To Kill a Mockingbird Authors Style, Setting, Point-of-View, Characters, Themes, Symbolism, and Terms Authors Style Nelle Harper Lee Born April 28,1926 in Monroeville, Alabama Maycomb, Alabama--modeled on authors hometown. Her father was a lawyer. He and her ancestor, Robert E. Lee, the Civil War General, are used to create the character, Atticus. The Finch name came from her mothers maiden name Frances Finch. Harper Lee cont. Wrote To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960 to call attention to race issues teach the need to refrain from judging others Witnessed prejudice in her childhood the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s Lees Style Highly descriptive *** Imagery helps to create MOOD *** MOOD helps to build THEME Uses Southern dialect, including colloquialisms/vernacular (Southern slang and figures of speech) Setting Setting Southern United States 1930s Great Depression and poverty, which affected the books KEY ISSUE: prejudice and legal racial segregation Ignorance Stock market crashed Oct Businesses failed, factories closed People were out of work Even people with money suffered because nothing was being produced for sale. Poor people lost their homes, were forced to live off the land The Great Depression Legal Issues Affect the Novel Women given the right to vote in 1920 Juries were MALE and WHITE Fair trial based on social strata Wealthy Whites Normal Whites Poorer Whites Any other race Women considered based on race (White) and social status The Scottsboro Trials 9 Black males arrested & accused of raping a White woman (March 1931) 8 sentenced to death (9 th too young) Repeated appeals 4 finally released with all charges dropped in 1937 Other 4 held in prisonlast released in 1976 Point-of-View Point-of-View First person Story is told by a grown woman looking back on her childhood at age 10 Real name: Jean Louise Finch Nickname: Scout, a 10-year-old girl Author Harper Lee is actually a woman; Scout represents the author as a little girl, although the story is not strictly autobiographical Characters in the Novel Characters of To Kill a Mockingbird Jean Louise Scout Finch - FEMALE. The narrator and protagonist of the story. Atticus Finch - Scout and Jems father, a lawyer in Maycomb who is descended from an old local (respected) family. He is considered honest and fair. Jeremy Atticus Jem Finch - Scouts brother and constant playmate at the beginning of the story. Charles Baker Dill Harris - Jem and Scouts summer neighbor and friend. He has a wild imagination to escape his experiences. Characters, cont. Arthur Boo Radley - A recluse who never sets foot outside his house, Boo dominates the imaginations of Jem, Scout, and Dill. Bob Ewell - A drunken, mostly unemployed member of Maycombs poorest family. Miss Maudie Atkinson - The Finches neighbor, and an old friend of the family. Calpurnia - The Finches black cook. Characters, cont. Aunt Alexandra - Atticuss sister, a strong- willed woman with a fierce devotion to her family. She is adamant about proper behavior. Mayella Ewell - Bob Ewells abused, lonely, unhappy daughter. She accuses Tom Robinson of raping her. Tom Robinson - The black field hand accused of rape. Link Deas - Tom Robinsons boss. Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose - An elderly, ill-tempered, racist woman who lives near the Finches. Nathan Radley - Boo Radleys older brother. Heck Tate - The sheriff of Maycomb and a major witness at Tom Robinsons trial. Characters, cont. Mr. Underwood - The publisher of Maycombs newspaper. Mr. Dolphus Raymond - A wealthy white man who lives with his black mistress and mulatto children. Mr. Walter Cunningham - A poor farmer and part of the mob that seeks to lynch Tom Robinson at the jail. Walter Cunningham - Son of Mr. Walter Cunningham and classmate of Scout. Characters, cont. Uncle Jack Finch- Scout and Jems bachelor uncle -- they visit every Christmas Miss Rachael-Dills aunt who lives next to the Finches Reverend Sykesa Negro minister who takes care of Scout and Jem during the trial Judge John TaylorThe presiding judge at the trial Mr. GilmerThe prosecuting attorney at the trial Characters, cont. Miss Stephanie CrawfordA gossipy neighbor who knows the family histories of the entire neighborhood. Miss Caroline FisherOne of Scouts teachers Mrs. MerriweatherA local lady who writes the Halloween pageant Themes of the Novel (1) The Coexistence of Good and Evil Most important theme Exploration of the moral nature of human beings (whether people are essentially good or essentially evil) Transition: nave Jem and Scout to children confronted by true evil (2) The Importance of Moral Education How Jem and Scout move from innocence to adulthood The children learn directly and indirectly Lessons on sympathy and understanding Compare/contrast Atticus approach with Miss Carolines approach (3)The Existence of Social Inequality (A) Racial Prejudice (B) Social Class (Economic) Prejudice (C) Gender Prejudice Subthemes of The Existence of Social Inequality (A) Racial Prejudice Slavery ended in the 1860s Prejudice still strong in the 1930s (setting) Jim Crow Laws against cohabitation, residence, education, and services (B) Social Class (Economic) Prejudice: The White Trash Idea Great Depression Era Need to Oppress Finches near the top Most townspeople Cunninghams and poor whites White trash (Ewells) (C) Gender Bias (Prejudice): The White Goddess Concept Women considered weak & delicate usually only taught to be housewives/mothers expected to oversee servants & entertain guests Literary Terms New Terms Bildungsromana coming of age story where characters mature and learn vital, sometimes disturbing, lessons about life Whoever comes of age is a changing, or _____, character. Style (authors style)based on word choice; helps to create mood and build themes Details of the term... Symbolism Symbolism is the use of a person, a place, an object, or an activity that stands for something beyond itself. A symbol means something more than its literal meaning. The mockingbird in the novel is a symbol of innocence. Throughout the book, a number of characters (Jem, Tom Robinson, Dill, Boo Radley, Mr. Raymond) can be identified as mockingbirds innocents who have been injured or destroyed through contact with evil. Foreshadowing The Gothic elements of the novel (fire, mad dog) build tension that subtly foreshadows Tom Robinsons trial. Burris Ewells appearance in school foreshadows the nastiness of Bob Ewell. The presents that Jem and Scout find in the oak tree foreshadows the eventual discovery of Boo Radleys good-heartedness. Motifs Gothic Details In literature, the term Gothic refers to a style of fiction first popularized in eighteenth century England. * supernatural occurrences * gloomy and haunted settings * full moons Gothic details in To Kill a Mockingbird * unnatural snowfall * fire that destroys Miss Maudies house * The childrens superstitions about Boo Radley * The mad dog that Atticus shoots * Small Town Life