Comprehensive information and links about To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird is a 1960 novel by Harper Lee, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961. It was made into an Academy Award-winning motion picture starring Gregory Peck by director Robert Mulligan in 1962. A coming-of-age story, it is told from the point of view of Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, the young daughter of Atticus Finch, an educated lawyer in Maycomb, Alabama, a small town in the deep South of the United States. The fictional county of Maycomb is based on Monroeville, Alabama which is where Harper Lee grew up. She is accompanied by her brother Jem and their mutual friend Dill.

The title of the book is taken from Atticus's advice to his children about firing their air rifles at birds: "Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird". The blue jay is a very common bird, and is often perceived as a bully and a pest, whereas mockingbirds do nothing but "sing their hearts out for us". Metaphorically, several of the book's characters can be seen as "mockingbirds", attacked despite doing nothing but good. The mockingbird represents innocence, and to kill one is to metaphorically kill innocence. Note that the protagonists are also named after birds: Tom family. However, "Finch" was also Harper's mother's maiden name.

Harper Lee stated, "To get the ideas for the book I used recent events in my time like the Scottsboro Trials." (Harper Lee, Book Review, 1964)

Truman Capote was a lifelong friend of childhood neighbor Harper, and was the inspiration for Dill's character in her best-seller. Further, Capote implied that he himself had written a considerable portion of her novel. One other person—Pearl Kazin Bell, an editor at Harper's Magazine— believed his assertions were true. However this is not a mainstream accepted view.

table Academy Award for Best Art Direction - Set Decoration, Black-and-White (Alexander Golitzen, Henry Bumstead, Oliver Emert)Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures (Robert Mulligan)

It was deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1995.

is Scout's older brother. Jem undergoes crucial transformations in the work as he becomes a man. The trial of Tom Robinson is Jem's first real encounter with true evil, and the realization of its existence drives him into a sullen state. Prior to this, he had viewed the world innocently, thinking of people as one-sided. He viewed Boo Radley, for example, as a frightening figure. Jem was able to overcome his sullenness due to the strong presence of Atticus in his life, and became a bigger person as he achieved a greater understanding of the world and how to view and treat other human beings.

is Atticus’ proper sister, who came to live with them to make a lady out of the tomboy Scout and restore proper Southern order to their home.

symbolizes destroyed innocence. As a child he was abused by his father, and was driven to agoraphobia. A gentle creature, and perhaps an albino, he is viewed with fear by the children, who do not come to a better understanding of him until the end of the work. He does several heroic things, including giving Scout a blanket during a neighborhood fire, and saving the kids from an assault by the father of the girl that accused Tom Robinson of rape. His misconceived good nature testifies to the message of the story, one of kindness and the notion that people should not make judgements on others, since no is one of the most important characters in the story. He represents morality and kindness. He defends Tom Robinson because he feels that not doing so would make him a hypocrite. Atticus serves as a guiding light for his children, always calm and patient. He allows them to come to the understanding that, although evil exists, one should not dwell on that but should instead realize that the existence of this evil is a sign that there is work to do, and progress to make. His strong presence in his children's lives prevents them from becoming symbols of destroyed innocence, such as Boo Radley and Tom Robinson.

is important to the novel for many different reasons. Firstly, he acts as a scapegoat the novel - allowed to take the blame for something he didn't do (raping Mayella). He represents the 'mockingbird,' doing nothing but good (helping Mayella with various tasks and expects no payment). In addition it shows there is prejudice between the African Americans and White people. Although Scout is too young to understand the basic principle of racism, her deion of the trial of Tom lets the reader believe the author is against racism. The book is Bildungsroman - showing she and Jem are growing up.

(or, to give him his full name, Robert E. Lee EwellTo Kill a Mockingbird is the antagonist in the story. He accuses Tom Robinson of raping his daughter Mayella and is one of the poorest men in Maycomb, next to the Cunninghams. He is white trash, and his money is provided by the city. He also spends all his money on booze.

— a mysterious neighbor who lives quietly in his dark house and is feared by the local children — gave his name to the British band The Boo Radleys. In the film, he is played by Robert Duvall, in his film debut.This is director Cameron Crowe's favorite film, and several of his films contain explicit references. The movie actually shows a clip of the movie, with Atticus and Scout as remembered by the lead character, David Aames.American actor Jake Gyllenhaal named his German Shepherd "Atticus" and his Puggle "Boo Radley" after characters from the novel, as his favorite book is The Alabama courthouse seen in exterior shots is actually located in Colusa, California, and would be used again as a location for the 1970 movie ...tick...tick...tick...The author of a popular book called "How to Get Into the Best Law Schools" uses the pseudonym "Atticus Falcon," a pun on the name of the Atticus Finch character.