To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee 1930s - 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. Racial prejudice was alive & well. Although slavery had ended in 1864, old ideas were slow to change. Racial separation (segregation) Prejudice in the novel Race Gender Handicaps Rich/Poor Age Religion Prejudice 1. Injury resulting from an unfair judgment or action of another. 2. A judgment or opinion formed before considering or without knowing the facts. AUTHORS LINKS TO THE NOVELS PLOT AND CHARACTERS Harper Lees father was a Southern lawyer. He served as the prototype for Atticus Finch. Harper Lees age (6 to 8) correlates with Scouts age during , the time period of the book. The courtroom in Maycomb is patterned after the one in Monroeville where Harper Lee observed her father in courtroom proceedings. Some of the novels characters are composites of people Harper Lee knew personally; for example, the author Truman Capote as Dill. Tom Robinsons trial appears to be a composite of many trials in the South, specifically the Scottsboro trials. "The Scottsboro Boys" Trials alleged gang rape of two white girls by nine black teenagers on the Southern Railroad freight run from Chattanooga to Memphis on March 25, The story of the Scottsboro Boys is one of the most shameful examples of injustice in our nation's history. CHARACTERS CHARACTERS ATTICUS FINCH lawyer, father of Scout and Jem; widower JEAN LOUISE SCOUT FINCH adult narrator as story begins; narrates story in retrospect; relates events that begin when she is 6 years old. JEM FINCH Scouts brother, who is 4 years older than she. CHARLES BAKER DILL HARRIS 7- year-old visitor to Maycomb; acts as a catalyst MORE CHARACTERS ARTHUR BOO RADLEY neighborhood recluse CALPURNIA the black housekeeper for the Finch family AUNT ALEXANDRA Scout & Jems aunt MAUDIE ATKINSON friend of Finch family Mrs. Dubose-elderly neighbor, she seems scary to the kids MORE CHARACTERS TOM ROBINSON black man accused of raping a white girl MAYELLA EWELL the girl who accuses Tom of rape BOB EWELL Mayellas father HECK TATE sheriff of Maycomb CHARACTERS AS SYMBOLS Innocence Justice Helpfulness Bigotry Or Prejudice Helplessness JEM SCOUT DILL ATTICUS BOB EWELL CALPURNIA & MAUDIE TOM ROBINSON & BOO QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER 1. What was America like during the time of this book? 2. What is the significance of the title with regards to the plot and symbolism? 3. What experiences and people did Harper Lee rely on in order to develop her plot and characters? 4. Is there still prejudice in America today?