TKAM—Society at that time… Lower class whites lived on the outskirts of town in rundown shacks. (The Ewell and Cunningham families)

TKAM—Society at that time… African Americans lived even farther away from civilization. Often many generations shared a home.

The novel… forces the reader to look at strengths and weaknesses in our society. allows the reader to examine prejudice and intolerance. permits the reader to analyze characters as they move from innocence to maturity in a realistic historical setting.

Characters Similarities: Scout Finch-- the protagonist and narrator Semi-autobiographical character Similarities: Lee would have been the same age as Scout at the time the novel took place. Lee’s father was a lawyer like Scout’s father. Lee’s hometown of Monroeville shares similarities with Maycomb.

Characters Atticus Finch— Scout’s father (a widower) An attorney Respected in the community

Other Important Characters Jem Finch—Scout’s older brother Dill—Scout’s friend who lives with his aunt in the house next to the Finches during the summer months Calpurnia—The Finch’s housekeeper and caretaker of Scout and Jem Boo Radley—a very mysterious neighbor

What is a mockingbird? The Texas state bird, which does not have its own song. Instead, it imitates the songs of other birds. Killing a mockingbird is illegal. In the novel, the mockingbird is an important symbol of innocence destroyed by evil.

Literary Background The story is about a young girl who witnesses a town’s mistreatment of people. The story is told from the young girl’s point of view. The main characters are good people witnessing prejudice. The young girl describes the prejudice honestly, and at times descriptively. The language of the novel is at times vernacular—meaning that the language includes slang words and even derogatory words which were used by prejudiced people. Some of the prejudice described in the story includes: White against Black Black against White Poor against Rich Rich against Poor Girls against Boys Boys against Girls

Major Themes The story includes some great advice for how to live a good life. These are found in such quotes as: “You should walk a mile in a man’s shoes before you judge him” and “mobs are made of people.” Through our study of this novel, we will explore our views regarding: The power of language and “loaded” words in particular The causes and dangers of prejudice The causes and dangers of gender stereotyping The qualities of a hero The definition of and effects of using symbolism in a work of literature The judicial system operating in the United States