To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

  • To Kill a Mockingbird Summary

To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in Alabama during the Depression, and is narrated by the main character, a little girl named Jean Louise "Scout" Finch. Her father, Atticus Finch , is a lawyer with high moral standards. Scout, her brother Jem, and their friend Dill are intrigued by the local rumors about a man named Boo Radley , who lives in their neighborhood but never leaves his house. Legend has it that he once stabbed his father in the leg with a pair of scissors, and he is made out to be a kind of monster. Dill is from Mississippi but spends his summer in Maycomb at a house near the Finch's.

The children are curious to know more about Boo, and during one summer create a mini-drama they enact daily, which tells the events of his life as they know them. Slowly, the children begin moving closer to the Radley house, which is said to be haunted. They try leaving notes for Boo on his windowsill with a fishing pole, but are caught by Atticus, who firmly reprimands them for making fun of a sad man's life. Next, the children try sneaking over to the house at night and looking through its windows. Boo's brother, Nathan Radley, who lives in the house, thinks he hears a prowler and fires his gun. The children run away, but Jem loses his pants in a fence. When he returns in the middle of the night to get them back, they have been neatly folded and the tear from the fence roughly sewn up.

Other mysterious things happen to the Finch children. A certain tree near the Radley house has a hole in which little presents are often left for them, such as pennies, chewing gum, and soap carved figures of a little boy and girl who bear a striking resemblance to Scout and Jem. The children don't know where these gifts are coming from, and when they go to leave a note for the mystery giver, they find that Boo's brother has plugged up the hole with cement. The next winter brings unexpected cold and snow, and Miss Maudie's house catches on fire. While Jem and Scout, shivering, watch the blaze from near the Radley house, someone puts a blanket around Scout without her realizing it. Not until she returns home and Atticus asks her where the blanket came from does she realize that Boo Radley must have put it around her while she was entranced by watching Miss Maudie, her favorite neighbor, and her burning house.

Atticus decides to take on a case involving a black man named Tom Robinson who has been accused of raping a very poor white girl named Mayella Ewell , a member of the notorious Ewell family, who belong to the layer of Maycomb society that people refer to as "trash." The Finch family faces harsh criticism in the heavily racist Maycomb because of Atticus's decision to defend Tom. But, Atticus insists on going through with the case because his conscience could not let him do otherwise. He knows Tom is innocent, and also that he has almost no chance at being acquitted, because the white jury will never believe a black man over a white woman. Despite this, Atticus wants to reveal the truth to his fellow townspeople, expose their bigotry, and encourage them to imagine the possibility of racial equality.

Because Atticus is defending a black man, Scout and Jem find themselves whispered at and taunted, and have trouble keeping their tempers. At a family Christmas gathering, Scout beats up her cloying relative Francis when he accuses Atticus of ruining the family name by being a "nigger-lover". Jem cuts off the tops of an old neighbor's flower bushes after she derides Atticus, and as punishment, has to read out loud to her every day. Jem does not realize until after she dies that he is helping her break her morphine addiction. When revealing this to Jem and Scout, Atticus holds this old woman up as an example of true courage: the will to keep fighting even when you know you can't win.

The time for the trial draws closer, and Atticus's sister Alexandra comes to stay with the family. She is proper and old-fashioned and wants to shape Scout into the model of the Southern feminine ideal, much to Scout's resentment. Dill runs away from his home, where his mother and new father don't seem interested in him, and stays in Maycomb for the summer of Tom's trial. The night before the trial, Tom is moved into the county jail, and Atticus, fearing a possible lynching, stands guard outside the jail door all night. Jem is concerned about him, and the three children sneak into town to find him. A group of men arrive ready to cause some violence to Tom, and threaten Atticus in the process. At first Jem, Scout and Dill stand aside, but when she senses true danger, Scout runs out and begins to speak to one of the men, the father of one of her classmates in school. Her innocence brings the crowd out of their mob mentality, and they leave.

The trial pits the evidence of the white Ewell family against Tom's evidence. According to the Ewells, Mayella asked Tom to do some work for her while her father was out, and Tom came into their house and forcibly beat and raped Mayella until her father appeared and scared him away. Tom's version is that Mayella invited him inside, then threw her arms around him and began to kiss him. Tom tried to push her away. When Bob Ewell arrived, he flew into a rage and beat her, while Tom ran away in fright. According to the sheriff's testimony, Mayella's bruises were on the right side of her face, which means she was most likely punched with a left hand. Tom Robinson's left arm is useless due to an old accident, whereas Mr. Ewell leads with his left. Given the evidence of reasonable doubt, Tom should go free, but after hours of deliberation, the jury pronounces him guilty. Scout, Jem and Dill sneak into the courthouse to see the trial and sit in the balcony with Maycomb's black population. They are stunned at the verdict because to them, the evidence was so clearly in Tom's favor.

Though the verdict is unfortunate, Atticus feels some satisfaction that the jury took so long deciding. Usually, the decision would be made in minutes, because a black man's word would not be trusted. Atticus is hoping for an appeal, but unfortunately Tom tries to escape from his prison and is shot to death in the process. Jem has trouble handling the results of the trial, feeling that his trust in the goodness and rationality of humanity has been betrayed.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ewell threatens Atticus and other people connected with the trial because he feels he was humiliated. He gets his revenge one night while Jem and Scout are walking home from the Halloween play at their school. He follows them home in the dark, then runs at them and attempts to kill them with a large kitchen knife. Jem breaks his arm, and Scout, who is wearing a confining ham shaped wire costume and cannot see what is going on, is helpless throughout the attack. The elusive Boo Radley stabs Mr. Ewell and saves the children. Finally, Scout has a chance to meet the shy and nervous Boo. At the end of this fateful night, the sheriff declares that Mr. Ewell fell on his own knife so Boo, the hero of the situation, won't have to be tried for murder. Scout walks Boo home and imagines how he has viewed the town and observed her, Jem and Dill over the years from inside his home. Boo goes inside, closes the door, and she never sees him again.

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To Kill a Mockingbird Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for To Kill a Mockingbird is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

From the text:

We eased in beside Miss Maudie, who looked around. “Where were you all, didn’t you hear the commotion?” “What happened?” asked Jem. “Mr. Radley shot at a Negro in his collard patch.” “Oh. Did he hit him?

What was "round the back steps" when Calpurnia came in on Monday morning?

Gifts for Atticus and the family....... food given in appreciation for his help and fine counsel.

The kitchen table was loaded with enough food to bury the family: hunks of salt pork, tomatoes, beans, even scuppernongs. Atticus grinned when he...

Why do the children struggle with what to do with the pennies they found?

Jem and Scout have been raised with values and morals. They question the implications of taking money from strangers, as well as whether or not the gift was actually meant for them.

Study Guide for To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird is a book written by Harper Lee. The To Kill a Mockingbird study guide contains a biography of Harper Lee, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

  • About To Kill a Mockingbird
  • To Kill a Mockingbird Video
  • Character List

Essays for To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

  • The Impact of Class Structure
  • Justice in To Kill a Mockingbird
  • The Journey Motif in Works of American Literature
  • Prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird and Goin' Someplace Special
  • Character Analysis in To Kill A Mockingbird

Lesson Plan for To Kill a Mockingbird

  • About the Author
  • Study Objectives
  • Introduction to To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Relationship to Other Books
  • Bringing in Technology
  • Notes to the Teacher

Wikipedia Entries for To Kill a Mockingbird

  • Introduction
  • Biographical background and publication
  • Plot summary
  • Autobiographical elements

to kill a mockingbird summary essay pdf

to kill a mockingbird summary essay pdf

To Kill a Mockingbird

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Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

To Kill a Mockingbird: Introduction

To kill a mockingbird: plot summary, to kill a mockingbird: detailed summary & analysis, to kill a mockingbird: themes, to kill a mockingbird: quotes, to kill a mockingbird: characters, to kill a mockingbird: symbols, to kill a mockingbird: theme wheel, brief biography of harper lee.

To Kill a Mockingbird PDF

Historical Context of To Kill a Mockingbird

Other books related to to kill a mockingbird.

  • Full Title: To Kill a Mockingbird
  • When Written: 1950-1960
  • Where Written: New York City and Monroeville, Alabama
  • When Published: 1960
  • Literary Period: Modernism
  • Genre: Bildungsroman; Social Novel
  • Setting: The fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression
  • Climax: The trial of Tom Robinson; or when Bob Ewell attacks Scout and Jem
  • Antagonist: Bob Ewell; more broadly, racism and mob mentality
  • Point of View: First Person

Extra Credit for To Kill a Mockingbird

“Dill” Capote. The character of Dill is based on Harper Lee’s real-life childhood friend, Truman Capote, who went on to become a national literary star in his own right. He wrote the bestselling true crime book In Cold Blood .

Atticus in Real Life. Harper Lee became close friends with Gregory Peck, the actor who played Atticus in the Academy Award-winning film adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird . She remained close with his family after Peck died, and Peck’s grandson is even named Harper after her.

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To Kill a Mockingbird

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105 pages • 3 hours read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-8

Chapters 9-12

Chapters 13-16

Chapters 17-20

Chapters 21-24

Chapters 25-28

Chapters 29-31

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Further Reading & Resources

Discussion Questions

Summary and Study Guide

To Kill a Mockingbird  is a Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel written by Harper Lee and originally published in 1960. The book is widely regarded as an American classic and, until recently, was the only novel Lee had published. To Kill a Mockingbird was inspired by events and observations that took place in Lee’s hometown. Set in the Great Depression, from 1932 to 1935, the novel is narrated by a young girl named Scout, whose coming-of-age experiences closely mirror Lee’s.

To Kill a Mockingbird follows the lives of three children: Scout; her brother, Jem; and their friend, Dill. In the beginning, the novel focuses on the wild imaginations of the three children as they entertain themselves during the summer in Maycomb, Alabama. Maycomb is a quiet town with deep-seated social hierarchies based on race, class, and how long each family has lived there. Within their respective social groups, Maycomb’s residents are closely-knit, to the point of being (both metaphorically and literally) incestuous, and gossip runs wild about any person who diverges from social norms.

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Children and local gossips, such as Miss Stephanie , spread tall tales about Scout and Jem’s reclusive neighbor, Arthur “Boo” Radley . These tales paint Boo as a mysterious and deadly figure, claiming he stabbed his father with a pair of scissors, poisons the nuts that fall from the trees on the Radley property, and haunts the streets of Maycomb at night. Fascinated and terrified by these tales, Scout, Jem, and Dill spend the summer forming elaborate plans to make Boo come out of his house. After two summers of this, they notice that someone begins leaving them small gifts in the knothole of a tree on the Radley’s lot. They assume it is Boo—though they never lay eyes on him—and are devastated when Boo’s older brother, Nathan Radley , fills the tree’s knothole with cement.

Shortly thereafter, a much greater problem begins to stir in Maycomb. Scout’s father, a lawyer named Atticus Finch , is assigned to defend a Black man, Tom Robinson , who is accused of raping a White woman. Atticus is a thoughtful man who believes it is his civic duty to provide a fair defense for Tom Robinson, despite the disapproval of prejudiced townsfolk in Maycomb.

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As local children and adults alike taunt the Finch family for Atticus’ actions, Atticus advises Scout and Jem to hold their heads high and appreciate situations from others’ perspectives. This appreciation plays a major role in a later scene, wherein a threatening mob gathers at the jail where Tom Robinson is held. As Atticus stands between the mob and Tom, Scout and Jem run forward to protect their father. Scout identifies someone she knows within the mob, Mr. Cunningham, and  attempts to speak kindly (though naively) to him about his son, his family, and his financial situation. Mr. Cunningham is moved to shame by Scout’s efforts to empathize with him, and he calls off the mob.

Throughout the trial of Tom Robinson, Atticus presents evidence that Tom is not responsible for the crime. In fact, Tom is the victim of multiple advances by his accuser, Mayella Ewell . Strong evidence indicates that the true abuser is actually Mayella’s father, Bob Ewell. However, because this is a small, racially divided southern town, the jury ultimately finds Tom Robinson guilty of the crime despite all the evidence to the contrary. Ultimately, Tom attempts to escape from prison and is shot dead.

After the trial concludes, Bob Ewell accuses Atticus of ruining his honor and vows to get revenge. He tries to break into the judge’s house, torments Tom’s widow, and attacks Scout and Jem while they walk home after a school Halloween pageant. During the attack, a mysterious figure comes to their rescue and carries Jem home to safety. When she returns home, Scout realizes their rescuer is Boo Radley.

The sheriff arrives to find that Bob Ewell was killed in the fight. He and Atticus discuss the implications of charging Jem, whom Atticus believes is responsible, or Boo, whom the Sheriff believes is responsible. In the end, the sheriff decides the most ethical course of action is to tell a white lie: that Bob Ewell drunkenly fell on his own knife.

Boo asks Scout to walk him home, and once they reach his door, he disappears again. Scout imagines what life is like from Boo’s perspective and develops a mature understanding of the human condition.

To Kill a Mockingbird  addresses themes of violence, power, and racial injustice. Guided by Scout’s childhood perspective, the novel dually serves as a “bildungsroman”—examining the formative experiences of a young girl—and a deconstruction of the time, place, and social climate she grew up in.

Content Warning

Some characters in To Kill a Mockingbird use racist language. This study guide aims not to reproduce that language and avoids quoting it. 

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  • My Preferences
  • My Reading List
  • To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Literature Notes
  • Book Summary
  • To Kill a Mockingbird at a Glance
  • Character List
  • Summary and Analysis
  • Part 1: Chapter 1
  • Part 1: Chapters 2-3
  • Part 1: Chapters 4-5
  • Part 1: Chapters 6-7
  • Part 1: Chapters 8-9
  • Part 1: Chapters 10-11
  • Part 2: Chapters 12-13
  • Part 2: Chapters 14-16
  • Part 2: Chapters 17-20
  • Part 2: Chapters 21-23
  • Part 2: Chapters 24-26
  • Part 2: Chapters 27-28
  • Part 2: Chapters 29-31
  • Character Analysis
  • Scout (Jean Louise) Finch
  • Atticus Finch
  • Dill Harris
  • Boo Radley and Tom Robinson
  • Aunt Alexandra and Miss Maudie Atkinson
  • Bob and Mayella Ewell
  • Character Map
  • About To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Harper Lee Biography
  • Critical Essays
  • Racial Relations in the Southern United States
  • Comparing To Kill a Mockingbird to Its Movie Version
  • Famous Quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Film Versions of To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Full Glossary for To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Essay Questions
  • Practice Projects
  • Cite this Literature Note

To Kill a Mockingbird is primarily a novel about growing up under extraordinary circumstances in the 1930s in the Southern United States. The story covers a span of three years, during which the main characters undergo significant changes. Scout Finch lives with her brother Jem and their father Atticus in the fictitious town of Maycomb, Alabama. Maycomb is a small, close-knit town, and every family has its social station depending on where they live, who their parents are, and how long their ancestors have lived in Maycomb.

A widower, Atticus raises his children by himself, with the help of kindly neighbors and a black housekeeper named Calpurnia. Scout and Jem almost instinctively understand the complexities and machinations of their neighborhood and town. The only neighbor who puzzles them is the mysterious Arthur Radley, nicknamed Boo, who never comes outside. When Dill, another neighbor's nephew, starts spending summers in Maycomb, the three children begin an obsessive — and sometimes perilous — quest to lure Boo outside.

Scout is a tomboy who prefers the company of boys and generally solves her differences with her fists. She tries to make sense of a world that demands that she act like a lady, a brother who criticizes her for acting like a girl, and a father who accepts her just as she is. Scout hates school, gaining her most valuable education on her own street and from her father.

Not quite midway through the story, Scout and Jem discover that their father is going to represent a black man named Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping and beating a white woman. Suddenly, Scout and Jem have to tolerate a barrage of racial slurs and insults because of Atticus' role in the trial. During this time, Scout has a very difficult time restraining from physically fighting with other children, a tendency that gets her in trouble with her Aunt Alexandra and Uncle Jack. Even Jem, the older and more levelheaded of the two, loses his temper a time or two. After responding to a neighbor's (Mrs. Dubose) verbal attack by destroying her plants, Jem is sentenced to read to her every day after school for one month. Ultimately, Scout and Jem learn a powerful lesson about bravery from this woman. As the trial draws nearer, Aunt Alexandra comes to live with them under the guise of providing a feminine influence for Scout.

During the novel's last summer, Tom is tried and convicted even though Atticus proves that Tom could not have possibly committed the crime of which he is accused. In the process of presenting Tom's case, Atticus inadvertently insults and offends Bob Ewell, a nasty, lazy drunkard whose daughter is Tom's accuser. In spite of Tom's conviction, Ewell vows revenge on Atticus and the judge for besmirching his already tarnished name. All three children are bewildered by the jury's decision to convict; Atticus tries to explain why the jury's decision was in many ways a foregone conclusion.

Shortly after the trial, Scout attends one of her aunt's Missionary Society meetings. Atticus interrupts the meeting to report that Tom Robinson had been killed in an escape attempt. Scout learns valuable lessons about achieving the ideal of womanhood and carrying on in the face of adversity that day.

Things slowly return to normal in Maycomb, and Scout and Jem realize that Boo Radley is no longer an all-consuming curiosity. The story appears to be winding down, but then Bob Ewell starts making good on his threats of revenge. Scout is in the Halloween pageant at school, playing the part of a ham. With Atticus and Aunt Alexandra both too tired to attend, Jem agrees to take Scout to the school. After embarrassing herself on-stage, Scout elects to leave her ham costume on for the walk home with Jem.

On the way home, the children hear odd noises, but convince themselves that the noises are coming from another friend who scared them on their way to school that evening. Suddenly, a scuffle occurs. Scout really can't see outside of her costume, but she hears Jem being pushed away, and she feels powerful arms squeezing her costume's chicken wire against her skin. During this attack, Jem badly breaks his arm. Scout gets just enough of a glimpse out of her costume to see a stranger carrying Jem back to their house.

The sheriff arrives at the Finch house to announce that Bob Ewell has been found dead under the tree where the children were attacked, having fallen on his own knife. By this time, Scout realizes that the stranger is none other than Boo Radley, and that Boo is actually responsible for killing Ewell, thus saving her and Jem's lives. In spite of Atticus' insistence to the contrary, the sheriff refuses to press charges against Boo. Scout agrees with this decision and explains her understanding to her father. Boo sees Jem one more time and then asks Scout to take him home, but rather than escort him home as though he were a child, she has Boo escort her to his house as a gentleman would.

With Boo safely home, Scout returns to Jem's room where Atticus is waiting. He reads her to sleep and then waits by Jem's bedside for his son to wake up.

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To Kill a Mockingbird Summary

"To Kill a Mockingbird" Summary

to kill a mockingbird summary essay pdf

To Kill a Mockingbird Summary

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one of the most beloved and important works of fiction of the 20th century. Published in 1960, it became an instant classic and is widely read in schools around the world until today. It addresses serious issues like racism, rape, and ethics in a humorous and relatable way. One of the earliest coming-of-age stories, it has influenced people, fiction, and media for generations. Let's dive into the summary of To Kill a Mockingbird.

To Kill a Mockingbird Summary Part 1

Jean Louise Finch or Scout as she is known in the book starts by telling the story of how her brother Jem broke his arm when he was 13. She gives a quick introduction of how her family came to Maycomb, Alabama from Cornwall a few generations ago. She goes on to describe her father Atticus Finch as satisfactory, their black housemaid Calpurnia as strict, and the nephew of their neighbor Charles Baker Harris, or Dill, with whom the brother and sister become good friends. The children are fascinated by the house of Boo Radley, a man who has not been seen for years, and the rumors about him saying that he stabbed his father and is a dangerous man. 

The summer ends and Dill goes back to his home in Meriden, Mississippi. Scout is excited about her first day at school but it does not go well. Her teacher, Miss Caroline Fisher Is surprised to find out that Scout can already read and write and tells her that she should not learn from her father. Miss Fisher is new to town and does not understand the intricacies of the social structure. She offers to buy lunch for Walter Cunningham, which he refuses, and Scout explains to her that this was a mistake because Walter’s family was too poor to pay her back. Annoyed, Miss Fisher makes Scout stand in the corner. 

Later in the day, Scout confronts Walter about embarrassing her which Jem quickly puts to a stop. He invites Walter to have lunch at their house where Scout further bullies him, saying that he is “just a Cunningham”. Calpurnia punishes Scout by making her eat alone in the kitchen. Scout complains to Atticus about Calpurnia and asks him to fire her but he refuses. Later, back at school, Miss Fisher finds lice on the head of Burris Ewell. She asked him to go home and take care of it, to which he laughs saying that he's never coming back to school. The children explain to her that all the Ewell children only attend the first day. Burris starts swearing at the teacher, driving her to tears. In the evening Scout asks Atticus if like Burris she can skip school as well, but he explains that people feel sorry for the Ewell children because of the way their father raises them and that she must continue going to school.

The rest of the school year goes no better than the first day for Scout. She always runs past Boo Radley's house on the way back home but towards the end of the year sees two pieces of gum in a knothole on a tree at the edge of his property. At the end of the year, she and Jem find pennies in the knothole and decide to keep them. Dill returns for the summer and the three children start playing a game where they reenact the gruesome stories they have heard about Boo Radley. When Atticus finds out he disapproves and asks them to stop. 

Jim and Dill become closer making Scout feel left out. She ends up spending more time with their widowed neighbor Maudie Atkinson. Maudie tells Scout more about the Radley family and for the first time Scout thinks of Boo Radley not as a monster but as a lonely person. She reluctantly agrees to help Jem and Dill deliver a note to Boo Radley but Atticus catches them and tells them to leave Boo alone. 

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The night before Dill goes back home, he and Jem make a plan to peek inside Boo Radley's house. Scout disapproves but after Jem makes fun of her for acting like a girl she reluctantly comes along. As they try to peek in, a gunshot fires, and they run away but Jem’s pants get stuck and he has to leave them behind. A crowd gathers in response to the gunshot and they believe that Boo’s brother Nathan shot at a black man who was trying to steal some vegetables.  When somebody points out that Jem is not wearing pants Dill comes up with a story about winning them from him in a game of poker. Later that night Jem retrieves his pants.

Jem admits that when he returned for his pants he found them stitched and folded. For the first week of school, the children notice more items waiting for them in the tree. They become convinced that someone is leaving the presents specifically for them and leave a thank you note in return, only to find the hole cemented over the next day.

Surprisingly, the weather turns cold in Maycomb and the children see snow for the first time. That night Maudie’s home catches fire and the children watch from the road outside Boo Radley's property. On the way home, they notice a blanket around Scout’s shoulders that must have been put there by Boo Radley. 

Close to Christmas, Atticus takes on the case of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman. He tells the children that it is the right thing to do but they will face backlash from the community and that they should just ignore it. At Christmas one of the children call Atticus a “nigger lover” and Scout loses her temper and fights him. Later that night she hears Atticus talking to his brother Jack about being worried about the children. 

The children wonder why the townspeople are so critical of Atticus and don't think it's fair. They receive air rifles for Christmas and Atticus tells them to never kill a mockingbird. Miss Maudie explains to them that Mockingbirds only sing to create joy for people around them which is why killing them is wrong. 

Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose constantly makes fun of Atticus defending Tom Robinson and in response, Jem destroys some of her flowers. Atticus makes him apologize and as punishment Mrs. Dubose makes Jem read to her every night for a month. Scout and Jem read to her for a month and soon after, she dies. Atticus tells them that she had been battling an addiction and her behavior was due to withdrawal symptoms and that they should be impressed by her courage even if she was mean at times.

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To Kill a Mockingbird Summary Part 2

In the summer Jem almost turns 12 and after years of telling Scout not to act like a girl now starts telling her to act more like a lady which frustrates her. Her hopes for a fun summer vanish when Dill informs them that he won't be coming and Atticus has to travel away for work. Calpurnia takes the children to her black church where they are treated kindly but face prejudice for the first time. 

Their aunt Alexandra comes to help take care of the children in Atticus’s absence. She tells the children that they have to behave better to live up to the Finch family name. Atticus supports his sister but the children are confused so Atticus later takes back his words, telling them to behave however they want to.

Aunt Alexandra finds out that the children went to Calpurnia’s church and asks Atticus to fire her but he refuses. One night Scout discovers Dill in her room and he tells her that his stepfather isn't really interested in having him around, so he ran away. Atticus talks to his parents and Dill spends the rest of the summer in Maycomb.

One day during the summer a group of men come to the Finch residence and tell Atticus that Tim Robinson is being moved to the county jail because they are worried something bad might happen to him if he stays in the town jail. The next evening Atticus goes to the jail and the children secretly follow. A mob appears at the jail and Atticus tries to diffuse the situation. The crowd gets angry but Scouts manages to calm things down.

The Finch household is worried after the events outside the jail and when the jury selection for the trial starts Atticus tells the children to stay at home. The children disobey though and make their way to the court finding seats in “the colored balcony”.

The trial begins with the testimony of sheriff Tate who says that Bob Ewell had come to his office saying that a black man had raped and beaten his daughter. When he arrived at their house Mayella Ewell told him that Tom Robinson was the attacker. During the cross-examination, Atticus confirms that no doctor had been called and that it was the right side of Mayella's face that was injured implying that the attacker was left-handed. Bob Ewell takes the stand and confirms Sheriff Tate’s story but Atticus pokes holes in his testimony and shows that Bob is left-handed. 

Mayella takes the stand and confirms her father’s and Sheriff Tate’s story but behaves poorly.  She identifies Tom Robinson in the audience but later Atticus asks him to stand up and shows the jury and judge that his left hand Is deformed because of a childhood trauma. Atticus continues poking holes in Mayella's testimony.

Atticus calls his only witness, Tom Robinson to the stand. Tom Robinson tells everyone that it was Mayella who kissed him and made advances towards him and when Bob saw them he got angry. During the cross-examination, the other lawyer tries to rattle Tom Robinson but he remains gentle, polite, and convincing. Dill starts crying and he and Scout step outside. 

In the courtyard, Dill and Scout bump into Dolphus Raymond, a white man with a black girlfriend and mixed-race children. He offers Dill a sip from his brown paper bag and the children discover

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  1. To Kill a Mockingbird: Full Book Summary

    A short summary of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of To Kill a Mockingbird. ... Literary Context Essay: To Kill a Mockingbird & The Southern Gothic Tradition ... Summary To Kill a Mockingbird Full Book Summary. Previous Next . Scout Finch lives with her brother, Jem, and their widowed ...

  2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Plot Summary

    Chapter 1. In the small town of Maycomb, Alabama, in the middle of the Great Depression, six-year-old Scout Finch lives with her older brother, Jem, and her widowed father, Atticus. Atticus is a lawyer and makes enough to keep the family comfortably out of poverty, but he works long days. He relies on the family's black cook, Calpurnia, to help ...

  3. To kill a mockingbird essay (pdf)

    The Enduring Legacy of "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" stands as one of the most influential and celebrated works of American literature, offering readers a profound exploration of themes such as racism, injustice, morality, and the loss of innocence. Set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Great Depression, the novel follows the ...

  4. To Kill a Mockingbird Summary

    To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in Alabama during the Depression, and is narrated by the main character, a little girl named Jean Louise "Scout" Finch. Her father, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer with high moral standards.Scout, her brother Jem, and their friend Dill are intrigued by the local rumors about a man named Boo Radley, who lives in their neighborhood but never leaves his house.

  5. To Kill a Mockingbird Study Guide

    Historical Context of To Kill a Mockingbird. In 1931, nine black teenage boys were accused of rape by two white girls. The trials of the boys lasted six years, with convictions, reversals, and numerous retrials. These trials were given the name The Scottsboro Trials, made national headlines, and drastically intensified the debate about race and ...

  6. To Kill a Mockingbird Summary

    To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee tells the story of Scout Finch, a young girl growing up in a small Alabama town during the 1930s. Here are some key plot summary points: Tensions mount in ...

  7. To Kill a Mockingbird Summary and Study Guide

    To Kill a Mockingbird is a Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel written by Harper Lee and originally published in 1960.The book is widely regarded as an American classic and, until recently, was the only novel Lee had published. To Kill a Mockingbird was inspired by events and observations that took place in Lee's hometown.Set in the Great Depression, from 1932 to 1935, the novel is narrated by a ...

  8. To Kill a Mockingbird: Study Guide

    To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, published in 1960, is a profound exploration of racial injustice and moral growth set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the 1930s.Narrated by a young girl named Scout Finch, the story unfolds as her father, Atticus Finch, a principled lawyer, defends Tom Robinson, a Black man falsely accused of raping a white woman.

  9. To Kill a Mockingbird: A+ Student Essay: Boo Radley's Role in Scout and

    In To Kill a Mockingbird, children live in an inventive world where mysteries abound but little exists to actually cause them harm. Scout and Jem spend much of their time inventing stories about their reclusive neighbor Boo Radley, gleefully scaring themselves before rushing to the secure, calming presence of their father, Atticus.

  10. To Kill a Mockingbird: To Kill a Mockingbird Book Summary & Study Guide

    Use this CliffsNotes To Kill a Mockingbird Study Guide today to ace your next test! Get free homework help on Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird: book summary, chapter summary and analysis, quotes, essays, and character analysis courtesy of CliffsNotes. In To Kill a Mockingbird , author Harper Lee uses memorable characters to explore Civil Rights and racism in the segregated southern United ...

  11. To Kill a Mockingbird

    To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Great Depression. The protagonist is Jean Louise ("Scout") Finch, an intelligent though unconventional girl who ages from six to nine years old during the course of the novel. She is raised with her brother, Jeremy Atticus ("Jem"), by their widowed ...

  12. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

    Cite this page as follows: "To Kill a Mockingbird - Adam Smykowski (essay date 1996)" Contemporary Literary Criticism Ed. Tom Burns and Jeffrey W. Hunter. Vol. 194.

  13. PDF To Kill A Mockingbird

    DEDICATION PART ONE Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 PART TWO Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 ...

  14. Quick summary of To Kill a Mockingbird

    To Kill a Mockingbird, Novel by Harper Lee, published in 1960. It is set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Ala., during the Great Depression. The protagonist is Jean Louise ("Scout") Finch, an intelligent and unconventional girl who ages from six to nine years old during the course of the novel. She and her brother, Jem, are raised by their ...

  15. To Kill a Mockingbird Sample Essay Outlines

    Following each question is a sample outline to help get you started. Topic #1. The theme of the mockingbird is an important one in To Kill a Mockingbird. Write a paper on the mockingbird theme in ...

  16. To Kill a Mockingbird Summary

    To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one of the most beloved and important works of fiction of the 20th century. Published in 1960, it became an instant classic and is widely read in schools around the world until today. It addresses serious issues like racism, rape, and ethics in a humorous and relatable way.

  17. To Kill a Mockingbird

    Summary of To Kill a Mockingbird. To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that centres around the Finch family and is told through the perspective of Jean (nicknamed Scout), within the town of Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus, Jean's father, is a prominent lawyer and the family lives relatively comfortably despite the impacts of the Great Depression.

  18. To Kill a Mockingbird Historical and Social Context

    Context. Published in 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird has become an American literary classic. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was made into an Academy Award-winning film in 1962, with Gregory ...

  19. To Kill a Mockingbird Part One, Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis

    A summary of Part One, Chapter 1 in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of To Kill a Mockingbird and what it means. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans.

  20. To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Topics and Outlines

    About. The following Suggested Essay Topics are some ideas for papers that may be written on To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The suggestions are designed to provide you with both a starting ...

  21. PDF To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: Summer Reading Unit Overview

    To Kill a Mockingbird is told through the perspective of Jean Louise "Scout" Finch as she remembers the events of her childhood. The narrator's voice changes from an adult to a child as she begins the story of her life from the summer of 1933 to the fall of 1935 in a little Alabama town called Maycomb.

  22. To Kill a Mockingbird Essays and Criticism

    PDF Cite Share. Most critics characterize Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird as a novel of initiation and an indictment of racism. The novel's point of view, in particular, lends credence to these ...