Literature Review
“To Kill A Mockingbird”
Author:
Harper Lee
Author's Background:
Harper Lee (April 28, 1926 – February 19, 2016) was an American author best known for the
Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960). But before It became a standard
reading for millions of young people and an Oscar-winning film, she worked in New York as a
ticket agent for Eastern Airlines and for British Overseas Air Corp (BOAC). She reconnected
with her old pal Truman Capote, who was finding his place in the literary world. She transformed
a series of short stories into "To Kill a Mockingbird". And finally, To Kill a Mockingbird was
published in June of 1960 to instant acclaim and success. Her second novel "Go Set a
Watchman" was released in July, 2015. Harper Lee is being awarded America's highest civilian
honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, for her outstanding contribution to literature. Her
novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and is ranked by the Guinness
Book of World Records as the top selling novel of all time. The novel has sold more than 30
million copies. In 2007, To Kill a Mockingbird won the Quill Award for best audiobook of the
year for its belated debut on audio. Harper Lee's writing style, specifically in To Kill a
Mockingbird, could be described as realistic or straightforward.
, Characters and their Roles:
1. Scout Finch -the story's protagonist and narrator. In Maycomb, Jean Louise "Scout"
Finch resides with her brother Jem, father Atticus, and their Black cook, Calpurnia. She is
smart and a tomboy by the standards of her day and location. . As the story goes on, the
prejudice and hostility that surface during Tom Robinson's trial put this faith to the
test.Over time, Scout gains a more mature viewpoint that allows her to recognize human
goodness while still acknowledging human cruelty.
2. Atticus Finch- Scout and Jem’s father, a lawyer in Maycomb descended from an old
local family. A widower with a dry sense of humor, Atticus has instilled in his children
his strong sense of morality and justice. He is one of the few residents of Maycomb
committed to racial equality. When he agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a Black man
charged with raping a white woman, he exposes himself and his family to the anger of the
white community. Because of his deep moral convictions, intelligence, and sensitivity,
Atticus serves as the moral core of the book.
3. Jem Finch- Jeremy Atticus “Jem” Finch,scout's older brother, who also learns important
lessons about justice and compassion throughout the novel.
4. Calpurnia - The Finch family's black housekeeper, who serves as a mother figure to
Scout and Jem and teaches them valuable lessons about life and morality.
5. Tom Robinson- A black man accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a crime he did not
commit. He becomes the focal point of the novel's exploration of racism and
injustice.Tom is one of the novel’s “mockingbirds,” an important symbol of innocence
destroyed by evil.
6. Mayella Ewell-The daughter of Bob Ewell, who accuses Tom Robinson of rape. She
comes from a poor and abusive family.
7. Bob Ewell -an alcoholic and abusive white man, mostly unemployed member who
belonged to the poorest family in Maycomb. With his willfully false charge that Tom
Robinson sexually assaulted his daughter,Ewell represents the dark side of the South:
ignorance, poverty, squalor, and hate-filled racial prejudice
“To Kill A Mockingbird”
Author:
Harper Lee
Author's Background:
Harper Lee (April 28, 1926 – February 19, 2016) was an American author best known for the
Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960). But before It became a standard
reading for millions of young people and an Oscar-winning film, she worked in New York as a
ticket agent for Eastern Airlines and for British Overseas Air Corp (BOAC). She reconnected
with her old pal Truman Capote, who was finding his place in the literary world. She transformed
a series of short stories into "To Kill a Mockingbird". And finally, To Kill a Mockingbird was
published in June of 1960 to instant acclaim and success. Her second novel "Go Set a
Watchman" was released in July, 2015. Harper Lee is being awarded America's highest civilian
honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, for her outstanding contribution to literature. Her
novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and is ranked by the Guinness
Book of World Records as the top selling novel of all time. The novel has sold more than 30
million copies. In 2007, To Kill a Mockingbird won the Quill Award for best audiobook of the
year for its belated debut on audio. Harper Lee's writing style, specifically in To Kill a
Mockingbird, could be described as realistic or straightforward.
, Characters and their Roles:
1. Scout Finch -the story's protagonist and narrator. In Maycomb, Jean Louise "Scout"
Finch resides with her brother Jem, father Atticus, and their Black cook, Calpurnia. She is
smart and a tomboy by the standards of her day and location. . As the story goes on, the
prejudice and hostility that surface during Tom Robinson's trial put this faith to the
test.Over time, Scout gains a more mature viewpoint that allows her to recognize human
goodness while still acknowledging human cruelty.
2. Atticus Finch- Scout and Jem’s father, a lawyer in Maycomb descended from an old
local family. A widower with a dry sense of humor, Atticus has instilled in his children
his strong sense of morality and justice. He is one of the few residents of Maycomb
committed to racial equality. When he agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a Black man
charged with raping a white woman, he exposes himself and his family to the anger of the
white community. Because of his deep moral convictions, intelligence, and sensitivity,
Atticus serves as the moral core of the book.
3. Jem Finch- Jeremy Atticus “Jem” Finch,scout's older brother, who also learns important
lessons about justice and compassion throughout the novel.
4. Calpurnia - The Finch family's black housekeeper, who serves as a mother figure to
Scout and Jem and teaches them valuable lessons about life and morality.
5. Tom Robinson- A black man accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a crime he did not
commit. He becomes the focal point of the novel's exploration of racism and
injustice.Tom is one of the novel’s “mockingbirds,” an important symbol of innocence
destroyed by evil.
6. Mayella Ewell-The daughter of Bob Ewell, who accuses Tom Robinson of rape. She
comes from a poor and abusive family.
7. Bob Ewell -an alcoholic and abusive white man, mostly unemployed member who
belonged to the poorest family in Maycomb. With his willfully false charge that Tom
Robinson sexually assaulted his daughter,Ewell represents the dark side of the South:
ignorance, poverty, squalor, and hate-filled racial prejudice
