free thought that are exchanged show his maturity and understanding
in
bringing up scout and Jem. ex2. Scout. She shows a maturity level that
is
advanced for her age. This is due not only to her free spirit and intelligent
approach to experiences but from the teachings of Atticus. She constantly
asks
questions and truly cares about important issues such as reading.
Friendship : This is an influential theme in the novel.
ex1. with
Dill. The friendship with Dill opens scout and Jem up to a new world.
He
talks of experiences outside of their small closed community. He also
introduces them to the stories of boo Radley. ex2. Atticus with his
children.
if Atticus did not have some kind of friendship with his children they
couldn't
call him Atticus. They also might not see his important lessons in
the same
light because not only is it teachings from a father but life advice
and
insight from a friend. ex3. Boo with Jem and Scout. It isn't really
a
friendship that they develop but a friendly understanding. For certain
purposes is is just as important because just to understand that Boo
was
another real relatable person gave them the ability to oversee the
stereotypes
set on him. Plus their friendly manner allowed Boo to have an outside
contact
with the world(gifts in the tree)
Status : Status plays a role in every story. But the status
divisions in
this story are very defined and influences many happenings in this
novel.
The social structure is made up of four layers. The highest level is
held
by white, educated "wealthy" families(especially the men of those
families). This includes the Finches and Mr. Tate. The second layer
is
the working "middle" class. Although these people are generally poor,
they
work and are somewhat educated. The members of this class would include
small shop owners and farmers for example the Cunninghams. The next
class
although financially similar, has completely different morals, standards
and
quality of life. This class may include some who work, but most noticeably,
it is made up of the town drunks, fools and all around irresponsible
people. This class certainly includes the Ewell family. Finally the
lowest rank in this hierarchy is the made up of the black citizens.
Although they may be as educated and economically stable as those in
the
second or even first rank, because of their skin they are immediate
outcasts and can obviously never move out of their strata. This specific
structure had influence in certain events in this novel.
Sacrifice : When someone sacrifices something for the
benefit of others it
is usually well praised. But in this novel not all sacrificial acts
are
given their recognition. ex1. Tom Robinson sacrifices his life for
his
family: After the guilty verdict in Tom's trial, he was sentenced to
be in
jail and later hanged. But, this would almost definitely lead to his
family being further ostracized from the Maycomb community. His execution
and trial would linger with them. So, to end this future suffering
for his
family, Tom purposely tried to be killed while he made his "escape."
No one
truly realizes his intentions; maybe because he was black or people
figured
he was trying to save his own life.