To Kill a Mockingbird Final Notes

Plot (two plots intertwined) Tom Robinson: excellent account of hysteria caused by accusation of black man raping white woman in Deep South prior to Civil Rights movement Boo Radley: explores attitudes toward mentally ill and how children learn important life lessons

Themes Goodness: Atticus, Calpurnia, Sheriff Heck Tate Innocence: children, Tom, Boo Evil: Mr. Ewell, Mr. Radley, Maycomb’s prejudice Harm caused by racial prejudice Tragedy of injustice and benefits of rule of law

Themes (continued) Importance of standing up to evil/ injustice Poverty of physical violence as solution to conflict Coming of Age*: recognizing existence of individual’s evil and good nature once irrational fear has been overcome

Themes (continued) Attributes of masculinity (Atticus): nurturing, caring, tolerant, forgiving, respectful, considerate; non-violent while defending one’s beliefs, wise, respecting law, professionally competent Exemplary parent: leads by example; children learn to be moral and to think for themselves

Symbols Mockingbird: innocent/ good people who need protection; injured/ destroyed through contact with evil. Maycomb treats fragile innocence of childhood harshly Character Names Jem: jewel Scout: narrator; *explorer for understanding Atticus: grandeur, classical virtues

Symbols (continued) Bird Imagery: Finch, Robin son Calpurnia: fiercely loyal wife of Caesar; beyond reproach Robert E. Lee Ewell: shows how best of South degenerated into a cruel, drunken, child-abusing criminal Boo: spook who is painfully shy (unless protecting children)

Symbols (continued) Guns: dangerous power of limited use; novel critical of owning a gun making a man I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway, and you see it through no matter what. (Atticus)

Characterization Tom and Boo (parallels) Both try to help Both imprisoned Both persecuted (race/ infraction of law) Both at risk in justice system of Maycomb Both mockingbirds Wise men try to protect them Tom by Atticus Boo by Sheriff Tate

Characterization (continued) Importance of Rule of Law Tom Robinson: law is straightforward Boo Radley: shows limits of properly applied justice and its imperfections acknowledged Foils of Atticus (contrasting characters)  Bob Ewell  Lynch mob  Jury  Mr. Radley Black people are gentle and forbearing/racism and violence of Maycomb community

Characterization (continued) Bob Ewell Still angry despite guilty verdict In cross-examination, Atticus established truth that Mayella is aggressor toward Tom Destroys Mayella’s reputation Ewell is embarrassed that town realizes Mayella tried to seduce Tom Sought to solve problems with violence

Characterization (continued) Tom Robinson Sealed fate when he said he pitied a white woman Racist society could not tolerate a black man pitying a white woman Especially infuriating to Ewell because Tom’s testimony was reasonable given facts of case

Characterization (continued) Dynamic Characterization (changed) Jem and Scout are only dynamic characters Realization of good and evil in world Increased appreciation of Atticus’s qualities Growing acceptance of Boo as a human being

Irony Lynch mob takes justice into its own hands; portrayed as evil Sheriff Tate takes justice into his own hands (obstructing justice) in lying about how Ewell died; portrayed as humane Although Jem and Scout fear Boo, he rescues them

Irony (continued) Ewell dies trying to attack vulnerable children, never expecting to face Boo Sheriff Tate (not very intelligent) rather than brilliant Atticus devises a strategy to protect Boo Atticus, known as best shot in town, does not own gun Ewell calls Atticus a ___lover when only white person in town who has loved a black man is his daughter, Mayella

Racism in the South and novel Accusation of Tom Robinson’s raping Mayella violates community’s code of ethics by arousing basic fears about relationship between whites and blacks Believing black men were chomping at the bit to get at a white woman, jury could not resist opportunity to let black men believe they could escape consequences even when it was transparent white woman was lying

Coexistence of Good and Evil Exploration of moral nature of humans; are we essentially good or bad? Scout and Jem transition from children who have never experienced evil and believe all people are good to confronting evil and incorporating it into their understanding of the world Tom Robinson and Boo Radley not prepared for evil they encounter and are destroyed

Coexistence of Good and Evil (cont.) Jem victimized by discovery of evil of racism during and after trial; Jem’s faith in humanity is badly damaged; thus, he becomes disillusioned Scout maintains basic faith in human nature despite Tom’s conviction

Coexistence of Good and Evil (cont.) Atticus unique because he has experienced and understood evil without losing faith in human capacity for goodness We must appreciate good qualities and understand bad qualities by treating others with sympathy and seeing life from their perspective Possible to live w/ conscience w/out losing hope or becoming cynical Atticus can admire Mrs. Dubose’s courage even while deploring her racism

Coexistence of Good and Evil (cont.) Scout’s progress as a character defined by her gradual understanding of Atticus’s lessons when she finally sees Boo as a human being Her newfound ability to view world from Atticus’s perspective ensures she will not become jaded as she loses her innocence

Social Inequality Complicated social hierarchy of Maycomb baffles children Rigid social divisions of adult world revealed as destructive and irrational Lee uses children’s perplexity at unpleasant layering of Maycomb society to critique role of class status and prejudice in human interaction