BACKGROUND INFORMATION TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

MEET THE AUTHOR: HARPER LEE Born April 28, 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama. Died February 19, 2016 (age 89) Her father, Amasa Lee, was a lawyer and a direct descendant of General Robert E. Lee. Childhood friend of fellow author Truman Capote. Attended the University of Alabama until 1949, when she dropped out to become a writer in NYC. Every project before TKaM was rejected. Finished her draft of TKaM in The novel was published in Within the first year, the novel sold half a million copies and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT The novel is set during the Great Depression and was written in the Civil Rights era. Stock Market Crash (known as Black Tuesday): October 28-29, U.S. President: FDR. The South was still recovering from the Civil War at the start of the Great Depression. Segregation was prevalent during the time period in which TKaM is set.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: THE SCOTTSBORO TRIALS March 1931: Nine African American teenagers are arrested and charged with raping two white women. Over the next five years, a series of trials took place. Despite overwhelming evidence of their innocence, eight of the nine men were sentenced to death. The U.S. Supreme Court then intervened and found that the teenagers’ rights were violated. A second trial resulted, and the teens were again found guilty. The Supreme Court reversed the decision a 2 nd time. Four teenagers were freed; five served prison terms. The last Scottsboro defendant was paroled in 1950.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: LIFE DURING THE 1930S Early 1930s: Adolf Hitler is Chancellor of Germany and believes Anglo-Saxons are the superior race. The threat of a 2 nd “Great War” looms. Segregation was legal in Alabama until Interracial marriages were illegal. Separate water fountains, schools, theatres, restaurants, etc. existed. Average per capita income for a family in Alabama during the Great Depression ranged from $125-$250 a year.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD : SETTING Maycomb, Alabama – a fictional town likely based on Lee’s hometown of Monroeville, AL. Early 1930s ( , specifically) – during the Great Depression and prior to the outbreak of World War II.

THE NARRATOR Jean Louise “Scout” Finch Age 6 at the beginning of the novel Youngest child of Atticus Finch Tomboy Precocious Struggles to comprehend the injustices of society Tells story in series of flashbacks … and yes, Scout is a girl.

ATTICUS FINCH Father of Scout and Jem Finch Town lawyer Widower Takes on controversial court case (the main conflict of the novel) Based on Harper Lee’s father, Amasa Lee

JEREMY “JEM” FINCH Older brother of Jean Louse “Scout” Finch Age 9 at the beginning of the novel Looks out for Scout throughout the novel Looks up to his father, Atticus Smart, sensitive, and compassionate Enjoys school Fascinated by neighborhood recluse, Arthur “Boo” Radley

OTHER NOTABLE CHARACTERS Calpurnia: the Finch’s black housekeeper (& mother figure) Charles Baker Harris, a.k.a. “Dill”: Scout and Jem’s friend, likely based on Truman Capote Miss Maudie: neighbor who supports the Finch’s Arthur “Boo” Radley: neighborhood recluse Tom Robinson: Atticus Finch’s client Mayella Ewell: plaintiff in Tom Robinson case Bob Ewell: father of Mayella Ewell

IMPORTANT THEMES Courage Cowardice Prejudice / Social Injustice Justice Education The Coexistence of Good and Evil Appearance vs. Reality