Harper Lee's 'To Kill a Mockingbird' - Review of Part 1 with themes, character descriptions, key events etc.

In the first fifteen chapters of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, a variety of significant events are covered, giving us the background knowledge and build-up to the remainder of the book. In chapter 1, we learn that Scout (Jean-Louise Finch) is narrating the story from the perspective of her older self, looking back to her childhood in Maycomb, Alabama over a period of three years. As well as Scout, we are introduced to some other important characters: Atticus Finch, Jem Finch, Aunt Alexandra Finch, Calpurnia, Charles Baker Harris (also known as Dill, is a friend who visits the Finches each summer) ,Miss Rachel Haverford and Boo Radley. We discover that the Radley’s are a very mysterious family who nobody really sees, and are judged upon rumours in Maycomb. The Radley Place is described in a very dark and gothic way, and we ask ourselves a lot of questions at this point. We also gain some contextual information, that Maycomb is affected by the Great Depression at the time of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. Furthermore, we learn that Atticus’ wife died when Scout was two years old, and so Calpurnia helps to look after the children and the house, and is seen as the motherly-figure. Atticus Finch is a lawyer, which is something unexpected from a Finch as the previous generations made a living farming cotton.

In chapter 2, Scout begins school and didn’t enjoy her first day. Her teacher, Miss Caroline, doesn’t agree with the fact that Atticus has taught Scout to read, which tells us that Scout is far more intelligent than the average child her age. Atticus encourages Scout to “climb into her (Miss Caroline’s) skin and walk around in it” to empathise. This quote highlights two of the themes in the book: education and prejudice; as using the word ‘skin’ to try and teach Scout about tolerance hints at the theme of racial tension and race being considered important. Harper Lee satirises formal education by discouraging Atticus teaching Scout and portraying one of Scout’s teachers as being highly hypocritical by teaching the children that Hilter’s persecution of the Jews is wrong, but is racist towards black people in her own community. However, by making uneducated characters like the Ewells ignorant and rude, she makes it clear that education is important.

The themes of social status and the importance of morals become more evident in chapter 3. Scout describes Walter Cunningham, a member of a very poor family but one where ethics are very important. Jem invites Walter to the Finch Landing for dinner. Also in this chapter, Miss Caroline is reduced to tears because of Burris Ewell, a member of an ignorant, rude and very poor family. This shows how vulnerable women are in society in Maycomb, and that sexism may also be apparent.

We learn more about the Radley’s in chapter 4. Boo starts leaving presents in the knothole of a tree next to his house, for the children. His actions are friendly and he doesn’t seem like so much of a monster now. Miss Maudie (the Finch’s neighbour and old friend) tells Scout that she knew Boo when she was younger and that he was polite then. The reader and Scout sympathise with Boo after Miss Maudie says that his religious father keeps him locked up. Another theme of the book is growing up. This relates to the Radley’s because at the beginning they are scared of them and throughout the book, they gain respect for him and lose their prejudices. By showing the reader that the children’s original opinions of Boo were wrong, Harper Lee tells us that making our own decisions in the book as opposed to banking on someone else’s, is vital.

In chapter 5, Jem and Dill’s friendship becomes stronger and Scout talks to Miss Maudie more frequently, as a result of feeling left out. Scout learns a lot from Miss Maudie – she is another figure Scout looks up to. Miss Maudie tells Scout that “one sprig of nut-grass can ruin a whole yard” which is a metaphor for the damage that prejudice can cause in society. Prejudice is the main focus of the novel as Lee was influenced by the attitudes towards racial intolerance during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s. The children in the book grow up accepting racism and don’t see it as offensive. The white men have no respect for the black community though. They use the black community’s church as a place to gamble during the week and even Aunt Alexandra thinks it’s wrong for Calpurnia (who is black) to have so much to do with the children’s upbringing.

In chapters 6-8, there’s unseasonal snow in Maycomb and Miss Maudie’s house burns down (which turns out to bring out the best in the people of Maycomb). Things don’t seem right – we begin to be a little suspicious. These unfamiliar events seem a bit gothic, linking back to the description given of the Radley Place and may foreshadow destructive events later on in the book. Because of the snow, school is cancelled, but there wasn’t much snow, which suggests that Maycomb isn’t used to having to deal with unusual events. Mr Avery thinks that the snow is a result of the children misbehaving, which also seems slightly gothic and superstitious. Furthermore, Eula May phones every child’s parents in the school, which shows how small and tight the community is. The children decide to build a snowman, but because of the shortage of snow, they use dirt on the inside and snow on the outside. This symbolises how everybody is the same on the inside, despite their skin tone. This shows how the children are maturing, and beginning to think like Atticus, who defends the black people in Maycomb.

The tone of the book changes after the fire. The novel longer focuses on childhood and the innocence of being young and naive. This could link to the theme of growing up.

In chapter 9, Atticus Finch is asked to defend Tom Robinson. He knows he is going to lose the trial but accepts the case. He wouldn’t respect himself if he didn’t lose his fight for justice. He tells the children this and Scout nearly gets into a fight with a school friend (Cecil Jacobs) about it. Scout walks away from the fight, and this shows that she is learning that violence doesn’t solve anything. Tom Robinson is a very hard-working man even though his arm was badly injured in an accident, and lives with his wife and children. There is lots of evidence in the book that he is a good man. He is accused of raping a white woman in the novel.

In chapters 10-11, there is a mad dog in Maycomb which symbolises prejudice. Atticus shoots this dog as a sign of protection, similar to how he tries to protect Maycomb from racial prejudice. Also in these chapters, another symbol crops up: the mockingbird. A mockingbird is portrayed as a good, innocent person who is destroyed by evil. For example, Boo Radley doesn’t harm anyone, and leaves Jem and Scout presents instead. He also covered Scout with a blanket in the fire. He, however, was supposedly damaged by his abusive father. The moral imperative to protect the vulnerable governs Atticus’s decision to take Tom’s case.

Start of Part 2: Dill runs away from home in chapters 12-14, because he feels like he doesn’t belong. Scout finds him under her bed. It shows that Dill sees the Finch’s Landing as a place where he is loved and welcome. The children go to the black community church with Calpurnia, however later on, Scout then asks Atticus to get rid of Calpurnia, saying that she isn’t needed anymore. Scout and Jem get recognised in the street for being the children of Atticus, and the Finch’s good reputation grows and grows.

In chapter 15, tension arises as some Maycomb residents don’t agree with Atticus defending a black man. Tom Robinson is sent to the jailhouse and Atticus is then threatened by a lynch mob, originally going to get Tom. They are portrayed as pathetic by Harper Lee. Scout recognises Mr Cunningham in the mob. She asks about his entailment and Walter. This reminds Mr Cunningham how much he owes to Atticus. The chapter ends with the mob leaving and everyone safe.

My overall opinion of the novel so far is that Harper Lee is trying to explain an array of morals and messages subtly, consisting mainly of prejudice and growing up. The switch from seeing life as a game before the fire and things changing quickly afterwards shows that Scout is beginning to gain awareness of things going on around her, therefore becoming less innocent. I admire Scout as a character, because she has great enthusiasm and respects Atticus. I began to sympathise with Boo Radley as the characters in the book did, and I admire the Cunningham’s attitude to moral rights and wrongs. The strong themes to the book and the progress of Scout’s childhood which we follow are extremely significant and I find Harper Lee’s novel very exciting to read.