Born: Nelle Harper Lee Born in: Monroeville, Alabama 4-28-26 Parents: Amasa & Frances Finch Lee Related to: General Robert E Lee (famous Confederate General) Schooling: Huntington College in Montgomery, AL Oxford University in England as Fullright Scholar
Schooling cont: University of Alabama law school (quit before graduating in 1950) Moved to New York & worked for 2 airlines Never had anything published b/4 To Kill a Mockingbird In New York contacted a literary agent gave him 5 manuscripts 1 of them a short story that agent really liked & encouraged her to expand became To Kill a Mockingbird finally published in 1960 won her Pulitzer Prize for distinguished fiction by Am. author
Parallels between own life & book Father was a lawyer whose middle name was Finch Atticus Finch was a lawyer Both Finches & Lees have old & deep family ties to the South Like Scout Harper was a tomboy & independent, curious child During time of story (1933-35), Harper would have been same age as Scout Maycomb, AL molded after Monroeville, AL Both small towns School yard Courthouse Old Hodge Place = Radley Place
Characters are composites of ppl & types she knew Accurately uses Southern dialect Biography: http://www.biography.com/people/harper-lee-9377021 Setting When: Summer 1933-Halloween 1935 America Great Depression (1930 s) Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt s The New Deal (to improve desperate situation of widespread poverty & unemployment) Where: Alabama Southern attitude: prejudice Maycomb County o30 miles from a city olittle change over yrs. oisolated, poor city/town
Maycomb County cont. oblack People: farm hands, house servants owhite People: owned farms, hard time because of depression osegregation was law (not until 1964 was Civil Rights Act passed banning discrimination of any kind) odue to isolation population unchanged onew ideas/people/change not well accepted Main Characters: Scout Finch (Jean Louise) o6 years old onarrator otalking as adult looking back obruce Willis & Demi Moore s 1 st daughter named after her Jem Finch (Jeremy Atticus) o10 years old obrother Atticus Finch ofather olawyer & probably most distinguished citizen of Maycomb County
Calpurnia (Cal) oblack cook ohelps raise kids like a nanny since mother is dead Dill (Charles Baker Harris) o7 years old ovisits his Aunt Rachel in summer (neighbor to Finches) ocomes from Mississippi Boo Radley (Arthur) omysterious neighbor Minor Characters: Aunt Alexandra oatticus s sister overy proper lady ohelps take care of kids during trial Uncle Jack Finch oatticus s younger brother ovisits every Christmas Mr. Gilmer oprosecuting attorney
Tom Robinson ohard working black man oaccused of crime against Mayella Ewell Bob Ewell omayella s father oirresponsible, disgraceful, ignorant father of large family oon welfare (uses for alcohol) Mayella Violet Ewell obob s daughter oaccuses Tom Robinson of raping her Miss Rachel odill s aunt olives next to Finches Miss Maudie ofinch s neighbor oopen-minded nice ofriend to Scout & Jem Mrs. Dubose oold lady who screams at kids osuffers from an addiction
Mr. Nathan Radley oboo s brother oseldom speaks ostern & distant Heck Tate osheriff ogood friends w/ Atticus Judge John Taylor opresides over Tom Robinson trial Mr. Walter Cunningham oupright farmer owon t accept charity Reverend Sykes oblack minister otakes care of Jem & Scott during trial Miss Stephanie Crawford ofinch s neighbor oneighborhood gossip oknows family history of entire neighborhood
Plot: 2 part Scout & Jem Growing Up Atticus defending a black man accused of raping a white woman Point of View: A grown up Scout narrating thru 6 yr old eyes 1 st person Why do people read it?: 4 th most influential book in US Won Pulitzer Prize