Book Report SPRING BREAK EDITION - To Kill A Mockingbird

Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. New York, NY. HarperCollins Books: 1999.

I chose this book because I realized I have never read it (for some reason every class I was in never read it) and it is probably one of the most referenced, appreciated, classic book in literature. So, I picked it up to see what the hype was about. It takes place in the 1930's in a town called Maycomb, Alabama.


The story is narrated by a six year old girl who goes by the name Scout, who lives with her older brother Jem and her father Atticus. The kids and their friend Dill are fascinated by a neighbor man named Boo Radley, who is never seen anymore. They talk about rumors that describe how he might look and why he is hiding. The kids start to discover small gifts being left in a hole in a tree outside of the Radley house for them. Atticus, who is a lawyer, agrees to defend a black man named Tom Robinson who is accused of raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell. This is subject to much controversy from the townspeople. The time for the trial comes along and Atticus doesn't want the children to watch it, so the kids sneak in and watch from a balcony where the "colored folk" sit. As the trial goes on, Atticus questions Bob Ewell, the town drunk and father of Mayella. Ewell says how he came from the woods on the day of the "rape" and heard his daughter scream and looked in the window of the house and saw his daughter being raped by Tom Robinson. Afterwards Atticus tells him to write his name to prove he is left-handed (because bruises on the right side of Mayella's face (supposedly from Tom Robinson) were most likely from a person hitting her with their left hand). Mayella testifies after her father and says she called Tom inside the house to do some chores for her, and then he preceded to take advantage of her. Atticus cross examines her with great questions, one asking how Tom could have committed the crime if his left hand is ruined from an accident with a cotton gin from childhood. When the prosecution rests, Atticus calls Tom to the stand and asks him his side of the story. He says when he was passing by the Ewell home, like he does every day, Mayella called him in. He did some chores and one of them involved him getting on top of a chair to get a box down from on top of a dresser. While he stood, Mayella grabbed his legs, startling him enough for him to jump down. She wrapped her arms around his waist and told him to kiss her and Bob caught her through the window, called her a whore and even threatened to kill her. Tom then ran away. Mr. Gilmer, the prosecutor, cross examines him and badgers him. The kids leave the courtroom for a bit and return when Atticus is imploring the jury to see Tom as not guilty. Atticus sends them home afterwards. Tom is convicted and later he is shot and killed trying to escape from prison. Bob Ewell makes threats to Atticus for making him look like a fool. Jem is sad about how unjst it is and Scout even asks him how her third grade teacher, when she lectures on how horrible Hitler was and how important equality is, could preach about equality when she said racist things when she exited the courtroom on the day of the trial. Ewell causes mischeif around town with the people involved with the trial and on Halloween night, he attempts to kill Jem and Scout when they are returning home from a school play. In the dark of the night the struggle ensues and Jem gets his arm broken and knocked unconcious. The fighting is stopped and after a few moments Scout who is unharmed sees a man in the light of the streetlight carrying Jem towards their house. When they get home Atticus calls the sheriff while Aunt Alexandra calls a doctor. They both arrive and the sheriff says Bob Ewell is dead with a knife in him under a tree. Scout tells everyone what happened and realizes the man that carried Jem is Boo Radley. The sheriff decides to call Ewell's death an accident even though every one knows Boo Radley did it to protect the kids because Tom Robinson died for no reason and Ewell was responsible and he also says that Boo doesn't need to be bothered by all of the townsfolk. Scout and Boo say good night to Jem and Scout walks Boo home. She goes back to her home and Atticus reads to her until she falls asleep.

Boo Radley is a reclusive man is involved in the story in a strange way. The rumors about him fuel the imgatinations of the kids at the beginning of the story and then it seems as though he isn't going to be talked about again. But then randomly he is the one to save the kids from being killed. He sort of adds another message to the main "equality is hard to find but very valuable" message that you get from the story. The message I think Boo adds is just simply something along the lines of "prejudice is bad." Simple, but powerful nonetheless.

I liked the novel. It delivers a good message and is realistic when it shows the reactions of children in the face of the injustice that went on. This makes the message even more powerful. And the fact that it was released in 1960 makes me have much respect for it because that was another time when people needed a lesson on equality.

I have never heard of Harper Lee before this book so I have not a clue what she has written before. I didn't even know she was a woman until I read the sleeve. It doesn't look like I'll be reading another book by her but I do see why this one is such a classic now.