To Kill a Mockingbird

“The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box.”

Part One

The story is set in the 1930s in Maycomb, Alabama, and is narrated by Scout Finch, a young girl. She lives with her older brother Jem and their father, Atticus Finch, a principled lawyer. The children are fascinated by their reclusive neighbor, Arthur “Boo” Radley, whom they have never seen. Along with their friend Dill, they invent games about Boo, trying to lure him out.

As summer ends, Scout starts school and clashes with her teacher due to her advanced reading skills. Meanwhile, Atticus is appointed to defend Tom Robinson, a Black man falsely accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. The town’s racial tensions rise, and Scout and Jem endure insults about their father.

Part Two

The trial begins, and despite clear evidence of Tom’s innocence—including Mayella’s injuries suggesting her father, Bob Ewell, was the real abuser—the all-white jury convicts Tom. Atticus’s defense exposes the deep-seated racism in Maycomb. Later, Tom is shot dead while trying to escape prison.

Bob Ewell, humiliated by the trial, seeks revenge. He harasses Tom’s widow and spits in Atticus’s face. On Halloween night, he attacks Scout and Jem in the dark. Boo Radley intervenes, stabbing Ewell to save them. The sheriff covers up Boo’s involvement to protect him, and Scout finally meets the kind but timid man she once feared.

Key Ideas

• Racial injustice and moral courage in the face of prejudice.
• The loss of childhood innocence through exposure to societal flaws.
• Empathy and understanding others’ perspectives (“climbing into their skin”).
• The coexistence of good and evil in individuals and communities.
• Social class and gender roles in the Depression-era South.

Notable Adaptations