To Kill a Mockingbird

TEST REVIEW

SETTING

•Maycomb, Alabama (small southern town)•mid 1930’s

SETTING•Economy – Great Depression; poverty•Social Culture – racism and prejudice• citizens believed white people over the word of an African-American

NARRATOR

•Jean Louise Finch

(adult version of Scout)

CHARACTERS

CHARACTERS

•Atticus Finchlawyerfather of Jem and Scout

ATTICUS FINCH

•an independent man with his own beliefs and convictions (who was willing to act in accordance with his beliefs)

ATTICUS

was called a “n…..-lover” because he defended an African-American man who was accused of raping a young white woman

ATTICUS

explained that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because they don’t do anything but make music for people to enjoy.

ATTICUS

“best shot in Maycomb County”

when Atticus shot a rabid dog, his kids were very impressed

ATTICUS

proves in court that Tom Robinson could not have raped Mayella because he had a crippled left arm from a boyhood accident

JEM FINCH

ten year-old son of Atticus Finch

brother of Scoutdisappointed that Atticus won’t let him have a rifle

JEM FINCH

can be adventuresome

loses his pants escaping from the Radley backyard

SCOUT FINCH

six year-old daughter of Atticus

real name is Jean Louise Finch

sister of Jem Finch

SCOUT FINCH

can be feisty (gets into a fight with Walter Cunningham at school; goes on adventures with Jem and Dill)

DILL

real name is Charles Baker Harris

going on seven years-old

liked to tell stories

DILL

hometown: Meridian, Mississippi (lives there during school)

visiting his aunt – Miss Stephanie

BOO RADLEY

real name: Arthurson of Mr. Radleymysteriousnot seen in public for the last 12 years

BOO RADLEY

Boo stabbed his dad with scissors

legend has it he was locked up in the damp basement of the courthouse and then kept in the Radley home

GOSSIP and Hearsay

BOO RADLEY

the children are very curious about Boo – What does he look like? Is he a crazy man?

BOO RADLEY

mends Jem’s pants secretly

rescues Jem and Scout from the vicious attack by Bob Ewell (Boo kills Mr. Ewell)

BOO RADLEY

the children discover that Boo is a kind man who cares about them

Boo leaves “gifts” in the oak tree for the children to find

Cunningham Family

Walter, Sr, and his son Walter, Jr.

proud, poor farmers

hard-working

Ewell Family

Bob Ewell and his daughter, Mayella

poor, but not hard-working

Bob is an alcoholic and abusive

Ewell Family

Mayella lies in court to support her father and protect herself

Her testimony influences the jury to find Tom Robinson guilty of rape

Mrs. Dubose

neighborhood woman in a wheel-chair

nasty dispositionhateful, spitefulAtticus speaks nicely to her

Miss Maudie

nice woman who lives across from the Finch family

she speaks highly of Atticus

she loves working in her yard and garden

Tom Robinson

African-American man

unjustly accused of raping Mayella Ewell

wrongly convicted of this crime

Tom Robinson

Tom is shot and killed by the authorities who claimed Tom was trying to escape prison after his conviction

Citizens of Maycomb

had racist tendencies

many were poor farmers struggling during the Great Depression

FOCUS QUESTIONS

•What does Atticus mean when he tells Scout that she will never understand someone until she walks around in that person’s skin?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

Scout and Jem are dynamic characters. How have they changed and matured in their thoughts, values, and actions?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

The mockingbird is a symbol for whatever brings beauty and love to life. One theme of this story is that it is a sin to destroy innocent creatures.

FOCUS QUESTIONS

Identify some characters that are examples of “mockingbirds” in this screenplay and in life.

Describe reasons from the story that may explain why people destroy “mockingbirds”