To Kill a Mockingbird: Background and Characters, Study notes of Voice

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Background on

To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee

Background information

• Published in 1960
• Won the Pulitzer Prize the next year

(the Pulitzer Prize honors “excellence in journalism and the arts”)

An enduring classic

• Its influence endures because it allows readers, through the viewpoint of children, to “walk around in the shoes” of others.
• The novel challenges our preconceived notions about people who are different from us.

Point of view

• First person
• This is a recounting of a childhood story, told

by Scout, who is 5-8 years old during the

course of the novel.

• The novel is shaped by the voice of this young girl who sees the story from a position of naïve acceptance.

Character: Atticus Finch

• An attorney whose wife has died, leaving him to raise their two children.
• Respected because people know he

recognizes their personal dignity and that he

will fight to protect it.

• Shows compassion, courage, and integrity.

Character: Jem (Jeremy) Finch

• 10-year-old boy, Scout’s older brother
• Through the events of the novel, we see him change from a child to a young man
• We see him develop compassion and understanding.

Setting:

• Deep South: fictional town of Maycomb, AL
• The action of the novel begins in 1933