... a large farm on the banks of the Alabama River called Finch's Landing. The family was farmers for a hundred years until Atticus became a lawyer in Maycomb while his sister, Alexandra, ran the farm. At the start of the story, Scout is aged 6. Scout's mother had died four years previously and ... reader sufficient information to draw an adult conclusion. Miss Maudie is one of the book's strongest female characters and one of the few residents of Maycomb who shares Atticus' sense of justice. She also becomes a close friend of Scout's and is the principal maternal figure along with Aunt Alexa...

• Word Count: 10075
• Approx Pages: 40
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... and that people's quick judgements and bad decisions prevent the world from ever being a fair place. The children learned that their peaceful little town of Maycomb wasn't always such a wonderful place to be, and that one man had the power to ruin many lives. During Tom Robinson's trial, a string ... of evidence was presented that unquestionably proved Tom's innocence and Bob Ewell's guilt. Had the jury been colour-blind that hot Maycomb afternoon, Tom would have walked free. However, that was not the case. Tom's fellow Negroes watched from their separate balcony seats above as Atticus ...

• Word Count: 1706
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... believes is right is never easy. The book, "To Kill a Mockingbird" is set in the sleepy Southern town of Maycomb, in the 1930s. Maycomb actively practices segregation, consequently exhibiting racism against blacks. The book follows the story of a mean and ignorant white man who falsely accuses ... , integrity, or lack thereof, white people are always above black people, and he fought for discrimination against blacks until the very end. In Maycomb, it is commonplace for people like Bob Ewell to have their lives revolve around the strong belief that racism is right and natural, and there...

• Word Count: 1682
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... moral courage. Miss Maudie succinctly defines the character of Atticus Finch when she calls him "civilised in his heart". He stands for all that is best in Maycomb as a citizen, a father, a Christian and a southern gentleman. As a citizen Atticus is responsible and highly respected. He is elected unopposed to the state ... of legislature. Miss Maudie speaks for the community when she tells Aunt Alexandra. "Whether Maycomb knows it or not, we"re paying him the highest tribute we can pay a man. We trust him to do right" His conduct and ... gentleman and a true hero. Another character in t...

• Word Count: 1939
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... character, Atticus tried every way to help others were in the need of it. First of all it Atticus bravely faced the racist, prejudice judgment of Maycomb and took Tom Robinson's case. Secondly, Atticus still takes a fight even though he knew he was still going to lose. Lastly, after losing Tom ... father's honor. The children called Atticus Finch a "nigger-lover" for defending Tom Robinson in court. Atticus explains to both his children that the prejudice in Maycomb is a sort of disease afflicting even "good" people (Lee). Atticus' wise and understanding attitude is because he is quite ...

• Word Count: 1521
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... Caroline. Along with this frustration that Scout holds comes the fading of Jem's youth as he becomes a youg man. Just as the town's people of Maycomb believed all was well now after the trial, Bob Ewell still is out for revenge against Atticus through his children. Scout's frustration with her first grade teacher ... Cunningham is poor because of his family, which makes Miss Caroline furious. Miss Caroline is new in the school and does not know the people in Maycomb and thier lives. Scout does not only express her thoughts through her actions but mainly through her words, which causes her...

• Word Count: 913
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... and her cousin Francis, would suggest, the trial is going to be a major hurdle for the Finch family. In an old fashioned Southern town like Maycomb, racism abounds. The town is not so much upset that Atticus is defending Tom, which is his job. They are upset that Atticus plans to defend ... affect the picture presented. Explanation of Chapters 15 - 21 ("Part 3") Again, Scout's innocent perspective makes the reader unaware of the possible violence outside the Maycomb jail in chapter 16. The men who come that evening are a mob with the intention of killing Tom Robinson. Atticus was staying...

• Word Count: 1364
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... and a loss of innocence. Scout is the narrator and protagonist of To Kill a Mockingbird. She lives with her father, brother and cook, Calpurnia in Maycomb, Alabama. Scout isn't like most little girls in the town she is very unusual. She has many qualities that most girls in the town are lacking ... He is understanding and lets her make her own mistakes. He doesn't reprimand her for not being like the other girls in the town of Maycomb. While most girls in Scout's position would be wearing dresses and learning manners, Scout is wearing overalls. She doesn't understand why people in ... ...

• Word Count: 1317
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... misfortune. In a novel such as To Kill a Mockingbird, it is hard to sympathize with any characters due to the animosity and racial tension between the Maycomb inhabitants. There are few characters that merit sympathy. Mayella Ewell has had a very challenging life, being in such a dysfunctional household. Tom Robinson's skin colour ... school for only three years. Her career choices are limited. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Mayella and the black people of Maycomb are equal in terms of limited opportunities. Mayella's life has been plagued with poverty and abuse which is why...

• Word Count: 1484
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... Lee presents the acts of prejudice and exhibits the tragic consequences that fall upon those involved. One of the main victims of prejudice in the town of Maycomb was Tom Robinson. Tom was a victim of it, not only because he was black but because he was kind to everyone, even racist white people. Firstly, ... everyone in Maycomb believes the lies that the Ewells are spouting. This is shown through how people in the town do not dig deeper or look for clues to prove ... by the jail guards. Tom would have more than likely stopped climbing to his escape after 1 shot, him being shot that man...

• Word Count: 612
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... fairness back in the 1930's is completely different than what it is today. The trial reveals a great deal about the prejudices that existed in Maycomb in the 1930's. Mayella would not have tried to kiss Tom if social prejudice had not excluded her from white society – Mayella does ... appreciate another person's situation.  Prejudice is a strong word; it is as black as the night, as black as the soul of a small town called Maycomb. Tom Robinson is a black man who was found guilty of a rape he didn't commit. Jem encounters the same sort of prejudice through his incident with ... azale...

• Word Count: 1230
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... childhood experiences with one another. Tom Robinson is also an example of a mockingbird in this book by the injustice he receives as a colored man in Maycomb. The intention of this essay is to identify these characters and reasons for their loss of innocence throughout the book. Scout is an example of a ... never had an encounter with evil. Jem and Scouts last name is Finch and indicated that they were particularly vulnerable in the racist world of Maycomb, which often treats the fragile innocence of childhood harshly. As the book progressed, her innocence was slowly taken away from her...

• Word Count: 1409
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... have similarities, they are two very different families. Although neither the Ewells nor the Cunninghams had much money, they dealt with their situations very differently. "Maycomb's Ewells lived behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin. The Ewells gave the dump a thorough cleaning every day" (170). ... The Ewells lived off of the people of Maycomb in more ways than one; the Ewells ate their garbage and spent their welfare money. The family was dirty "he (Burris) was the filthiest human I ... Ewells and the Cunninghams had an impact on society. The Ewells had a negati...

• Word Count: 816
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Mockingbird Characters Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama, a small town similar to Maycomb, the setting of To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee began writing To Kill A Mockingbird in the mid-1950's, and she completed the novel in 1957. Her ... her father Bob Ewell. Bob Ewell, a lazy, abusive, and ignorant man who drinks too much, has his family living in squalor near the dump. The people of Maycomb have little or no respect for the Ewell's. In contrast, Tom Robinson is a hardworking and honest man, who felt pity for Mayella Ewell. However, he made a grave ... he was o...

• Word Count: 865
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... "shot- in a community that defines justice by race and color. Even Atticus, considering he is already part of the upper strata of the Maycomb society, had to undergo public condemnation for upholding good and proper morals and values the majority of the people failed to, and thus, forming the ... a black man, on Atticus' part, though just and morally upright, was unheard of and thereby not tolerated by the majority of the citizens of Maycomb, as proven by the different "talks- within "the town- outrightly denouncing what Atticus was doing. Another "mockingbird- in the story was Boo Radl...

• Word Count: 1094
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... the first chapter, Scout mentions the Ewells to us that the "Ewells started it all". Scout means that the Ewells had an affect on the residents of Maycomb. The story will involve an allegation of rape and the way black and white issues (the prejudice that runs through the whole of the story) are covered ... and how they lived. They were people, but they lived like animals." This quote shows us the prejudice that the Ewells experience from other people in Maycomb because of their low social position in the town. We learn about the Ewells mainly in the court case when Mayella Ewell has accu...

• Word Count: 1378
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... and the father of Jem and Scout. He stands out as a man of reason and courage, also he represents the voice of truth and fairness in the community, Maycomb. He is a role model for all parents and a great philosopher and teacher of life's moral. Atticus has courage and determination. He is determined to protect Tom Robinson ... family. He bears no grudges even against Bob Ewell, who spat at him and tried to kill Jem. Atticus was greatly respected by the people in Maycomb as one of them, Miss Maudie said he was "born to do our unpleasant jobs for us." They also knew that he has integrity a...

• Word Count: 532
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... of complete opposites on the moral ladder, and in the community. The Cunninghams and the Ewells have two distinctly different reputations. The Cunninghams, although extremely poor, are highly respected throughout Maycomb County. The Ewells, being just as poor as the Cunninghams, are deeply despised. The Cunninghams are very respected by the citizens of ... back, and that is virtually nothing. On the first day of school, the youngest of the Cunningham family, Walter, had no lunch. The new teacher didn't know the ways of Maycomb, or the Cunninghams. She tried to offer Walter money to buy ...

• Word Count: 542
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... place in the years during and after the Great Depression. Place This setting of this story is in Maycomb, Alabama, because in the first chapter, it talks about how Scout's great grandfather moved to Maycomb, and it also talks about their current life in Maycomb. Social Context In Scout's class, the teacher talks about Hitler, meaning that they live in the time period ... ...

• Word Count: 1573
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

To Kill a Mocking Bird takes place in the 1930's, right in the middle of the depression. It is set in a small town in Alabama called Maycomb. Maycomb, like most small southern towns, has a problem with widespread racism toward Negroes. The play focuses on one family, the Finches. In the family there are three people, Scout, Jem and ... lover. Being only six Scout does not know how to handle her self so she gets into a lot of fights. On the day that Tom Robinson was moved to the Maycomb jail to await his trial, Atticus left the house to go and sit outside of the jail to watch over Tom to make...

• Word Count: 1141
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... . In the beginning of the novel, Scout and Jem thought there was one kind of folk, the nice, safe folk of Maycomb. But when Bob Ewell spit in Atticus's face and threatened him, Scout and Jem fully realized that even Maycomb has its share of "social exceptions," the people that society barely tolerated. Scout and Jem had known a little about them; Scout ... had never heard Atticus talk of people the way he talked about the Ewells. "Atticus said the Ewells had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations. None of them had done an honest day's work in his recollection...They were peop...

• Word Count: 1230
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Being very loud and aggressive, blue jays are the bullies f the bird world. Blue jays represent the bullies of Maycomb County, such as Bob Ewell. Mockingbirds, on the other hand, are innocent birds that try to make the world a better place. Boo Radley and Tom Robinson would be the main ... judge a book by its cover can relate to the main theme of the novel. Do not be prejudice and stereotype things or people. If the attitudes of the people in Maycomb County been as open as those of Scout and Atticus, there would no doubt b...

• Word Count: 809
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... showed moral courage when he defended a black man who was falsely charged with the rape of a white woman. He stood up for his believes despite of what the people of Maycomb thought of him as a "Nigger lover" and a disgrace to his family. Prejudice is a strong opinion an individual may possess for or against someone without knowing all the facts about them ... in his body. Tom was charged with rape and death penalty based on, and only on the colour of his skin. This shows the racial intolerance the white people in Maycomb have towards African-Americans. During this time in history racism...

• Word Count: 1064
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... a person until you consider things from his point of view ..until you climb into his skin and walk around in it". [p.35]) On the other hand, some other citizens of Maycomb county do not agree with this. Scout and Jem's aunt Alexandra is one of these people. So close to Atticus, her views are the complete opposite. She believes that boys ... a drunk to cover this up ("Dolphus Raymond's in the clutches of whiskey ..he can't help himself, that's why he lives the way he does." [p.207]). There are some folks in Maycomb county like Dolphus, who aren't biased against Negroes, but don't show it...

• Word Count: 1315
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... has a frequent occurrence and not only does it focus on someone's race, but their social status as well. The Ewell family has a reputation for being the most despicable family in Maycomb. Bob Ewell has a lot of pressure to live with, knowing that people do not accept him merely because of his indigent lifestyle. Motivated to rid him and his family of ... Atticus states, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view until you climb in his skin and walk around in it." The folks of Maycomb are much too disapproving of the Ewells. It is true they are...

• Word Count: 567
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School