To Kill A Mockingbird
        The book To Kill a Mockingbird was written by Harper Lee. It 
was published in 1960 then it went on to win the Pulitzer prize in 
1961 and was later made into an Academy Award winning film. Harper Lee 
always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is 
regarded as a masterpiece of American Literature. There are so many 
characters in this book that I can't name all of them. Here are most 
of the characters.

         The Finch family contains of Atticus (The head of the 
household), Aunt Alexandra (Atticus's sister), (Jem) Jeremy (The 
oldest of Atticus's two children), (Scout) Jean Louise (The youngest 
of the two . She also trys to be a boy by doing boy things). And you 
can't forget their black maid. Her name is Calpurnia.

        Miss Rachael is Dill's aunt that lives in Maycomb. Dill is a 
friends with Jem and Scout. According to Scout they are married. (Boo) 
Arthur Radley is the person that takes Jem back to his house after Jem 
gets hurt by Bob Ewell. Tom Robinson is a black man that was accused 
of raping Mayella Ewell. Bob Ewell is Mayella's father. He is out for 
revenge on Atticus for what he did to him and his daughter. Mayella is 
Bob's daughter who supposedly got raped by Tom Robinson. Judge Taylor 
is the Judge of Maycomb County. Heck Tate is the county law official.

        I think the protagonist in the story is Atticus Finch because 
he has the main part and he has the biggest decision to make. The 
decision being whether to defend or not to defend Tom Robinson.

        To Kill a Mockingbird is set in Maycomb County, an imaginary 
district in Southern Alabama. The time is the early 1930s, the years 
of the Great Depression when poverty and unemployment were widespread 
in the United States.

        The story begins during the summer when Scout and Jem meet a 
new playmate named Dill who has come from Mississippi to spend the 
summer with his Aunt Rachael. Dill is fascinated by the neighborhood 
gossip about "Boo" Radley. Egged on by Dill, Jem and Scout try to 
think up ways to lure him out of his house.

        Soon it is Summer again , and Dill returns for another visit. 
The children's plans for making contact with Boo Radley grew bolder 
this year, and on Dill's last night they decide to sneak up onto the 
Radley porch and spy on Boo. Jem goes first, but just as he reaches 
the window, Nathan Radley catches site of them and scares them off 
with a blast from a shot gun.

        Jem realizes that Boo is not a monster after all, but has been 
playing along with them. Scout does not figure this out until the 
winter, on the night that the house of their neighbor burns to the 
ground. While Scout is standing outside in the cold, someone sneaks up 
behind her and places a blanket around her. Later, Scout and Jem 
realize that there was only one person in town who has not already at 
work fighting the fire and that was Boo.

        Now that Jem and Scout realize that Boo is basically a kind 
person, their interest in the Radley family begins to fade. In the 
meantime, they learn that their father has become the defense lawyer 
for Tom Robinson, who is charged with raping Mayella Ewell.

        As the trial of Tom Robinson grows nearer, the children become 
more aware of the strong feeling it has aroused in everyone in 
Maycomb. One day their housekeeper takes Jem and Scout to visit her 
church, and the children realize for the first time that the black 
parishioners are supporting Tom Robinson's wife.

        Two nights before the trial is to start, a group of men come 
to the Finch house to tell Atticus about threats against Tom 
Robinson's life. Atticus spends the next night camped out at the jail 
to defend Tom from the mob. Jem, Scout and Dill go downtown to check 
on Atticus and arrive at the same time as a group of men, who have 
come to kill Tom. Scout recognizes one of the men in the group as 
Walter Cunningham. Her friendliness embarrasses the man so much that 
he and the mob leave.

        The next day, at the trial, Atticus" questions make it clear 
that Mayella and her father are lying about the rape. Neverless the 
jury convict him because their prejudices prevent them from taking a 
black man's word against two whites. Atticus is now a hero in the 
black community of Maycomb, but Bob Ewell, vows to "get" Atticus for 
showing him up as a liar in front of the whole town. 

        Tom Robinson has give n up hope and trys to flee the prison, 
but while doing it he gets caught and shot.

        By the time Halloween comes around, the Finch family has begun 
to put Tom's death behind them. There is a pageant planned and Scout 
much to her dismay has been cast as a ham. After the pageant Scout 
decides to walk home still dressed in her bulky costume, with Jem 
leading the way. The cowardly Bob Ewell. seeing an opportunity to get 
revenge on Atticus through his children. He follows the children down 
a dark street and tries to kill them. In the side. It is none other 
than Boo Radley, who had seen the attack from his window. Boo stabs 
Bob Ewell to death, and carries the wounded Jem home.

        The sheriff decides to file a report that Bob fell on his own 
knife and died, thus sparing Boo the publicity that would be sure to 
follow.

        Scout never sees Boo again after that night, but she has 
learned that he was a good man all along. She has learned a lesson 
about understanding and tolerance. And through the sheriff's action 
she sees that sometimes there can be justice and compassion in the 
world.

        The title of the book, To Kill a Mockingbird is a key to some 
themes in the novel. The title is first explained in Chapter 10 at the 
time that Jem and Scout have just received air rifles for Christmas. 
Atticus tells his children that it is a sin to shoot a mockingbird. 
Later Miss Maudie explains that Atticus meant that Mockingbirds are 
harmless creatures who do nothing but sing for enjoyment.

        It is easy to see that the "mockingbird" in this story is Tom 
Robinson a harmless man who becomes a victim of racial prejudice. Like 
the mockingbird, Tom has never done wrong to anyone. Even the jurors 
who sentence him to death have nothing personal against him. They find 
him guilty mostly because they feel that to take the word of a black 
man over two whites would threaten the system they live under, the 
system of segregation. Tom himself is guilty of nothing but being in 
the wrong place at the wrong time.


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To Kill a Mockingbird
        To Kill a Mockingbird is definitely an excellent novel in that 
it portrays life and the role of racism in the 1930’s.  A reader may 
not interpret several aspects in and of the book through just the 
plain text.  Boo Radley, Atticus, and the title represent three such 
things.
        Not really disclosed to the reader until the end of the book, 
Arthur "Boo" Radley plays an important role in the development of  
both Scout and Jem.  In the beginning of the story, Jem, Scout, and 
Dill fabricate horror stories about Boo.  They find Boo as a character 
of their amusement, and one who has no feelings whatsoever.  They 
tried to get a peep at him, just to see what Boo looked like.  Scout 
connects Boo with the Mockingbird. Mrs. Maudie defines a mockingbird 
as one who  "…don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy.  They 
don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do 
one thing but sing their hearts out for us"  (94).  Boo is exactly 
that.  Boo is the person who put a blanket around Scout and Jem when 
it was cold.  Boo was the one putting "gifts" in the tree.  Boo even 
sewed up Jem’s pants that tore on Dill’s last night. Boo was the one 
who saved their lives.  On the contrary to Scout’s primary belief, Boo 
never harms anyone.  Scout also realizes that she wrongfully treated 
Boo when she thinks about the gifts in the tree.  She never gave 
anything back to Boo, except love at the end. When Scout escorts 
Arthur home and stands on his front porch, she sees the same street 
she saw, just from an entirely different perspective.  Scout learns 
what a Mockingbird is, and who represents one.
        Arthur Radley not only plays an important role in developing 
Scout and Jem, but helps in developing the novel.  Boo can be divided 
into three stages.  Primitively, Boo is Scout’s worst nightmare.  
However, the author hints at Boo actually existing as a nice person 
when he places things in the tree.  The secondary stage is when Mrs. 
Maudie’s house burned to the ground.  As Scout and Jem were standing  
near Boo’s house, it must have been rather cold.  So, Boo places a 
warm and snug blanket around Scout and Jem, to keep them warm.  This 
scene shows Boo’s more sensitive and caring side of him, and shows 
that he really has changed after stabbing his father.  The last and 
definitely most important stage is when he kills Bob Ewell to save 
Scout and Jem.  This stage portrays Boo as the hero and one who has 
indefinitely changed his personality and attitudes.  After the final 
stage, Boo does not deserve to be locked up inside his house.
        Atticus Finch is a man of strong morals.  He follows them 
exclusively, and does not hold up to the Finch family name, as defined 
by Aunt Alexandria.  Atticus is the most pure and good-hearted person 
one may ever `see.`  Although it does not seem like it, Scout will 
evolve into her father; Jem will not.  Scout finally understand all 
the things he says.  For example, in the beginning Atticus tells 
Scout, "You never really understand a person until you consider things 
from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around 
in it" (34).  She then realizes that Mrs. Caroline did not know 
Maycomb, and could not just learn it in one day.  Scout comes to terms 
that it was wrong to become upset with Mrs. Caroline.  Scout learns 
several other lessons.  For example, on page 94,  Atticus says his 
most important line in the book, "…remember it’s a sin to kill a 
mockingbird."  Through clarifications from Mrs. Maudie, Scout accepts 
her father’s words.  Atticus also teaches his kids a lesson when he 
defends Tom Robinson, an innocent black person.  Although Atticus knew 
from the instant he accepted the case that Tom had no chance, he had 
to do his duty as an honest and impartial citizen of Maycomb.  Atticus 
poured his heart into defending Atticus, and did a damn fine job.  He 
taught his kids the right thing, that all individuals are created 
equal.  If Aunt Alexandria had raised Scout and Jem, they might have 
not cried at the end of the trial; they would not want to hurt the 
Finch family reputation.  It was Atticus who received a standing 
ovation from the Black’s Balcony.  It is because of Atticus’ good 
heart that Cal's black church accepted the children.  Atticus has 
probably built a better name for his family than Aunt Alexandria would 
have, had she lived with the Finches.
        Before reading To Kill a Mockingbird, the title itself means 
nothing.   The title is the foundation of a house.  It is just a slob 
of cement, and cannot be interpreted.  While reading the book, pieces 
of wood fit together and the house starts to stand up.  After reading 
the book, the house is fully painted and decorated.  The landscaping 
is complete, and the house is beautiful. Several things and people 
represent the "Mockingbird" throughout the novel.  The understanding 
of the "Mockingbird" can bee seen in three steps.  The first step is 
in chapter 10.  Atticus tells Jem to never shoot a mockingbird, 
because it causes no harm.  At this point, neither Jem nor Scout 
understand what Atticus is saying.  Secondly, Scout finds a roly-poly 
in chapter 25.  In answer to Scout’s desire to kill the bug, Jem says, 
"Because they don’t bother you…" (241).  At this second stage, Jem, 
not yet Scout, has understood Atticus’ holy words.  The last depiction 
is in the final chapters of the book.  This "Mockingbird" is Arthur 
"Boo" Radley.  Boo ends up to save both Jem and Scout’s lives, by 
killing Bob Ewell.  At this final stage in the book, Scout, as well as 
Jem, understands Atticus and his saying.  Scout realizes life.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a very inspirational book.  Not only is it a 
book for pleasure, it shows us today how far we have come, and yet the 
long journey ahead.  Boo Radley and Atticus were very important 
characters, for both the developments of kids in the book and reader. 
 The title is something that can be interpreted in many ways.  Each 
one will be different, based on the reader’s philosophy and beliefs.

Thanks=-=jdogz=-=

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