File

Analysis of Racism Theme
(Many of these statements require no gloss – they speak for themselves.)
Ch.
example
1
Sheriff hadn't the heart to put him [Arthur] in jail alongside Negroes.
comment
5
"three-fourths Coloured folks"
i.e. imagination, lies etc.
6
"Mr Radley shot a Negro in his collard patch. … Scared
him pale … a white nigger."
Ironically, it was Jem in the garden; the
assumption is that all crime is committed by
Blacks.
9
Atticus "defends niggers..."; "...licked 100 years before
we start" ; "Maycomb's usual disease"
# family opposition to Atticus is expressed
through Francis
10
Calpurnia knocks at the Radley door. "She's supposed
to go around in back."
Negroes are socially second-class – Scout does not
question this, it is so ingrained.
11
Mrs Dubose: first adult opposition: "niggers and trash"
Part 2: theme intensifies
12
Cal's church: children accepted by all Negroes except
one - Lula is prejudiced against them
some balance – racism on both sides
 Cal suits her language to the situation
 Negroes show dignity and community spirit
attractive - a little idealised?
 Helen can't get work – result of white backlash
guilt by association – not just a racist response
14
children hear comments against Atticus; Aunt
Alexandra expresses her opposition to Atticus
15
lynch mob: Scout shames the men
- parallels KKK
 support from Underwood who "despises Negroes"
one of a few examples showing another side
16
Aunt Alexandra equates Negroes with children: "Don't
talk like that in front of them [Cal]"
cf. Atticus who treats children as rational beings
16
Trial: Negroes wait for the whites; segregated seating
- children quite happy to sit with Negroes
whites shocked at Tom's expressed sympathy for
Mayella
20
Dolphus Raymond: community accepts his living with
Negroes because he 'drinks'
money can allow things not available to others
"Cry about the hell white people give coloured folks, without even stopping to think that they're people too."
21
case lost but length of time till verdict = "a baby step"
23
"… you'll see white men cheat black men every day… – whenever a white man does that to a black
man… that white man is trash."
24
Missionary circle's hypocrisy:
 charity to Mrunas but not to local Negroes.
 They "forgive" Helen – and ignore Mayella;
 Atticus is "misguided"
only Miss Maudie and Aunt Alexandra not
hypocrites
Scout's naïve assumption that it is Mayella who
needs forgiveness and guidance
# Tom shot: he lost faith in white man's justice
"The handful of people who say fair play is not marked White Only... who say fair trial is for
everyone... the handful of people with background." (Miss Maudie)
25
'two day story... typical of a nigger to cut and run...'
editorial: sin to kill cripples and songbirds
explicit linking of Tom with title of novel
'…in the secret courts of men's hearts, Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella
Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.'
26
Hitler and Jews - Germans are prejudiced but we live in
a democracy. Jews – "They're white, aren't they?"
Miss Gates another hypocrite – had expressed a
complaint earlier about Blacks "getting above
themselves.
Theme Notes
The theme of racial prejudice dominates Part 2 but is not prominent in Part 1. Other significant issues include

social status and the damage class does

the inadequacy of the education system

having sympathy for other's viewpoints

family life

"It's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

childhood and growing up

"the simple hell people give other people"

what real courage is

the need to respect others

we fear what we don't know or understand

the need to learn self-control and tolerance

sex-defined roles and their limitations
social stratification
causes prejudice, family pride, hypocrisy, class
 Arthur Radley suffers from his father's pride  stories in town; he is feared by children and Negroes (all a result of
ignorance)
 missionary circle: Miss Stephanie, Mrs Merriweather
 Aunt Alexandra: good and bad of family pride
childhood and growing up; the end of innocence
children are innocent and good, and open-minded (though Francis and Cecil parrot adult ideas and attitudes)
 "seems that only children weep"
 "… maybe we need a police force of children"
 "If you'd been on the jury and eleven other boys like you, Tom would be a free man…"
Importance of development and upbringing: loss of innocence is not shown to be negative (as in so much literature) but a
positive development of tolerance and self-control.
 At the start, Scout's world is safe, secure, limited to the boundaries of her immediate neighbourhood; she is confident
that the way things are done in her home is not just the right way, but the only way.
 Dill - from a broken home - gives a hint of a variety of experiences beyond these narrow horizons.
 at school she learns other people do things differently – and sometimes it is necessary to compromise in order to get
along.
 the complexity of human motivation: Mayella Ewell is more pitiful than hateful
 possible to do the right thing for unexpected reasons - Mr Underwood does not like blacks and is a mean-spirited person
in general, yet he alone helps Atticus during his vigil at the jail.
 by the final chapters, Scout has learned that good and justice do not necessarily triumph every time. The harmless can
become victims through no fault of their own.
families
Several different relationships between parents and children are shown
 can cause loneliness, even mistreatment: Dill, Arthur, Mayella
 Atticus is criticised for the way he brings up his children yet his family is the most attractive and whole of all those
shown. Even Alexandra expresses in the end her support for her brother.
 Atticus: "Sometimes I think I'm a total failure as a parent, but I'm all they've got".
real courage
Atticus, Mrs Dubose, Miss Maudie, Jem and Scout all show courage
 children learn that real courage is often quiet and private and not necessarily obvious and physical
 "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 are licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what."
respect for the sanctity of life
sympathy for all living creatures - Atticus won't use a gun; faces his community for Tom
It is a crime to destroy the innocent: Boo, Tom
moral awareness
need for conscience – shown through Atticus; Miss Maudie: "We trust him to do right."
also through Mr Underwood, Jem
goes with integrity: Atticus and his treatment of Mayella, Calpurnia, Walter Cunningham – he "is the same in his house as
he is on the public streets." [5]
need for tolerance of others, compassion and understanding:
respect, tolerance, innate courtesy is exemplified by Atticus
 illustrated in his treatment of Walter Cunninghams, Mrs Dubose, Mayella, Arthur Radley, Dill
 is reinforced by Miss Maudie who shares the same qualities
need of all humans for love
There are several outcasts in Maycomb society, all lonely and tragic in their own way.
 Dill, Boo Radley, Mayella Ewell, Tom Robinson, Dolphus Raymond.
sex-defined roles and their limitations
Scout is haunted throughout by the looming shadow of having to become a 'lady'
apart from Calpurnia and Miss Maudie, the other women are shown in a largely negative light as she sees them
only seeing the courage and dignity of Aunt Alexandra and Miss Maudie at the missionary circle tea suggests to her that
there may be some value in behaving like a lady
 'pink penitentiary'
compassion
This is the key lesson the children learn from Atticus.
 "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and
walk around in it." [3]
 Walter Cunningham, Miss Caroline, Mayella, Aunt Alexandra, Boo Radley
 "… you children last night made Walter Cunningham stand in my shoes for a minute. That was enough." [16]
Themes are developed through
parallels:
 the Tom and Boo plots + the mockingbird symbol
 Boo and Dill
 Tom and Jem both have damaged left arms
 Miss Maudie and the Black community both provide food for the Finches after the trial
 same language used for the shooting of the mad dog and the delivering of the verdict
and contrasts:
 Mayella and Scout
 Scout and Francis
 Atticus and Alexandra and Jack
 Atticus and Bob Ewell
irony:
the missionary circle, Dolphus Raymond; the tragic irony of Ewell's threats against Atticus
symbolism:
the mockingbird, the mad dog, The Grey Ghost etc
Mockingbirds do no harm; they simply sing. To kill them is senseless and represents the destruction of innocence.
Themes: Three ideas developed
Three main ideas run through the novel: education, courage and prejudice.
The importance of education to Atticus and his children is made clear in the first chapter when Jem tells Dill that
Scout has known how to read "since she was born". Atticus reads to the children from newspapers and magazines as if they
are adults who can understand issues at his level. By the time Scout attends her first day of school she is highly literate,
far surpassing the other children in the classroom and frustrating her teacher whose task it is to teach her students
according to a predetermined plan.
It soon becomes clear why Atticus thinks education is so important. During his closing arguments Atticus explicitly
acknowledges the ignorance blinding people's minds and hearts: "the witnesses for the state… have presented themselves to
you gentlemen… in the cynical confidence that their testimony would not be doubted, confident that you gentlemen would go
along with them on the… evil assumption… that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro
men are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption one associates with minds of their calibre." [20] Education is
the key to unlocking the ignorance that causes such prejudice. Jem begins to understand this lesson when he wonders
whether family status could be based more on education than on bloodlines.
The children learn powerful lessons from Atticus regarding courage and cowardice. Early in the novel, we learn that
Atticus does not approve of guns, that courage is not a man with a gun. He sends Jem to read for Mrs Dubose who struggles
to beat her morphine addiction before she dies. He wants to show that true courage is "when you know you're licked before
you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what" [11]. Atticus refuses to carry a gun to protect Tom
Robinson from angry farmers and refuses to carry a gun to protect himself from Bob Ewell. But bravery runs deeper than
the decision to not carry a gun. Atticus shows great courage when he takes Tom's case knowing that the town would turn
against him and his children. Jem shows bravery when he refuses to leave his father's side during the showdown with the
lynch mob at the jail. And Scout learns that it takes more courage to turn away and not fight when people antagonise her.
The most important theme is that of prejudice in all of its forms. Three types of prejudice - race, class, and sex are integrated into both the novel and into the society of Maycomb. Together, they create a graphic picture of a
restrictive society that prefers to cling blindly to what has always been, rather than to change its ways and accept change
and progress.
With the Tom Robinson case, Lee's characters deal with racial prejudice head on. The novel abounds with references
to black men as "niggers" and "boys"; black people occupy the lowest class level of Maycomb's rigid caste structure. The
fact that Atticus knows he has no chance of winning his case because Tom is black is the most explicit indicator of deeprooted racism. His closing argument [20] clearly articulates his – and Harper Lee's - views on racism.
Although the entire town subscribes to traditional gender roles and class distinctions, Aunt Alexandra is central in
reinforcing these notions. She believes that because the Finch family comes from a long line of landowners who have been
in the county for generations, they deserve greater respect than others and they must comport themselves according to
their status. She does not mix with those not of the same social class, and refuses permission for Scout to visit Cal's home
and to invite Walter Cunningham to lunch. Atticus, by contrast, urges his children to sympathise with others and to "walk in
their skin" before they judge or criticise.
The expected behaviour of Southern womanhood is illustrated by the gossiping and hypocritical missionary circle, and
by the Miss Stephanies and the Miss Rachels, the latter a secret drinker. The commonsense Miss Maudie is the exception,
but she often keeps silent rather than contradict or condemn her own sex. Scout suffers acutely from the stereotypes
imposed upon her because of the rigid gender rules that govern southern life. She hates wearing dresses and finds any
accusation that she is "acting like a girl" highly objectionable. She sees little to look forward to in the expected behaviour
of an adult woman, though Miss Maudie is presented as an ideal worth aspiring to. However, there is little suggestion that
there is any real alternative for her.
Both Jem and Scout go on an odyssey that entails a loss of innocence but rewards them with experience, knowledge
and a level of maturity on their journey towards adulthood; their rite of passage is completed by their survival of the
attempt on their lives by Bob Ewell. By the end, they have survived Ewell, have confronted the moral evil of the town
successfully, and Scout, like Jem earlier, has come to the mature realisation that Arthur Radley is a bashful human being
and not a monster or a 'malevolent phantom' as she had supposed him to be. The rite of passage is complete.
Loss of innocence is an archetypal theme in literature and art – but one which Lee turns on its head: here, loss of
innocence is positive, because the two children gain a positive moral outlook, a tolerance for all races, a humanistic attitude,
and a general faith in the underlying benevolence of humanity.
Structure and Point of View
Point of View is the term used for who tells the story.
Novels and short stories scan be told in the third person (he, she) or in the first (autobiographical, using 'I'). They can be
told from the POV of a central character or that one on the edge of the story, not involved but reporting what is happening.
 What is the POV of this novel?
 What is significant about the way it is used?
 What are the advantages and disadvantages of using this POV?
The autobiographical POV of this novel is particularly interesting. Scout is the narrator, but she tells the story from a
dual perspective: mostly she is the naïve child, reporting more than she understands; but sometimes she is the adult looking
back on events she now understands better than she did at the time. Her vocabulary is a mixture of the child's and the
adult's. For much of the story, especially the Tom Robinson plot, she is on the edge, more observer than participant, and
only marginally affected by it, until she is rudely pulled into the centre by Ewell.
The author's decision to use a child to tell the story is a very important element in the novel. On the one hand, Scout is
particularly advanced for her age, and is very sensitive to most aspects of life. At the same time she is too young to be
aware of all the complexities of the adult world, so that many of the things she reports have meaning for the reader even
though Scout herself does not understand them. She has no comprehension of the complex web of sexual fears and racial
prejudice that made so many white Southerners recoil in horror at the very idea of sexual contact between a white woman
and a black man. It is not even clear that Scout ever understands what rape is, even though she claims to.
The injustice of the trial and conviction take on an added degree of incongruity simply because it is presented through the
innocent eyes of a young girl. As narrator, she offers no overt social criticism, though it is implied in the manner in which
the story is told, and through the questions she asks Jem and Atticus. Scout's sense of justice is basic and fundamental;
her view of right and wrong is not modified by social prejudice. So by choosing Scout as the narrator, Lee is able to add an
extra ironic level to her narration by having an innocent person report a terrible social injustice in simple and naive
terminology. The inability of the narrator to understand the injustice of Tom's conviction reflects the enlightened
outsider's perception of justice being destroyed by prejudice.
And by choosing to present the events of Tom Robinson's trial through Scout's eyes, Harper Lee also seems to be saying
that analysis of the roots of racism and sexual fears and insecurity would be a waste of time, since they are not the main
issue. The main issue is one of simple justice, which Scout, in her innocence, can see.
Structure
Harper Lee originally set out to write a collection of short stories, and the novel could be criticised for seeming at times to
be more like a collection of episodes loosely strung together than a cohesive novel. Some chapters and parts of chapters in
the first part could be lifted out of the pages of the book and read as stories in their own right - for example, the story of
Atticus and the mad dog, or the chapter dealing with the death of Mrs Dubose – though this can also be done with many
other novels. On the other hand, she has skilfully woven together the tales of Boo Radley and Tom Robinson, so that the
two plots parallel and complement each other, and are linked by a web of motifs and symbols, as well as by setting and
character.
The novel is divided into two parts. In the shorter Part One, Scout, Jem, and Dill are absorbed in childish games and
fantasies. In Part Two, they are forced to face more serious situations. Many events in the early part of the novel, which
at the time seemed merely amusing, foreshadow something that occurs later on. For example, Scout's meeting with the
Cunningham and Ewell boys in the first grade prepares for the later encounter with the adult members of these families
During the first part, Lee constructs a sweet and affectionate portrait of growing up in the vanished world of small town
Alabama. Then she undermines her portrayal of small town gentility, dismantling the sweet façade to reveal a rotten, rural
underside filled with social lies, prejudice, and ignorance. No one in the novel is completely good or evil; every character is
human, with human flaws and weaknesses. Lee even renders Atticus, the paragon of morality, symbolically weak by making
him an older and widowed man, with poor eyesight, rather than young and virile. And even Atticus makes mistakes.
Symbols and Motifs
Motifs tend to be related to themes:

that it is a 'sin to kill a mockingbird'. This motif gives the novel its name, and is also the device by which the two plot
elements are unified – both Boo Radley and Tom Robinson can be seen as the mockingbirds of the title.

the idea of standing in another person's shoes and trying to see things from that person's viewpoint.

The Grey Ghost
Significant Symbols
Mockingbird
- represents innocence. Like hunters who kill mockingbirds for sport, people kill innocence and the innocent without
thought.
The mockingbird motif is mentioned five times:
 when Atticus gives Jem and Scout air guns for Christmas, he tells them not to kill mockingbirds. Miss Maudie
confirms this.
 when B.B. Underwood writes about Tom Robinson's death in his column.
 a mockingbird sings before Bob Ewell attacks Jem and Scout.
 Scout agrees with Atticus that publicising Boo's rescue of them would be like killing a mockingbird.
Boo Radley
- represents fear of the unknown. Small town folks fear that if they act eccentric and fail to adhere to social rules they
too will end up like Boo, isolated and remembered as a grotesque monster. This fear supports the social status quo and
keeps individuals from standing up for that which they believe. Until people can understand and accept Boo, as Scout does
at the end of the book, they will always be stuck in a world filled with fear, lies, and ignorance.
Tom Robinson
- with his withered arm symbolises the crippled powerlessness of the black community. His injury is much more than just
one man's disfigurement; it is not just Tom on trial, but an entire system of injustice. Through Tom, the legal and social
rights of the entire community are called into question. Tom's injury, therefore, represents the injury of all the people he
epitomises.
Guns
- represent false strength. Atticus points out that guns do not prove manhood or bravery, which come from a person's
ability to persevere and fight using wits, heart, and character. Neighbours use and venerate guns to the detriment of
developing their own personal strength.
The Grey Ghost
- echoes Boo Radley. In this book, the character of Stoner's Boy is blamed for things he did not do, and is eventually
exonerated.
the snowman
Jem and Scout use dirt and snow to build a snowman. The dark soil symbolises black people; snow symbolises whites.
Without soil, they cannot build the snowman because there isn't enough snow; by using both soil and snow, they were able to
accomplish their goal. The suggestion is clear - the more we work together, the more we'll accomplish.
the house fire
that burns down Miss Maudie's house and melts the snowman represents the moral outrage and fear of racial mixing, and
also stands for the community's fiery stance on such a thing existing
the mad dog
- the madness of racism that exists Maycomb, made explicit in the language used to describe the shooting and the trial
verdict. When the mad dog appears, it confines the entire (white) neighbourhood to their homes, just as bigotry confines
people. Atticus is relied on to shoot it, just as he is relied on to try to 'shoot' the madness of racism – except, and the
imagery confirms this, they send him out without ammunition the second time.
trees
- traditionally symbolise safety and sanctuary, and do so here. The tree in the Radley's yard allows the children a harmless
and secure means of communicating with Arthur Radley, and their rescue from the murderous hands of Bob Ewell comes
under the same oak tree.
the red geraniums
in Mayella Ewell's yard symbolise her attempts to escape the confines of her 'white trash' situation. The Ewell yard is a
junkyard, but she tries to make it look better. The red geraniums are a symbol of hope, of trying to improve. They can also
be taken to represent the basic goodness of humanity, even when surrounded by corruption and evil.
the white camellia
- white as purity is a traditional symbol. Mrs Dubose's white camellias are her pride and joy. When it is revealed that she
has been addicted to morphine, her pride in one of the only pure things in her life falls neatly into place: the flowers
represent the purity she herself cannot achieve until later, by which time Jem has already cut them down.
Another interpretation is that the whiteness of the flowers represents the racism on the behalf of the whites; this Jem is
not attacking flowers, but racism. The scenes where Jem must work to rebuild the destroyed plants show that racism is
deeply seated and insidious, and will require more than rash actions to remove. As Mrs Dubose says,
Thought you could kill my Snow-on-the-Mountain, did you? Well Jessie says the top's growing
back out. Next time you'll know how to do it right, won't you? You'll pull it up by the roots,
won't you?
The message applying to racism is clear; Jem and Scout, however, are the effective ‘roots' of the society they will
eventually inherit, and so by simply becoming tolerant and open-minded Jem and Scout will ‘uproot' the problem of racism.
Names
The names of some of the characters are profoundly symbolic, with interesting Greek origins:
-
Atticus most likely refers to Attica (or that area of Greece ruled directly by Athens), associated (not always
accurately) with democracy, rationality and civilisation.
-
Heck Tate refers directly to Hector from The Iliad, bringer of justice
-
Dolphus recalls the dolphin mythology of Dionysus (who also connects to Dolphus through the parallel of alcohol)
-
the word Ewell visually evokes the word evil
These mythological aspects of the novel transform the characters from mere residents of the small Southern town of
Maycomb, Alabama, into archetypal figures whose roles become significant through the invocation of their namesakes.
The Novel as a Whole
Characters
 What is the function in the novel of
Jem
His character is able to extend the impact of the very young and naïve narrator, by showing via Scout how a slightly
older, pre-adolescent reacts to the same events that Scout reports so objectively. As well, his maturing from boyhood to
young manhood subtly parallels the changes taking place in the South. His progress reflects the developing Southern
attitudes toward the central issue of racial prejudice.
At the beginning of the novel, he is spirited and carefree; during the second p[art, both Jem and the story undergo a
profound change. As the Tom Robinson plot is developed, Jem becomes a more serious and moody character who carefully
observes the trial. His confidence that Tom will be acquitted and his bitter disappointment at the unfair conviction, show
the extent of his involvement in the issue. When Jem is attacked by Bob Ewell, he suffers a broken am from which he will
never completely recover. This can be seen to be symbolic of what happens to the South in its dawning awareness of
inhumanity and injustice. Jem represents the Southerner who develops a social conscience, who learns to disapprove of the
actions and attitudes of his fellows, and who is permanently scarred in his attempt to overcome existing prejudices.
Like Tom, he has a damaged arm; he and Tom are both victims of Ewell.
Dill
Dill represents the point of view of the outsider. Not from Maycomb, he is an observer rather than participant in the
events that occur. His distress at the outcome of the trial reflects what outsiders would feel at the treatment of Tom. He
also provides a useful catalyst – Scout and Jem take the Radleys for granted, but Dill has neither their fear nor their
familiarity with Boo's existence, so he devises the game to get him to come out. His story-telling and his imagination
encourage Jem and Scout to develop their abilities.
Miss Maudie
In a novel where adult women are generally shown to be hypocritical gossips, and not someone that any young girl would
aspire to emulate or become, Miss Maudie offers a role-model of a sensible, intelligent and highly civilised person, second
only to Atticus in that respect.
Lee also uses her to express ideas about the events that reinforce and support her themes – that it is a sin to kill a
mockingbird, that Atticus is civilised in his heart, that the town trusts him to do right.
Scout's Changing Attitudes
Character and theme: One of the major themes of the novel is the growth and development of the two central children, as
they learn tolerance, and a greater understanding of their society.
The following table briefly outlines the way Scout's attitudes and values have altered by the end of the story. For each
change, identify the main reason – person or incident – for her change.
Attitude to
at beginning
by the end
reason for change
Atticus
takes him for granted;
has no respect for his
talents or character.
has realised that he is unusual;
admires him for standing up for
his convictions.
Sees him defend Tom Robinson;
absorbs her father's lessons and
examples.
Calpurnia
resents her
interference; sees her
as a housekeeper.
realises she cares for Cal and
Cal cares for her. Learns Cal
has a life outside the Finch
household.
going to church with her is the most
important single event
Aunt
Alexandra
Dislikes Alexandra and
is uncomfortable in
her presence; feels
her aunt dislikes her.
appreciates her aunt's strength
of character; realises that her
aunt loves her.
At the missionary society tea, Scout
sees her aunt's concern for Atticus and
her gallant coping with tragedy. After
Ewell's attack, receives her aunt's
loving concern and care
Jem
he is her playmate,
companion, and equal.
recognises that Jem is growing
up and developing attitudes and
interests different from hers.
When Jem tells Atticus that Dill ran
away; the bitterness with which he
reacts to Tom's trial.
Arthur
Radley
she is frightened,
thinks he is a monster
and a 'haint'
learns he is gentle, caring,
looking after her
the blanket in the snow is the turning
point
her ability
to control
her temper
hot-tempered and
quick to fight.
becomes more gentle and
mature; learns to control
herself
must back down from fights because
Atticus asks her to; absorbs the lesson
of Atticus's gentle calm behaviour.
~ to deal
with
hypocrisy
reacts with anger and
bewilderment
that life is not always logical,
consistent, or fair.
watches the trial; attends the
missionary circle
~ to see the
world thru
other's eyes
sees things only from
her own viewpoint
can see things as others might.
the lynch mob; stands on Boo's porch
and looks at the neighbourhood
her sense of
compassion
self-centred; doesn't
consider others at all
shows compassion for Boo +
Jem, Atticus etc
sees Atticus's compassion for Tom and
his family; meets Boo and sees how
kind and gentle he is.
her attitude
to the
concept of
being a lady
loathes and fears the
very idea of becoming
one
learns from Maudie and
Alexandra that there are
positives
Maudie's fire; the missionary circle
Themes
1.
The real meaning of courage is fighting for
what is right, no matter what the cost.
Atticus tries, in the face of threats and insults, to defend
Tom and get him acquitted.
2.
Sometimes courage is shown by walking away
from conflict and not giving in to the
temptation to fight.
Scout walks away from Cecil Jacobs because she doesn't
want to let Atticus down.
3.
Most people are likable once you get to know
them.
Scout fears Boo Radley until she meets him and finds out how
brave and gentle he really is.
4.
It is a sin to kill a mockingbird.
Scout, Atticus and Heck Tate agree that exposing quiet,
reclusive Boo to the community would be cruel.
5.
Hypocrisy and prejudice can be hard to detect
in oneself.
Mrs Merriweather calls the northerners hypocrites and says.
"At least we don't have that sin on our shoulders . . ."
6.
The best way to understand a person is to
stand in their shoes.
By standing on Boo's porch, Scout realises how he has
watched over her and Jem.
7.
All people deserve to be treated with dignity
and compassion.
Atticus is polite and respectful to young Walter Cunningham
though Scout considers him odd and Aunt Alexandra thinks
he is trash
~ Courage takes many forms.
8.
Despite great suffering, Mrs Dubose breaks her morphine
habit before she dies.
~ People need to depend on others and to be
9.
Scout realises how lucky she is after she hears Dill say that
his mother and stepfather pay no attention to him.
depended on by others.
~ Sensitivity to others can lead to sorrow.
10. Dill cries and is sick because of Mr Gilmer's cross-examination
of Tom.
~ We often don't appreciate fully those we
11. Jem and Scout are stunned to learn that their father is a
deadly shot.
are closest to; people do not boast about
their talents.
~ People are more comfortable with a
12. Dolphus Raymond pretends to be a drunk to avoid criticism of
his lifestyle.
~ Basic human decency exists in most
13. Scout's conversation with Walter Cunningham breaks up lynch
mob.
~ People can respect each other even if
14. Atticus respects Mrs Dubose in spite of her vicious criticism
of him.
stereotype than the truth.
people.
they have differing viewpoints.
Symbolism
1.
Each of the following objects or characters has symbolic meaning. Some symbols may have several meanings; some
symbols may have the same meaning as another.
symbol
meaning
explanation
Boo's blanket
friendship, kindness,
protection
Boo protects Scout with the blanket from the cold while she is
watching Miss Maudie's house burn.
Miss Maudie's
big cakes
adulthood
Miss Maudie serves Jem from the big cake instead of giving him a
little one because she feels he is becoming an adult.
Boo Radley
gentleness, innocence,
friendship
Like the mockingbird, Boo is a gentle, harmless individual who
watches over and protects Scout and Jem.
knot-hole in oak
tree
friendship
Boo leaves things for the children as gestures of friendship.
Mrs Dubose's
camellias
forgiveness; strength
Mrs Dubose sends Jem a cut camellia after her death as a sign that
she forgives and actually appreciates the boy; strength in that they
regrow after being destroyed.
Scout's overalls
childhood;
independence,
innocence
Aunt Alexandra thinks Scout is too old to be wearing overalls and
should wear dresses – but she brings them to her after Ewell's
attack.
Tom Robinson
innocence; gentleness
Tom's naive gestures of kindness to Mayella lead to his death. Like
the harmless, innocent mockingbird, he is killed for no good reason.
missionary
circle
hypocrisy; adulthood
The ladies discuss the plight of the Mrunas (a black tribe in Africa)
with concern but crudely criticise Maycomb's blacks.
The Grey Ghost
innocence, mystery
Like Boo and Tom, Stoner's Boy proves to be innocent of the things
for which he was blamed.
Finch's Landing
heritage, hypocrisy
Finch's Landing has been the family home for generations.
Radley house
mystery, boundaries,
isolation
The children avoid the house with its dreadful reputation and yet
they are also fascinated by its mysterious inhabitants.
the red
geraniums
hope, attempt at
something better
Mayella plants and tends her geraniums in the tip that is her home.
Humour in TKAM
1.
Scout explains that Southerners value family history. Since the Finches cannot trace
their lineage back to the Battle of Hastings (1066), some members of the family feel
shame. [1]
irony, hyperbole
2.
Jem's 'reasonable' description of Boo includes unusual height, bloodstained hands, and a
diet of raw animals. [1]
irony, hyperbole
3.
Jem joins a group of adults, forgetting that he is wearing no pants. [6]
sight gag
4.
Scout swears fluently without knowing the meaning of the words she uses. [9]
irony; naivety
5.
After being abused by Mrs Dubose, Scout remarks that she 'took umbrage at Mrs
Dubose's assessment of the family's mental hygiene.' [11]
formal language
understatement
6.
Scout doesn't understand how Atticus can calmly read while 'his only son stood an
excellent chance of being murdered with a Confederate Army relic.' [11]
irony; naivety,
formal language
7.
Scout guesses that the changes in Jem's behaviour as he grows up are signs of a
tapeworm. [12]
naivety
8.
When Aunt Alexandra brags about Cousin Joshua, Jem asks if she means the Joshua who
was locked up for a long time. [13]
irony; naivety
9.
While Atticus lectures about the Finch aristocratic background, Scout searches for a
redbug on her leg. [13]
irony
juxtaposition
10. Atticus says of Mr Cunningham's participation in lynch mob, "He has his blind spots." [16]
understatement
11. Judge Taylor's habit of chewing and spitting up a cigar during court proceedings is
'interesting'. [16]
understatement
12. After Jem scolds Scout for trying to squash a roly-poly (a slater), she comments that
she'd "never known his charity to embrace the insect world." [25]
formal language
13. Jem petitioned God again… [14]
formal language
14. Scout misses her cue and arrives late on stage. [28]
sight gag
15. Scout decides that she and Jem have little left to learn in life, with the possible
exception of algebra. [31]
irony; hyperbole
naivety
16. Having developed my talent to where I could throw up a stick and almost catch it coming
down… [11]
anticlimax
17. "I don't think anyone in Maycomb'll begrudge me a client, with times this hard."
irony,
understatement
hyperbole
18. "…we held off a hundred folks with our bare hands."
Features of Lee's Style
appropriate
dialogue
Atticus
I'm afraid our activities would be received with considerable disapprobation by the
more learned authorities. [3]
We'll consider it sealed without the usual formality. [3]
Scout
What you reckon we oughta do, Jem?
I don't mean to sass you… Francis provocated me enough… [9]
Bob Ewell
I heard Mayella screamin' like a stuck hog...
Miss Maudie
Gracious child, I was ravelling a thread... [5]
Calpurnia
That boy's yo' comp'ny... [3]
Burris Ewell
Ain't no snot-nosed slut of a schoolteacher ever born c'n make me do nothin'. [3]
Reckon I have. I ... et them pecans - folks say he pizened 'em...
Southern
colloquialisms
imagery
jim-dandy; get grown; scuppernongs; catawba worms; yappy [23]; 'nigger'; chillun,
Hot Steams, varmints, fussing (fighting)
metaphor
the starched walls of a pink cotton penitentiary… [13]
Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom. [1]
[Mr Radley] was a thin leathery man [1]
my feathers rose again [14]
Atticus … pinned me to the wall with his good eye. [14]
similes
Miss Caroline ... looked and smelled like a peppermint drop. [2]
... the class was wriggling like a bucketful of catawba worms [2]
[Dill's] hair stuck to his head like duck fluff [1]
shivered like a rabbit [1]
personification
The remains of a picket drunkenly guarded the front yard. [1]
The old house was... droopy and sick.
Other
language
devices
hyperbole
Atticus was feeble; he was nearly fifty. [95]
her hand was wide as a bed slat and twice as hard.. [12]
Dill arrived in a blaze of glory [41]
Scout's ... been readin' ever since she was born. [13]
drew her bosom to giddy heights [134]
understatement
"Ain't scared, just respectful."
irony
Miss Gate and Jews/ local Negroes and her expressed prejudice
"How can you hate Hitler so bad, an' turn round and be ugly about folks right at
home?"
Boo Radley a monster and 'haint' yet saves their lives
symbolism
mockingbird, Grey Ghost, camellias, mad dog, geraniums etc
allusion
General Jackson chasing the Creeks up the creek [1]
nothing to fear but fear itself [11]
a pocket Merlin [14]
second Battle of the Marne [48]
Robert E. Lee Ewell
the Rosetta stone [69]
Narrative Style
Scout as child
narration
We leapt over the low wall that separated Miss Rachel's yard from our driveway.
~ as adult using
hindsight
When enough years had gone by… [1]
We spat ourselves dry. 'morphodite'
In later years, I sometimes wondered exactly what made Jem do it… [11]
It was then, I suppose, that Jem and I first began to part company. [6]
disliked my ingenuous diversions
We acquired no traumas from watching our father win or lose. [17]
innocent
narration giving
an ironic slant
"How can you hate Hitler so bad, an' turn round and be ugly about folks right at home?"
juxtaposition
lecture on being ladylike with Scout scratching a redbug
- asking the missionary circle if it is Mayella they are forgiving (it is Helen)
We'll consider it sealed without the usual formality. / Scout prepares to spit on her hand [2]
'a tenet I absorbed with my baby food' [17]
contrast/parallel
the two mobs, one friendly, one hostile
Miss Maudie's azaleas with Mayella's geraniums
description of Ewell house / Negro settlement
anecdotal
the snowman, the fire, the mad dog + stories of Miss Tutti and Frutti, of Arthur Radley as a
boy etc
episodic
most of the first part is a series of episodes linked by character and motif
climaxes
the guilty verdict is the climax of the trial; within it, minor climaxes include the revelation of
Tom's crippled arm; Ewell's attack is the climax of the combined plots
foreshadowing
Jem's broken elbow; Walter and Burris in chapters 2 and 3; Aunt Alexandra's premonition re
Ewell; Ch 16: 'Jem heard me.' and explained later; 'our longest walk together'
Creation of atmosphere:
~ fear
before the attack by Ewell; escaping the Radley yard; Mrs Dubose house
~ mystery
descriptions of the Radley house
~ tensions
build up to the mad dog; Ewell's threats; the build-up to his attack
~ drama
mad dog; in court
~ pathos
the account of Mayella's life
~ humour
dry wit runs through: Atticus's "No, too old," when challenged to fight by Ewell
~ sordidness
description of the Ewell home