Name Date
Block IB Touchstone
Summary Paragraph:
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is the story of three years in the childhood of Scout and Jem Finch. As an adult narrator, Scout recalls a series of loosely connected episodes which occur in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s – a period of racial segregation and extreme prejudice. Weaving two strands of narrative, Lee presents Boo Radley, the mysterious and reclusive neighbor whom the children find both intriguing and frightening, and the trial of Tom Robinson, a hardworking, innocent black man who is being defended by Scout and Jem’s just and courageous father, Atticus Finch. The two strands of narrative tie together in the end when Boo Radley emerges from his seclusion to save Scout and Jem from a cowardly attack by Bob Ewell, father of the alleged victim, who vowed vengeance after the trial.
Characters:
Scout Finch: strong-willed, intelligent, tomboyish, loyal, quick-tempered
Jem Finch: thoughtful, steadfast, imaginative, maturing
Atticus Finch: just, courageous, insightful, determined
Boo Radley: reclusive, lonely, simple, protective
Discussion/Essay Questions:
1) To Kill a Mockingbird deals with the issue of racial equality, but Harper Lee also includes the strong story line of Boo Radley. How do the Tom Robinson trial and the Boo Radley story combine to make a novel that speaks powerfully of more than just racial equality?
2) What do Jem and Scout finally understand about their father? Explain what he stands for in their own lives and in the lives of many of the townspeople?
3) Discuss the three different views of Tom Robinson’s trial and its outcome as seen by Atticus, Jem and Scout, and the townspeople.
Key Passage:
Chapter 3, page 30: Atticus: “First of all,” he said,” if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
Key Passage Explanation:
Atticus’ entire philosophy of life is summed up in his words to Scout. To be an objective and just community member, one must be able to “climb into” another person’s “skin” and “walk around in it” or be able to see issues from another person’s perspective. Atticus offers these words to Scout after her first day of school when she is upset that the teacher doesn’t understand her efforts to explain Walter Cunningham’s financial situation. These words from Atticus begin her first lessons in life. Atticus shows his attempts to “climb into someone’s skin and walk around in it” when he defends an innocent black man, Tom Robinson, against the town’s wishes, and when he instructs the children to be respectful and compassionate toward Boo Radley, a neighborhood recluse. One of the main themes of the novel is understanding and accepting people who are different from oneself.
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