to kill a mockingbird: introductory notes

Harper Lee

(b. 1926)

Published in 1960, her only book won a Pulitzer and became an American

classic.

She moved from Alabama to Manhattan to become an author.

Friend and Broadway composer,

Michael Brown, gave her a

year’s worth of living expenses to write the

novel.

The novel contains some autobiographical content.

The trial in the novel was inspired by the famous

1931 case of the Scottsboro boys.

Genre

Southern Gothic

Bildungsroman

Setting

Maycomb, Alabama 1930s

Characters

Plot Lines

Scout, Jem, and Dill are

fascinated by the mysterious

Boo Radley and want him to come out.

Atticus is chosen to defend Tom Robinson.

Symbols & Motifs

Mockingbirds

The Mad Dog

Themes

Scout Vs. Society

Gender Identity

Empathy

Justice

THE END