Finals Book Report

I. Introduction/General Information about the Book

• Title: To Kill A Mocking Bird

• Author: Harper Lee

• Type of Book:  Novel, Classic, Fiction

II. Characters

Main Character: Jean Louise Finch (Scout)
Jean Louise Finch, most commonly referred to as Scout, is the narrator of the story. She's just a child so she is pretty innocent and very curious. Innocent since she hasn't seen much of the evils of the world yet, and curious because she just can't seem to stop thinking about the Radley place nor eavesdropping on her father's talks with other people. She can be instinctive for when the people called her father a 'nigger-lover' she gets angry and fights them without actually knowing what 'nigger-lover' means. She is a bit of a tomboy seeing as she likes to pick fights with other people and prefers to wear overalls to dresses. And despite being just 8 years old, she seems to be very intelligent and really likes to read.

I can identify with the main character when she's being curious. When I was a child, I would do everything I could to learn about something that has caught my interest. I'm still a curious person now but not like when I was a child, I know that there are limitations now.

Supporting Characters:
Atticus Finch is the father of Scout and Jem. He is a very good lawyer and was given the case of Tom Robinson who was accused of rape. He took on the case without hesitation even though chances of him winning are slim because Tom Robinson is black. He is one of a few people in their neighborhood who is against racism.
Jeremy Atticus Finch, most commonly referred to as Jem, is the older brother of Scout. He and Scout are very close but get into fights most of the time. He distances himself from Scout when they got older though. You can clearly see how Jem matured throughout the story. He was just a typical boy at first; he liked to play games and discover things about the mysterious Boo Radley. He eventually stopped doing those things. He also truly believed that Tom Robinson would not be pledged guilty even though the jury was supremely biased. He was therefore very disappointed when justice didn't prevail and Tom was said to be guilty.
Dill Harris is the neighbor and friend of Jem and Scout. He is very curious about Boo Radley and he would do anything to make him go out of his house or catch a glimpse of him. He goes to Maycomb every summer and stays over at his aunt's place. He hasn't seen his real father yet, but his mother re-married. He often gets the feeling that he is unloved by his mother and step-father which made him run away to Maycomb.

III. Setting

The story is set in the fictional county of Maycomb, Alabama at the 1930's during the Great Depression. The town is said to be very small that the Finches might be related to nearly every person there. The town being small would make rumors spread easily and fast. Everybody knows everything about anybody. The story happened when racism was common. The whites still saw the blacks as inferior to them. You could also see the effects of the Great Depression where there were a lot of people living in poverty.

IV. Plot

• Jem and Scout met Dill Harrison and they found the mystery of Boo Radley interesting. They constanlty devise plans to make him come out or to just catch a glimpse of him. They always fail at their attempts though, or Atticus catches them and make them leave the poor person alone.
• Atticus was appointed to take on the case of Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Jem and Scout have a hard time at school because of this. Scout always gets into fights with the other children who call her father a 'nigger-lover'
• Jem and Scout weren't allowed to go to the trial but they go anyway. They take Dill with them. There was strong evidence that Tom Robinson didn't rape Mayella but her father did. Even though that was the case, the jury was extremely biased and they say still say he's guilty.
• Tom Robinson died when he was trying to escape prison. He had seventeen bullet shots in him. Atticus was the first one to know and he was looking for accompaniment so that he could tell Tom's wife.
• A few unfortunate events happened to the people that were involved in the case: Judge Taylor's house was almost broken into; Tom's wife, Helen, was being disturbed by Bob Ewell; and Atticus was spat on the face and threatened by Bob Ewell.
• Bob Ewell almost got his revenge on Atticus by ambushing Jem and Scout when they were on their way home from school. Scout survived with only a few scratches and bruises but Jem got a broken arm. They were rescued by Arthur 'Boo' Radley. Bob was killed sometime during the struggle. The sheriff told Atticus who was convincing everybody that Jem killed Bob, that Bob killed himself by falling on his knife. The truth is that Boo was the one who killed him but the sheriff just remained quiet about it and as Scout says it, telling everybody that Boo killed Bob "it'd be sort of like shooting a mockingbird"

V. Theme
The author is trying to say a lot of things. First is that she's trying to tell the world of racial injustice, that there are a lot people who still think of blacks and whites as not equal. She's also trying to say that before we judge others we should try to imagine ourselves in their shoes.

The book showed me that there is injustice everywhere. Even in a trial where there is undeniable evidence that a crime has not been a said person's doing, people will find a way to say that that person is guilty and that the majority will just let it be because they have nothing more they can do. The book also showed me that things are not always what they seem. A lot of rumors might be circulating about a person but we shouldn't judge them by those rumors.

One problem is about Boo Radley and his mysteriousness. A lot of people are saying that he was a rebellious child and that made his parents lock him in the cellar. It was also said that he shoved scissors to his father's leg. The mystery of Boo Radley was never really solved but throughout the story it was shown that Boo isn't really that bad of a person. He left Jem and Scout presents at a hole in a tree and he saved their lives when they were attacked.

VI. Evaluation of the Book
I don't really go for books of this type but I recently saw this in a show and I was intrigued by it. I honestly say that I love the book. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Having Scout narrate the book was especially funny. I got to see how a kid's mind works during these times. How she got really curious with the Radley place and the things they do to make Boo Radley go out. And the trial of Tom Robinson. How they reacted when he was told to be guilty, it's not how I imagined kids would react. What I would have liked better was if the author expounded on Dill and Scout's relationship. I know they're kids but their little bits of romance were undeniably cute. I would definitely re-read this someday and I would recommend this to a lot of people. I even got around to watching the movie, even though it's black and white. It's just different to see the book's characters moving and really talking.