Exam Revision

This presentation is not a final and definitive set of notes. The following slides are merely signposts to point you in the right direction as you write your own set of study notes. You will need to provide quotes and evidence from the novel to illustrate all of the points you make.

Harper Lee grew up in a small town in Alabama called Monroeville, upon which she based the fictional town of Maycomb. It is crucial to understand her background as her childhood experiences form the basis for many of the fictional characters, settings and events in To Kill a Mockingbird.

To Kill a Mockingbird was first published in 1960, when the American Civil Rights movement was beginning to gain momentum. Rosa Parks had ignited a political firestorm when she defied unjust Jim Crow laws by refusing to give up her seat at the front of a public bus to a white passenger in TKAM’s purpose is to educate contemporary American (and international) readers about the destructive effects of racism and segregation by dramatising it through an accessible story about a young girl’s childhood in a small Alabama town. The message of TKAM is that segregation in the American South is based on mindless, needless hatred, and that such prejudices and hates inevitably lead to pointless suffering and must be stopped.

The story is told in two parts, and each of these have vastly different plots, but with the similar themes of prejudicial hate and mistrust tying them together. The first part of the novel lays the foundations for the more dramatic second half and revolves around the seeming innocence of children’s games. Lee introduces the main characters and sets up the initial drama concerning the mystery of Boo Radley. She also foreshadows the drama to come regarding Tom Robinson’s case. The second part is centred on Tom Robinson’s trial and its aftermath. In what ways is the drama of the second half helped by the exposition (storytelling) of the first?

 Growing Up / Coming of Age  Shown by Jem and Scout’s developing maturity and conscience as they gain awareness of the sometimes- cruel realities of the adult world.  Prejudice and Injustice  Shown by the attitudes of the Maycomb townsfolk toward people and groups they do not understand: Boo Radley (and the mentally ill in general), Tom Robinson (and African Americans in general), and Mrs Dubose.  Courage and Convictions  Most clearly shown through Atticus’ dedication to seeing justice done despite the admonitions of the townsfolk, especially Bob Ewell.

Why are the following characters crucial to TKAM’s narrative? Why would the story simply not work without them?  Scout Finch  Atticus Finch  Tom Robinson  Jem Finch  Bob Ewell  Boo Radley

Maycomb itself is the archetypal (‘original’ or ‘symbolic’) Alabama small town. The drama that unfolds there is a microcosm (small, focused example that represents the wider world) for the civil strife that gripped the American South in the 1950s and 60s. In Particular:  The Finch Home  Many of the ‘learning about life’ conversations between Scout and Atticus take place here.  The Radley House  Is a focal point for the children’s fears and prejudices in the first half of the novel. Acts as a sort of ‘lair of the boogie man’.  The Courthouse  Where justice (and injustice) are done. Serves as a sort of symboliic arena where right (personified by Atticus) and wrong (personified by Bob Ewell) do battle.  Old Sarum  The poverty-stricken area on the outskirts of town where the outcasts of society (The Ewell’s and the Negros) live. Symbolises mainstream society’s desire to ignore its less pleasant aspects.

The Mockingbird The titular (‘of the title’) motif in the novel. The mockingbird is a symbol of goodness, purity and innocence. ‘It is a sin to kill a mockingbird’ because to do so would be to destroy something blameless, defenceless and innocent. Characters such as Tom Robinson and Arthur Radley are ‘mockingbirds’ in that they suffer as a result of the people of Maycomb’s prejudice. They are innocent men who are treated with cruelty by a community that has no desire to get to know them. Tom Robinson in particular is tragically killed as a result of Maycomb’s prejudice. He is a christ-like figure in that the ‘sins’ of Maycomb (prejudice, cruelty, lack of empathy) are made plain through his ostracism, suffering and death.

 To Kill a Mockingbird is considered a classic because it was one of the first books in the English language to reflect on the racial prejudices that had for so long been an integral and unspoken part of Western society. It formed a key part of the literature and art of the American Civil Rights movement.  TKAM, and stories like it, played a key role in the ‘denormalisation’ of racism. It made racism ‘not ok’. The book challenged readers (in particular, Europeans in the Western world) to think about the racial prejudices they held and the tragic consequences that racist views can have, both on individuals, and on the ‘soul’ of a society as a whole.