Introductory Notes

Mr. Bradley

English 11

Stevens High School

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

HARPER LEE• Born April 28, 1926, in Monroeville,

Al• Father was a lawyer• Mother’s maiden name was Finch• Childhood mirrors that of main

character• “To Kill a Mockingbird” published

in 1960• Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 1961• At age 86, she is alive and resides in

New York• She rarely makes public appearances

or gives interviews

SETTING OF THE NOVEL

• Southern United States, 1930’s

• Great Depression• Prejudice and legal

segregation• Ignorance

LEGAL ISSUES

• Women given the vote in 1920

• Juries were MALE and WHITE

• “Fair trial” did not include acceptance of a black man’s word against a white man’s

• “Scottsboro Boys” convicted of rape

• Supreme Court reverses convictions

• Tried 2nd time; found guilty• Supreme Court reverses the

convictions again• Eventually, four freed, five

serve prison terms• Virtually impossible for

black man to receive fair trial

LEGAL ISSUES

LIFE DURING THE 1930’S• The Great Depression• The per capita income for families in Alabama (and Oklahoma)

is $125 - $250• Many southern blacks pick cotton for a living• Franklin D. Roosevelt is President

LIFE DURING THE 1930S

LIFE DURING THE 1930’S• Adolph Hitler becomes Chancellor

of Germany• Germany hosts 1936 Summer

Olympics• Jesse Owens, a black man, vs. Luz

Long, an Aryan German• Jesse Owens won the gold medal

and Long won the silver.• Despite racial tensions, the two

became good friends• Long was later killed during World

War II, and Jesse Owens traveled back to Germany to pay his respects when the war was over.

LEGAL SEGREGATION IN ALABAMA, 1923-1940• No white female nurses in

hospitals that treat black men

• Separate passenger cars for whites and blacks

• Separate waiting rooms for whites and blacks

• Separation of white and black convicts

• Separate schools• No interracial marriages• Segregated water fountains • Segregated theatres

RACIAL PREJUDICE WAS ALIVE & WELL. ALTHOUGH SLAVERY HAD ENDED IN 1864, OLD IDEAS WERE SLOW TO CHANGE.

GENDER BIAS (PREJUDICE)• Women were considered “weak”

• Women were generally not educated for occupations outside the home

• In wealthy families, women were expected to oversee the servants and entertain guests

• Men not considered capable of nurturing children

1930s Typical Morphine Addict:• White female• Middle-aged or older• Widowed• Homebound• Lives in the south• Property owner• Began using morphine for medical reasons (pain relief)

MORPHINE: A SOUTHERN LADY’S DRUG

CHARACTERS

• Atticus Finch - an attorney whose wife has died, leaving him to raise their two children:

- Jeremy Atticus “Jem” Finch - 10-year-old boy- Jean Louise “Scout” Finch - 6-year-old girl

• Tom Robinson – a black man accused of raping a white girl; he is defended at trial by Atticus

MOCKINGBIRD THEMES• Education—the importance of an education and how society is

segregated even within race and ethnicity. • Poverty—the Depression of the 1930’s affected the entire South

in a dramatic fashion. • Prejudice—segregation of the south. • Coming of Age—the maturation of both Jem and Scout.• Trust—Earning one’s trust and keeping it. The relationship that

Atticus has with his children.• Racism in the Southern Courts—The real account of the

Scottsboro Boys and their unfair and inhumane treatment in the courts is the basis for Harper Lee’s court scene with Tom Robinson.

• “Goodness vs. Ignorance (Evil)” is an important theme

READING THE NOVEL

• Setting is all important –be aware of the “where” and “when” as you begin

• Point of View – the novel is shaped by the voice of a young girl who sees the story from a position of naïve acceptance