TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD / SYNOPSIS

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD / SYNOPSIS
As one of Harper Lee’s characters comments, “Even
in 1935, Maycomb, Alabama, is already an old
town––a tired old town…. There’s no hurry because
there’s nowhere to go, nothing to buy, and nothing
to buy it with.” But as the audience soon learns, the
town’s sleepy, peaceful appearance hides powerful
undercurrents of fear, racial prejudice, and violence.
Young Scout Finch is disappointed that her father,
Atticus, a widowed attorney, is unlike other fathers,
who “go hunting, play poker, and…fi sh.” As she waits
for him on the front porch, a classmate taunts her,
shouting that Atticus is a disgrace because “he defends
niggers!”
Two neighbors, Miss Maudie and Miss Stephanie,
gossip on their porches, and Scout joins them in
speculating about a reclusive neighbor, Arthur “Boo”
Radley. They suspect that the seldom-seen Mr. Radley
is not only insane but a Peeping Tom. Scout’s older
brother, Jem, enters, tossing a football.
Reverend Sykes, the minister of the town’s black
congregation, stops by to speak to Calpurnia, the
Finch’s housekeeper, about their shared concern for
Tom Robinson and his family. Then Bob Ewell and his
daughter Mayella appear briefl y. Their conversation,
in which Bob Ewell orders Mayella to stay out of town,
reveals his domineering, abusive temperament and
her habit of meek compliance.
Calpurnia explains to Scout that Bob Ewell has accused
Tom of raping Mayella. Tom is presently in jail, which
is a hardship for his family and a cause of great anxiety.
Scout discounts Bob Ewell’s accusation, commenting
that everyone knows the Ewells are contemptible.
Twelve-year-old Charles Baker “Dill” Harris enters
and introduces himself to Scout and Jem. The children
talk about Boo Radley, inventing fantastic tales of his
nocturnal activities, which they think may include
SYNOPSIS / Page 1 of 2
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eating squirrels and cats. Later Dill suggests that they
try to make Boo come out of his house. The three sneak
into the Radley yard, and Jem winds up to throw a stone
at the house. Just then, Atticus arrives and admonishes
the children not to bother Boo. He tells them they’ll
get along better with all kinds of people if they try to
see things from the other person’s point of view––if
they “climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
Jem is hurt and angry when Atticus declines his invitation
to play catch and refuses to show the children how
to shoot their air rifl es. Like Scout, Jem is disappointed
that Atticus isn’t a typical Maycomb father.
Atticus explains that, in order to follow his conscience,
he will defend Tom Robinson, defying local racist
attitudes. He says he doesn’t expect to win the case
and warns Scout that a diffi cult time lies ahead. He
encourages her to remember in the coming weeks that
Maycomb is still their home and its residents are still
their friends.
Scout and Jem revise their opinion of their father when,
in a riveting scene, Atticus protects his family and the
Maycomb community by killing a rabid dog with one
skillful shot. The children, proud to learn that their
father was a locally famous marksman in his youth,
regard him with new respect.
Tom Robinson is moved to the Maycomb County jail,
and Sheriff Tate fears the interference of a rowdy mob.
That evening, Atticus mysteriously leaves the house,
and the children secretly follow him to the jailhouse,
where they watch, unseen, as a hostile group of men
confronts him. The children, alarmed, emerge from
hiding. Scout reminds one of the men, Mr. Cunningham,
that she goes to school with his son. Ashamed, he
leaves, taking the others with him. Atticus explains to
the children that Mr. Cunningham behaved as he did
because he was part of a mob; he chose to leave because
Scout reminded him that he was still a man.

SYNOPSIS / Page 2 of 2
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On the day of the trial, the courtroom is packed. The
children, against their father’s wishes, watch from the
balcony. Atticus’ skillful questioning reveals glaring
inconsistencies in the testimony of both Bob and
Mayella Ewell. The young woman’s loneliness is
revealed, as is her fear of her father’s violence. Tom
testifi es that on the day in question, Mayella made
unwelcome sexual advances to him while he was
helping her with her chores. He fl ed just as Bob Ewell
arrived home. After calling the jury’s attention to
Tom’s withered left hand, Atticus asserts that Mayella’s
injuries were infl icted by a left-handed attacker––her
father. Humiliated and furious, Bob Ewell threatens to
kill Atticus.
When the jury returns to the courtroom, the verdict
is announced: guilty. As Atticus leaves, many of the
spectators stand to show their respect. Miss Maudie
tells the children that many others in town agree with
Atticus, and although the verdict was wrong, the trial
represents a small step toward change.
Tom is sent to prison pending appeal, but “fed up with
white men’s chances,” he desperately tries to escape
and is shot. The Maycomb community is shocked to
learn of his death. Bob Ewell, however, is gleeful about
the terrible news and repeats his death threat against
Atticus.
Some weeks later, on a chilly fall night, Jem and Scout
are attacked on their way home from a school pageant.
In response to their cries, a big man runs to their
assistance from the Radley house. He overcomes the
children’s attacker and carries an injured Jem home,
accompanied by Scout, who is unhurt. After a doctor
sets Jem’s broken arm, the big man, who turns out to
be Boo Radley, sits with Scout beside the boy’s bedside.
Sheriff Tate arrives, reporting that he found Bob Ewell
dead, stabbed with a kitchen knife, but his offi cial
report will list the cause of death as suicide.
Scout tells Atticus that telling the truth about Bob
Ewell’s death––thus dragging the reclusive Boo into
the limelight––would be “like shooting a mockingbird.”
All the rumors about him were wrong, she says; in fact,
Boo turned out to be “real nice.” Atticus replies, “Most
people are, Scout––when you fi nally see them.”