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To Kill a Mockingbird

A novel by: Harper Lee

Picture found at: http://mockingbird.chebucto.org 2

Harper Lee

  Born 1926 in Monroeville, AL

  Very Private Person   Early 1950s

  Studied law   Airline hostess   Began writing some

during this time

Harper Lee

 Youngest of four children

 1957 – submitted manuscript for her novel; was urged to rewrite it

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Harper Lee cont.

 To Kill a Mockingbird published in 1960   Took 2 ½ years to write   Very Popular   Best Seller for 1 ½ years   Made into a movie

 1961: Pulitzer Prize for Fiction  1966 - was one of two persons named by

President Johnson to the National Council of Arts

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Similarities Between Novel and Author’s Life

Novel is NOT autobiographical   Towns

  Monroeville & Maycomb: similar layout and size

  Fathers   Both Lawyers   Lee’s father’s middle is Finch; Finch is the last name of family   Both had genuine humility and natural dignity

  Time Frame   Lee same age as Scout at the time the story takes place

Picture found at: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/98/mock/

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Setting

  Maycomb, AL   1933-1935

  During the Great Depression   Deep South

  Segregation and Racism

Historical Background

 Two Huntsville Mill Girls Hobo to Chattanooga   Hobos were generally migrant workers who

wandered from place to place without a permanent home or job

  Hoboing was the practice of jumping on trains without a ticket to gain free passage to another location generally to look for a job.

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Scottsboro Case

  Victoria Price   21 years old   Known prostitute   Employed at Margaret

Spinning Mill

  Ruby Bates   17 years old   Quiet and well behaved   Employed at Margaret

Spinning Mill

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Scottsboro Case

  The Alleged Rape   According to Price’s

testimony:   African-American men

forced white men off train

  Six men raped Price and Bates

The Defendants

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Scottsboro Case

  A Lynching Spirit   Officials maintain a

peaceful crowd   Armed soldiers on guard

inside and outside the courtroom

  An estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people gather outside the courthouse

Outside the Courtroom

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Scottsboro Case

 The Trial   April 6, 1931 – April 9, 1931

 Witnesses  Price and Bates  One white man (corroborated)  Nine African-American men  Acquaintance of women (did not corroborate)  Physician

 Eight of nine men sentenced to death

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Scottsboro Case  Trial Continues

  November 7, 1932 United States Supreme Court orders new trial

  March 27, 1933 the new trial begins   Famous New York defense attorney Samuel S.

Leibowitz   Two physicians refute that multiple rapes occurred   Ruby Bates openly denies rapes occurred

  April 9, 1933 first defendant found guilty   Judge James Horton overturns conviction

  April 1, 1935 United States Supreme Court reversed all convictions

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Parallels Between Scottsboro and Tom Robinson Trials

1930s 1930s

Northern Alabama Southern Alabama

Rape charge by white women against African-American men

Rape charge by a white woman against an African-American man

Poor white status of accusers a critical issue

Poor white status of Mayella a critical issue

Central figure is a heroic judge Central figure is Atticus, who defends an African-American man

Judge goes against public sentiment

Atticus arouses anger in community defending Robinson

Jury ignores evidence Jury ignores evidence

Scottsboro Trial Tom Robinson’s Trial

SETTING OF THE NOVEL

 Southern United States  1930’s

  Great Depression   Prejudice and legal segregation   Ignorance

1930’s - Great Depression began when the stock market crashed in October, 1929

  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.”

Life During the 1930s   The Great Depression sweeps the

nation – Many families do not even have money for basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter.

  The per capita income for families in Alabama (and Oklahoma) is $125 - $250 a year

  Many southern blacks pick cotton for a living

  Franklin D. Roosevelt is President

Racial prejudice was alive & well. Although slavery had ended in 1864,

old ideas were slow to change.

Racial Separation (Segregation)

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Legal Segregation in Alabama, 1923-1940

  No white female nurses in hospitals that treat black men

  Separate passenger cars for whites and blacks

  Separate waiting rooms for whites and blacks

  Separation of white and black convicts

  Separate schools   No interracial marriages   Segregated water fountains   Segregated theatres

Gender Bias (Prejudice)

 Women were considered “weak”  Women were generally not educated for

occupations outside the home   In wealthy families, women were

expected to oversee the servants and entertain guests

 Men not considered capable of nurturing children

Legal Issues of the 1930’s which impact the story

  Women given the right to vote in 1920

  Juries were MALE and WHITE

  “Fair trial” did not include acceptance of a black man’s word against a white man’s

Social Class in the Novel

This is probably similar to how class structure existed during the 1930’s in the South. The wealthy, although fewest in number, were most powerful. The blacks, although great in number, were lowest on the class ladder, and thus, had the least privileges.

Examples of each social class:

Wealthy - Finches

Country Folk - Cunninghams

“White Trash” – Ewells

Black Community – Tom Robinson

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Point of View

  1st Person   Told by someone in the story. The “I” person is the narrator also.

Everything is told from one perspective.

  2nd Person   Told from the you perspective. Very rarely used and a difficult form

to write in.

  3rd Person   Told from an outside force looking in. This narrator is all knowing

and sees everything. The perspectives of all the characters can be seen.

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To Kill a Mockingbird’s Point of View

In this novel the story is told from Scout’s point of view (1st person).

The novel is primarily told by the child, Scout, but the narrator also uses the fact that it has

been years since the event to fill in other details (showing maturity).

Themes

  Racial Prejudice   Social Snobbery   Morality   Tolerance   Patience   Equality   The Need for Compassion   The Need for Conscience

Reading the Novel

  Setting is all important –be aware of the “where” and “when” as you begin

  Point of View – the novel is shaped by the voice of a young girl who sees the story from a position of naïve acceptance

  “Goodness vs. Ignorance (Evil)” is an important theme

"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

Symbolism

 The Mockingbird: Symbolizes Everything That is Good and Harmless in This World   The mockingbird only sings to please others and

therefore it is considered a sin to shoot a mockingbird. They are considered harmless creatures who give joy with their song.

  The mockingbird image or symbol appears four times in the novel.

  Two characters in the novel symbolize the mockingbird: Tom Robinson & Boo Radley.