REVISION ON ‘TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD’ – HARPER LEE Context: Written in 1960 and set in 1930s Alabama, in the Southern USA. In 1960 segregation was still apparent in the Southern States – Harper Lee, who grew up in Monroeville, Alabama and whose father was a lawyer (Amasa Lee), wanted to make a comment upon this, but decided to set the novel in the past to make a point less controversially. There are many parallels between the real Monroeville and Maycomb (see your previous notes) and also between the character of Scout and the author. The 1930s was also the period of the Great Depression – widespread poverty and destitution. The novel also recalls the 1931 incident of the Scottsboro boys – when 9 young black men were accused of raping 2 white girls. The conviction was not sound and the case rumbled on for years until 5 had the charges dropped and the other 4 were tried, convicted and paroled. The novel also touches on the ‘Jim Crow’ laws – those that segregated white and black people in the south.
Themes: Ideas of courage Guns do not give courage; Mrs Dubose shows courage in beating morphine addiction; Atticus refuses to use a gun to defend Tom Robinson or to defend himself from Bob Ewell; Atticus takes Tom’s case when he knows he will not win; Scout and Jem show courage in standing up for their father; Boo Radley shows courage in his protection of the children; Scout learns not to use her fists to solve problems Prejudice The Tom Robinson case shows racial prejudice; people are seen to have narrow and racist attitudes – towards Dolphus Raymond, for e.g. Other examples include, Mayella, Boo Radley, the missionary circle, Mrs Dubose… In addition, Aunt Alexandra shows narrow attitudes and feels that Scout should adhere to conventional feminine ideals. Atticus believes we should ‘stand in someone else’s shoes’ – a belief that underpins the novel. Isolation Dill is isolated to some extent by being from a single parent family at a time when this was not the norm; Tom Robinson and the black people are isolated by their race and the prejudice of others; Mrs Dubose is isolated by her illness; Atticus is isolated by his decision to defend Tom; Boo Radley is physically isolated by his family and altered forever; Mayella Ewell is isolated by her circumstances and by her father; the children are increasingly isolated by their father’s decisions etc. Innocence Literally the fact that Tom is not guilty of the crime he is charged with; the children are innocent observers of the events around them; to an extent Mayella is innocent of blame in her accusation of Tom; Boo is an ‘innocent’ because of his treatment by his relatives; the mockingbirds are innocent and hunted. Justice/ punishment Think about how this works in the home as well as in the wider community; the Radley punishment of Boo; what happens to Tom Education The Finch house hold values education; Atticus = lawyer, his brother a doctor; Scout has read from an early age. The children are familiar with newspapers and magazines. In school, Miss Caroline is out of her depth; the education adheres to a rigid plan and whilst the plan allows the injustice of the persecution of the Jews, it fails to apply the same ideas to their own back yard i.e. the treatment of black people. The Ewells set no store by education – reflected in their behaviour and their outlook; Mayella is a ruined individual – her situation is also tragic. Education is seen as an important tool in widening people’s experience and is therefore the key to unlocking prejudice. Boo Radley is also denied an education. Education is seen as an important tool in the home – re-enforces the role of parents in their children’s lives… Friendship Dill, Scout and Jem; the children and Boo; Calpurnia and the Finch family; Atticus and Maycomb; the children and the Cunninghams… Growing Up The central theme – linked to education and learning; Atticus teaches understanding; sees the world from Boo’s POV. The children grow and change and so, too, does Atticus. This is a didactic (teaching novel – has a message) and it is also a BILDUNGSROMAN (novel about growth) Families and their influence upon children Finch, Ewell, Radley, Cunningham, Robinson, Dill... think about values and methods Maycomb
Symbolism
The mockingbird
Represents innocence. People hunt mockingbirds although they do no wrong. The symbol is associated with the 2 key characters of Boo Radley and Tom Robinson
Jem's snowman
The closed doors of the Radley house
The gifts in the tree
The symbol of the seasons
Mrs Dubose’s camellia
The mad dog
The gun
Represents false strength – they do not denote bravery or manhood – that is something different. Real strength comes from within and is from an individual’s ability to stand by his/ her beliefs.
Style and Structure
Bildungsroman
Didactic
Uses a child, Scout as narrator – think about the advantages of this and the problems with the sophisticated language that is used. Humour comes from the gaps between her understanding and ours – we see more than she does.
There are 2 plots – children and Boo; Tom Robinson – both start to come together at the end of the 1st book
The middle chapters seem digression – rabid dog etc. but in fact reveal much about Atticus
Minor characters are used to shed light upon the main plot/ themes
The novel is cyclic – the intro promises to explain how Jem broke his arm and the end chapters show us what happened. There is also the use of flashback
Clear detail, esp. about setting makes the events believable.
Context:
Written in 1960 and set in 1930s Alabama, in the Southern USA. In 1960 segregation was still apparent in the Southern States – Harper Lee, who grew up in Monroeville, Alabama and whose father was a lawyer (Amasa Lee), wanted to make a comment upon this, but decided to set the novel in the past to make a point less controversially. There are many parallels between the real Monroeville and Maycomb (see your previous notes) and also between the character of Scout and the author.
The 1930s was also the period of the Great Depression – widespread poverty and destitution.
The novel also recalls the 1931 incident of the Scottsboro boys – when 9 young black men were accused of raping 2 white girls. The conviction was not sound and the case rumbled on for years until 5 had the charges dropped and the other 4 were tried, convicted and paroled.
The novel also touches on the ‘Jim Crow’ laws – those that segregated white and black people in the south.
Themes:
Ideas of courage
Guns do not give courage; Mrs Dubose shows courage in beating morphine addiction; Atticus refuses to use a gun to defend Tom Robinson or to defend himself from Bob Ewell; Atticus takes Tom’s case when he knows he will not win; Scout and Jem show courage in standing up for their father; Boo Radley shows courage in his protection of the children; Scout learns not to use her fists to solve problems
Prejudice
The Tom Robinson case shows racial prejudice; people are seen to have narrow and racist attitudes – towards Dolphus Raymond, for e.g. Other examples include, Mayella, Boo Radley, the missionary circle, Mrs Dubose… In addition, Aunt Alexandra shows narrow attitudes and feels that Scout should adhere to conventional feminine ideals. Atticus believes we should ‘stand in someone else’s shoes’ – a belief that underpins the novel.
Isolation
Dill is isolated to some extent by being from a single parent family at a time when this was not the norm; Tom Robinson and the black people are isolated by their race and the prejudice of others; Mrs Dubose is isolated by her illness; Atticus is isolated by his decision to defend Tom; Boo Radley is physically isolated by his family and altered forever; Mayella Ewell is isolated by her circumstances and by her father; the children are increasingly isolated by their father’s decisions etc.
Innocence
Literally the fact that Tom is not guilty of the crime he is charged with; the children are innocent observers of the events around them; to an extent Mayella is innocent of blame in her accusation of Tom; Boo is an ‘innocent’ because of his treatment by his relatives; the mockingbirds are innocent and hunted.
Justice/ punishment
Think about how this works in the home as well as in the wider community; the Radley punishment of Boo; what happens to Tom
Education
The Finch house hold values education; Atticus = lawyer, his brother a doctor; Scout has read from an early age. The children are familiar with newspapers and magazines. In school, Miss Caroline is out of her depth; the education adheres to a rigid plan and whilst the plan allows the injustice of the persecution of the Jews, it fails to apply the same ideas to their own back yard i.e. the treatment of black people. The Ewells set no store by education – reflected in their behaviour and their outlook; Mayella is a ruined individual – her situation is also tragic. Education is seen as an important tool in widening people’s experience and is therefore the key to unlocking prejudice. Boo Radley is also denied an education.
Education is seen as an important tool in the home – re-enforces the role of parents in their children’s lives…
Friendship
Dill, Scout and Jem; the children and Boo; Calpurnia and the Finch family; Atticus and Maycomb; the children and the Cunninghams…
Growing Up
The central theme – linked to education and learning; Atticus teaches understanding; sees the world from Boo’s POV. The children grow and change and so, too, does Atticus. This is a didactic (teaching novel – has a message) and it is also a BILDUNGSROMAN (novel about growth)
Families and their influence upon children
Finch, Ewell, Radley, Cunningham, Robinson, Dill... think about values and methods
Maycomb
Symbolism
- The mockingbird
Represents innocence. People hunt mockingbirds although they do no wrong. The symbol is associated with the 2 key characters of Boo Radley and Tom Robinson- Jem's snowman
The closed doors of the Radley house- The gifts in the tree
- The symbol of the seasons
- Mrs Dubose’s camellia
- The mad dog
- The gun
Represents false strength – they do not denote bravery or manhood – that is something different. Real strength comes from within and is from an individual’s ability to stand by his/ her beliefs.Style and Structure