To Kill a Mockingbird

When writing a “To Kill a Mockingbird” essay, keep in mind Harper Lee’s 1960 novel is a Pulitzer Prize winning classic.  It was well-received at the time and is still loved and admired by new readers today.  One of the reasons the story is so successful is that Lee uses archetypes to present a world of good and evil that is easy for audiences to understand.  Atticus Finch is the archetypal hero, defending the good; Bob Ewell is the archetypal villain, pursuing evil at all costs even unto his own destruction.  In this article, we’ll take a look at a list of related topics that a student could use to write a paper on this book.  We’ll also provide a summary, analysis, quick description of characters, some good quotes, and a short list of themes.  Let’s get started!

The novel’s main conflict is embedded in the issue of racism.  If you wanted to make this your main topic, you could explore how race impacts the characters of the novel and whether racist attitudes prevail.  What attributes does the hero display that suggests a positive approach to the problem of racism?

The outcome of the trial suggests that the American system of criminal justice is flawed.  In some ways, it reflects the same message as that made by 12 Angry Men.  Is trial by a jury of one’s peers really the best approach to justice, especially when the defendant is likely to be viewed with hostility by the members of the jury?

Mob violence is a problem in the novel, and at one point the children shame a mob into dispersing.  While the realities of mob violence are typically much more harrowing, the point that Lee makes in the book is one similar to that made by Shakespeare in Julius Caesar when Brutus incites the mob to violence following the assassination of the title character.  Mobs are unruly and unthinking in their actions and many innocents can suffer.  Yet at times these same mobs feel there is no other recourse to justice because of an inept system.

Boo Radley represents neighborliness as does Atticus, though the former is private while the latter is public.  How do their two representations of neighborliness reflect on the overall themes of the novel?  What do their two approaches to neighborliness suggest about the nature of community?

Atticus insists on virtue in his own life as well as in that of his children.  Moreover, he sets the example of virtuous behavior so that his children can see how one should behave.  How does the example set by Atticus impact his children?  What are some examples of virtue that they demonstrate in the novel?  What does it mean to be virtuous and where does the term originate?

Atticus personifies the good in the novel.  He is the archetypal good character—the hero who does what is right in spite of the pressures he faces.  In what ways is “the good” depicted in the novel?  What makes Atticus particularly heroic?

Bob Ewell personifies evil in the novel.  He is duplicitous and spiteful.  His venom inevitably leads to his own death.  How is his story and character different from that of Atticus?  How do the two contrast?  Is Bob Ewell sympathetic in any way or is he thoroughly and utterly corrupt and irredeemable?

The story is a coming of age tale in some ways, both for Scout and Jem, who go through a maturation process over the course of the novel’s telling.  The story is told from Scout’s perspective, as she looks back from her adulthood.  Does the fact that the story is told essentially from an adult’s point of view but through the eyes of a child undermine the coming of age narrative since the narrator has already come of age and is simply retelling the story?

As the story is told from the point of view of a child, it retains a great deal of innocence and avoids having to deal with some of the more grisly aspects of life that might be depicted were the novel more “adult” in its orientation.  Is innocence lost, however, by the end of the novel—or is it maintained?  And is innocence something that can be carried forward into adulthood?

There is a sense in the novel that although judgment through the justice system might be lacking, a higher judgment prevails in all things.  How does the novel reflect this idea?  Do you agree that a higher judgment tends to come around, delivering that which is deserved to all parties in the end?

Set over the course of three years during the Great Depression in Maycomb, Alabama, the novel is told using first-person narration.  The narrator is the adult Jean Louise Finch; the events she describes take place during her childhood.  As a child, she goes by the name Scout.  Her older brother is Jeremy, who goes by the name Jem.  Their father is Atticus Finch, a lawyer and the main hero of the novel.  The two Finch children befriend Dill, a boy who spends his summers in Maycomb.  The three children make up stories about Boo Radley, a recluse who lives nearby.  After a couple summers pass, the children start receiving small gifts left for them by Boo.

In the meantime, Atticus has been appointed by Judge Taylor to defend an African American man named Tom Robinson.  Tom has been accused of rape by Mayella Ewell, daughter of Bob Ewell, who has a reputation for drunkenness throughout the town.  Atticus becomes scorned by some of the racists in the town and his children are harassed.  When a lynch mob gathers to hang Tom, the children defend both Tom and Atticus and convince the mob to disband.

The children watch the trial from the balcony reserved for African-Americans.  Though the court room is segregated, there are no seats left for whites and the children are invited to sit there by the Reverend Sykes.  The children watch as Atticus provides proof that Mayella is lying about being raped by Tom.  The jury shows its racism by finding Tom guilty nonetheless.

Though Tom is found guilty, Bob Ewell’s reputation has been destroyed by Atticus.  Bob spits at Atticus and promises to avenge himself.  Tom meanwhile is killed by prison guards when he allegedly attempts an escape.  Bob attacks Atticus’s children.  Jem’s arm is broken in the attack and Bob is killed by his own knife.  Boo Radley also appears to defend the children and carry the hurt Jem home.  The police investigate the scene and conclude that Bob fell on his own knife.  Atticus thinks Jem killed him but accepts the opinion of the police.  Scout thinks Boo might have done it.  Nonetheless, Scout looks kindly on both Boo and Atticus, who nurses Jem to health.

The novel uses the backdrop of the Great Depression in the South to frame a battle between Good and Evil.  Atticus Finch represents the good man, who does his duty without prejudice, while Bob Ewell represents the bad man, full of spite, prejudice and violence.  Atticus tries to save Tom by working within the system of justice provided to the characters—but ultimately he is unable to save him because corruption exists within the system.  As the system of justice does not function properly without properly motivated individuals with properly formed hearts and minds, the system relies upon the development of good will.  If good will is lacking, however, the system of justice is more than likely to be considerably faulty.

The story of Atticus thus indicates that in order for a society to function as it should, everyone must strive to uphold the ideals and virtues embodied by the novel’s hero.  In other words, every member of society is called upon to act heroically.  Other characters who respond to this call in their own ways are Boo Radley, who comes to the defense of the children in their hour of peril, and the children themselves who defend Atticus and Tom from the lynch mob.

The main hero of the novel, he is the widowed father of Jem and Scout.  He is a trial lawyer and he is appointed to defend the African American Tom Robinson, who is accused by Mayella Ewell and her father of rape.  Atticus proves Tom’s innocence but loses the case anyway.  He never shows resentment or a mean spirit but constantly demonstrates himself as a man of good will.

The oldest of Atticus’s two children, Jem is the brother of Scout.  He is attacked at the end of the novel by Bob Ewell and injured in the fight.  It is suggested that Jem possibly kills Bob, but Lee takes care to leave it ambiguous.  Jem is carried home by Boo and nursed to health by Atticus in the end.

The youngest child of Atticus and sister to Jem, she tells the story as an adult but as though still a child seeing the events unfold for the first time.  Scout’s perspective allows for the events of the story to unfold as though through a veil of innocence.

A summer resident of the town, Dill befriends Jem and Scout.  Together they speculate as to the character of Boo Radley and discuss the reasons for his reclusiveness.  Dill makes up the third child of the trio that serves as the guide for the reader through its difficult moments.

The judge is the one who appoints Atticus to the role of defense attorney for Tom Robinson.  The judge presides over a court in a system that is heavily flawed, as the outcome of the trial indicates but does allow Atticus time to prepare an adequate defense.

Somewhat of a hapless character, Tom is the unfortunate African American who is wrongfully accused of rape.  He is defended well by Atticus but still convicted by a racist jury.  He is later killed while attempting an escape though it is unclear as to whether this escape was actual or just imagined by the police.

The daughter of Bob, she is shown to be so starved for affection that she is the one who actually makes advances towards Tom, who rebuffs her.  Feeling scorned, she concocts the story of rape and along with her father persecutes Tom.

Bob has a bad reputation throughout town and is known for his drinking.  He is vengeful and full of malice.  His name is utterly destroyed by Atticus during the trial and he vows revenge.  He attacks the Finch children on their way home and is killed by his own knife during the melee.

The sheriff judges that Bob fell on his own knife during the fight and that no one is responsible for taking his life other than himself.  The sheriff’s judgment suggests that the law has had enough of Bob and would rather sweep the whole thing under the rug than deal with any of it anymore.  It also suggests that the sheriff believes Bob had it coming and that he is willing to let Bob’s killer go, if indeed he was killed by someone in the fight.

The children’s savior, Boo spends most of the book in his home as a recluse.  His kindly character is hinted out, however, as he often leaves gifts for the children outside his home.

“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing except make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corn cribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”—Miss Maudie to Scout, after Scout hears Atticus tell Jem that it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird:  Atticus tells Jem that he would prefer the boy shot at tin cans but, knowing Jem will shoot at birds the father tells his son that he may shoot at blue jays but not at mockingbirds.  The mockingbird thus becomes a symbol for the good:  it is the animal that never causes harm but devotes its life to helping the rest of creation.

“If you shouldn’t be defendin’ him, then why are you doin’ it?”

“For a number of reasons,” said Atticus.  “The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again.”

“You mean if you didn’t defend that man, Jem and me wouldn’t have to mind you any more?”

“That’s about right.”—a conversation between Atticus and Scout after Scout is told by her peers that her father is defending a Negro and shouldn’t be.  Atticus explains to Scout that it is his duty as a lawyer to provide every defendant that he represents with a defense and that if he failed in his duty he would not be able to expect others to do theirs.  In other words, Atticus in this conversation explains the main theme of duty in the novel to the narrator.

“This time we aren’t fighting the Yankees, we’re fighting our friends.  But remember this, no matter how bitter things get, they’re still our friends and this is still our home.”--Atticus to Scout after telling her that it is unlikely that he will be successful in defending Tom because of the nature of the south and its racism.  Still, Atticus reflects that he has to fight the good fight, even if he knows he will lose.  He also explains to Scout that even if they do lose they must not resent their friends in the community because this would be a lack of love on their part.

“Grandma says all men should learn to cook, that men oughta be careful with their wives and wait on ‘em when they don’t feel good.”—a comment made by Scout’s cousin, which underlines the theme of family in the novel and the need for members of a family to look out for one another lovingly.

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”—Atticus to Scout in one of the novel’s more famous lines, which shows that in order for people to get along they have to suspend judgment and approach one another with empathy.

Justice is a problem in the novel.  The courts are supposed to see that justice is served, yet they are ineffective in achieving their purpose in the case of Tom Robinson.  Atticus does his job exceptionally well, but in the end the outcome is rather tragic than happy.  Justice comes in a sense for Bob Ewell, as his life is taken—but so too is Tom’s regrettably.  Justice is thus somewhat only partially served.  The novel seems to suggest that justice on this earth is not guaranteed in any sense.  Atticus indicates that charity is in fact just as important as justice.  Though he suspects Jem in having a role in Bob’s death, he accepts the conclusion of the sheriff that Bob fell on his own knife without pressing the issue.  He even nurses Jem back to health, sitting up by his bedside throughout the night.  The character of Atticus suggests that charity may be more important, in some ways, than justice and that if there were more charity in the world, the problems of society could be more effectively addressed.