summary of book to kill a mockingbird

  • My Preferences
  • My Reading List
  • To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Literature Notes
  • Book Summary
  • To Kill a Mockingbird at a Glance
  • Character List
  • Summary and Analysis
  • Part 1: Chapter 1
  • Part 1: Chapters 2-3
  • Part 1: Chapters 4-5
  • Part 1: Chapters 6-7
  • Part 1: Chapters 8-9
  • Part 1: Chapters 10-11
  • Part 2: Chapters 12-13
  • Part 2: Chapters 14-16
  • Part 2: Chapters 17-20
  • Part 2: Chapters 21-23
  • Part 2: Chapters 24-26
  • Part 2: Chapters 27-28
  • Part 2: Chapters 29-31
  • Character Analysis
  • Scout (Jean Louise) Finch
  • Atticus Finch
  • Dill Harris
  • Boo Radley and Tom Robinson
  • Aunt Alexandra and Miss Maudie Atkinson
  • Bob and Mayella Ewell
  • Character Map
  • About To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Harper Lee Biography
  • Critical Essays
  • Racial Relations in the Southern United States
  • Comparing To Kill a Mockingbird to Its Movie Version
  • Famous Quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Film Versions of To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Full Glossary for To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Essay Questions
  • Practice Projects
  • Cite this Literature Note

To Kill a Mockingbird is primarily a novel about growing up under extraordinary circumstances in the 1930s in the Southern United States. The story covers a span of three years, during which the main characters undergo significant changes. Scout Finch lives with her brother Jem and their father Atticus in the fictitious town of Maycomb, Alabama. Maycomb is a small, close-knit town, and every family has its social station depending on where they live, who their parents are, and how long their ancestors have lived in Maycomb.

A widower, Atticus raises his children by himself, with the help of kindly neighbors and a black housekeeper named Calpurnia. Scout and Jem almost instinctively understand the complexities and machinations of their neighborhood and town. The only neighbor who puzzles them is the mysterious Arthur Radley, nicknamed Boo, who never comes outside. When Dill, another neighbor's nephew, starts spending summers in Maycomb, the three children begin an obsessive — and sometimes perilous — quest to lure Boo outside.

Scout is a tomboy who prefers the company of boys and generally solves her differences with her fists. She tries to make sense of a world that demands that she act like a lady, a brother who criticizes her for acting like a girl, and a father who accepts her just as she is. Scout hates school, gaining her most valuable education on her own street and from her father.

Not quite midway through the story, Scout and Jem discover that their father is going to represent a black man named Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping and beating a white woman. Suddenly, Scout and Jem have to tolerate a barrage of racial slurs and insults because of Atticus' role in the trial. During this time, Scout has a very difficult time restraining from physically fighting with other children, a tendency that gets her in trouble with her Aunt Alexandra and Uncle Jack. Even Jem, the older and more levelheaded of the two, loses his temper a time or two. After responding to a neighbor's (Mrs. Dubose) verbal attack by destroying her plants, Jem is sentenced to read to her every day after school for one month. Ultimately, Scout and Jem learn a powerful lesson about bravery from this woman. As the trial draws nearer, Aunt Alexandra comes to live with them under the guise of providing a feminine influence for Scout.

During the novel's last summer, Tom is tried and convicted even though Atticus proves that Tom could not have possibly committed the crime of which he is accused. In the process of presenting Tom's case, Atticus inadvertently insults and offends Bob Ewell, a nasty, lazy drunkard whose daughter is Tom's accuser. In spite of Tom's conviction, Ewell vows revenge on Atticus and the judge for besmirching his already tarnished name. All three children are bewildered by the jury's decision to convict; Atticus tries to explain why the jury's decision was in many ways a foregone conclusion.

Shortly after the trial, Scout attends one of her aunt's Missionary Society meetings. Atticus interrupts the meeting to report that Tom Robinson had been killed in an escape attempt. Scout learns valuable lessons about achieving the ideal of womanhood and carrying on in the face of adversity that day.

Things slowly return to normal in Maycomb, and Scout and Jem realize that Boo Radley is no longer an all-consuming curiosity. The story appears to be winding down, but then Bob Ewell starts making good on his threats of revenge. Scout is in the Halloween pageant at school, playing the part of a ham. With Atticus and Aunt Alexandra both too tired to attend, Jem agrees to take Scout to the school. After embarrassing herself on-stage, Scout elects to leave her ham costume on for the walk home with Jem.

On the way home, the children hear odd noises, but convince themselves that the noises are coming from another friend who scared them on their way to school that evening. Suddenly, a scuffle occurs. Scout really can't see outside of her costume, but she hears Jem being pushed away, and she feels powerful arms squeezing her costume's chicken wire against her skin. During this attack, Jem badly breaks his arm. Scout gets just enough of a glimpse out of her costume to see a stranger carrying Jem back to their house.

The sheriff arrives at the Finch house to announce that Bob Ewell has been found dead under the tree where the children were attacked, having fallen on his own knife. By this time, Scout realizes that the stranger is none other than Boo Radley, and that Boo is actually responsible for killing Ewell, thus saving her and Jem's lives. In spite of Atticus' insistence to the contrary, the sheriff refuses to press charges against Boo. Scout agrees with this decision and explains her understanding to her father. Boo sees Jem one more time and then asks Scout to take him home, but rather than escort him home as though he were a child, she has Boo escort her to his house as a gentleman would.

With Boo safely home, Scout returns to Jem's room where Atticus is waiting. He reads her to sleep and then waits by Jem's bedside for his son to wake up.

Previous To Kill a Mockingbird at a Glance

Next Character List

has been added to your

Reading List!

Removing #book# from your Reading List will also remove any bookmarked pages associated with this title.

Are you sure you want to remove #bookConfirmation# and any corresponding bookmarks?

About the Book

To Kill a Mockingbird

By harper lee.

'To Kill A Mockingbird' is a coming of age story where a child discovers that white and black belong to two unfairly different worlds in her society.

Onyekachi Osuji

Written by Onyekachi Osuji

B.A. in Public Administration and certified in Creative Writing (Fiction and Non-Fiction)

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee tells the story of a child whose carefree relish of her childhood is given a rude awakening by the realization that she lives in an unjust and racist society when she witnesses the unfair conviction of a black man wrongly accused of raping a white woman.

’Spoiler Free’ Summary of To Kill a Mockingbird

The novel begins with the character of Scout describing her brother Jem’s arm injury that happened years earlier. Jem and Scout have several theories about what led to the injury and argue about it, then to settle the argument, they seek their father’s opinion, and their father tells them that they are both right.

Scout then begins to narrate the events of the years before Jem’s injury. They live in a nice residential area of a town called Maycomb County. It is a small town where everyone knows everyone else down to their ancestry, and the people are accustomed to social interactions with each other. However, there is a house in Scout’s neighborhood that is of interest to the people of the town because the house is always shut and the inhabitants of the house never socialize with neighbors.

The inhabitants of this house are the Radleys and their youngest son Arthur Radley who is never seen outside is nicknamed Boo Radley and described as an awkward monster in children’s imagination.

One summer, Scout and Dill meet a new boy in the neighborhood called Dill. Dill lives in another city but would be coming to Maycomb County every summer to stay with his relative. Scout and Jem become friends with Dill who is fascinated with the legend of the never-seen Boo Radley. Dill begins to formulate dares and plots to get them all to go to the Radley house in the hope of seeing Boo Radley. But they never succeed in seeing him.

Scout’s father is a lawyer called Atticus. One time in school, other pupils begin to taunt Scout for having a dad who is a ‘’nigger lover’’. Scout tells her father about it, and her father tells her about a client he has been assigned to defend in court. The client’s name is Tom Robinson and he has been falsely accused of raping a white girl named Mayella Ewell. Atticus tells Scout that the case is not until the next summer but that she must stay strong and be prepared to resist such taunting with grace.

Summer comes, and Tom Robinson is tried in court with Atticus as his defense attorney. Scout and the other kids have high hopes that Tom Robinson would be freed. But the outcome was not as expected.

Events take a turn for the worse as lives are lost and endangered by some people who nurse racism and hatred in their hearts.

Complete Plot Summary of To Kill a Mockingbird

Scout is a girl of six who lives in a nice neighborhood with her brother Jem, her father Atticus, and their cook Calpurnia. Scout and Jem play together and later make friends with a boy named Dill, who visits the neighborhood every summer.

A house close to them is always shut, and no one ever visits it. The occupants of the House are the Radleys, who do not socialize in the town. The youngest son of the Radleys had never been seen since years ago when he was a teenage boy, and he is rumored to be a monster and nicknamed Boo.

Dill is fascinated with Boo and devices various plots to get himself, Scout, and Jem close enough to the Radley House for them to get a glimpse of Boo. But all their childish plots fail, and they content themselves with enacting drama about their imagination of Boo’s life.

Scout begins school and their teacher Miss Caroline Fisher, an inexperienced young teacher, asks everyone to bring out their food in class. Seeing that one of the pupils does not have any food, Miss Fisher offers to lend him money to buy something to eat. Scout volunteers to explain to the teacher that the boy cannot afford to borrow money from her because they are poor but this gets her on the wrong footing with Miss Fisher and she gets whipped.

The boy concerned is Walter Cunningham whose father was once a client of Scout’s father Atticus. Scout fights with Walter at break time for being the cause of her getting whipped but later as a peace offering invites him to lunch with her at home.

Scout and Jem begin to be mocked by people because their father chose to defend a black man in a court case. Atticus explains to them that they must hold their heads high and ignore the taunts because the case of the black man is one he must defend if he wants to live well with his conscience. The case is that of a black young man who was accused of rape by a white girl and her father.

Mrs Henry Lafayette Dubose, a mean old lady that lives two houses away from Atticus’s house sees Jem and Scout and begins to taunt them for their father’s legal defense of a black man. In a fit of rage, Jem destroys the flowers in her front yard. Atticus finds out and instructs Jem to go and apologize to Mrs Dubose. Jem does as instructed and Mrs Dubose insists that Jem must come read to her every day for one month and Jem grudgingly obeys.

Mrs Dubose later dies and Atticus uses her as an example to teach Jem that people have both good and bad in them. Mrs Dubose was a mean old lady but she was courageous and chose to withdraw from her medically prescribed morphine addiction even though it caused her great pain.

Atticus travels for work for some days and their cook Calpurnia takes Scout and Jem to her church. There, the children discover that the black community is very different from their own white community. The cook, Calpurnia who speaks and writes good grammar speaks vernacular when around fellow black folks. Scout also witnesses Reverend Sykes organize a collection to help Tom Robinson’s wife and children who are left without support as his wife was finding it hard to get employment following her husband’s imprisonment.

Atticus’ sister, Alexandra moves in with Atticus. In her opinion, Atticus is not raising his children well and she has to help him teach them to behave like people from a respectable family.

Dill runs away from home and sneaks into Scout’s room. He is discovered by Scout and Jem and Scout plans to keep his presence a secret but Jem reports the incident to Atticus. After a stern warning, Dill is allowed to live with them.

The date of Tom Robinson’s trial draws near and the entire town is filled with tension. Atticus goes to stand guard at the jail where Tom is locked up. Jem, Scout, and Dill sneak out of the house and go in search of Atticus. They find him sitting at the jailhouse and shortly after, a group of men arrive asking Atticus to allow them access to Tom. Scout senses that they may harm Atticus and emerges from her hiding place. She recognizes Mr. Cunningham, her father’s former client, and the father of her classmate Walter Cunningham, among the group and begins to engage him in conversation.

After a while, Mr. Cunningham begins to feel awkward about their intention to lynch a prisoner and requests that his band leaves the scene. And so, Scout saves Tom Robinson from getting lynched without even knowing it.

The day of Tom Robinson’s trial comes and the entire Maycomb County, where nothing exciting ever happens, converges at the local court to witness the trial. The trial begins, and after a hard-fought case with a strong defense, Tom Robinson is still pronounced guilty by the jury. Bob Ewell, the father of the girl who claimed Tom Robinson raped her, threatens to hurt Atticus for humiliating him in court during cross-examination at the witness box.

Atticus assures Tom Robinson that there is still hope as they would appeal the case in a higher court. But Tom Robinson does not believe that there is any hope for a man in his position. He attempts to escape from prison but is shot dead by guards.

Months go by and the Tom Robinson tragedy is forgotten. The people of Maycomb County organise a Halloween party where children would perform on stage in various costumes. Scout is given the costume of a ham. Scout’s father and her aunt excuse themselves from attending the party and Jem is asked to accompany Scout as it is a night party. Scout makes an embarrassing flop in her performance at the party.

After the party, Scout decides to walk home in her heavy costume. As she walks home with Jem, Bob Ewell attacks them. He slices his knife at Scout but her costume protects her from getting harmed. Jem tries to fight him off but is shoved aside so violently that he breaks his arm and becomes unconscious. Boo Radley hears their screams and rushes to their defense. Boo Radley stabs Bob Ewell and carries Jem to Atticus.

Heck Tate, the sheriff of the county, is summoned. He finds Bod Ewell stabbed to death and after gathering information about the incident, he deduces that Bob Ewell was stabbed by Boo Radley. But in a bid to protect the shy Boo Radley’s privacy from public attention, he lies in his report, claiming that Bob Ewell died by stumbling upon his knife.

Scout finally sees Boo Radley in person and exchanges a few polite words with him. She walks Boo Radley to his front porch and he retires inside, never to be seen again.

Who comes and threatens Atticus?

It is Bob Ewell that threatens Atticus. Bob Ewell is a nasty man who accused Tom Robinson of raping his daughter. He hates Atticus for humiliating him in court and for choosing to defend a black man.

Why won’t Jem go home when Atticus tells him to?

Jem refuses to go home when Atticus tells him to because he is afraid that Atticus would get hurt. Atticus was facing a mob that was trying to lynch his client in jail.

How did the Radley house acquire its reputation?

The Radley house acquired its reputation because its windows and doors were always shut, the occupants of the house never visited anyone and never received any visitors. All these were unusual behavior in a small town where everyone socialized with everyone else, and for this, the house acquired the reputation of being a strange, spooky place.

Why did Scout fight Walter Cunningham?

Scout fought Walter Cunningham because their teacher whipped her in class for trying to explain his situation to her. And so, Scout felt it was Walter Cunningham’s fault that she got whipped.

Onyekachi Osuji

About Onyekachi Osuji

Onyekachi was already an adult when she discovered the rich artistry in the storytelling craft of her people—the native Igbo tribe of Africa. This connection to her roots has inspired her to become a Literature enthusiast with an interest in the stories of Igbo origin and books from writers of diverse backgrounds. She writes stories of her own and works on Literary Analysis in various genres.

Cite This Page

Osuji, Onyekachi " To Kill a Mockingbird Summary 📖 " Book Analysis , https://bookanalysis.com/harper-lee/to-kill-a-mockingbird/summary/ . Accessed 22 February 2024.

It'll change your perspective on books forever.

Discover 5 Secrets to the Greatest Literature

logo

To Kill a Mockingbird

105 pages • 3 hours read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-8

Chapters 9-12

Chapters 13-16

Chapters 17-20

Chapters 21-24

Chapters 25-28

Chapters 29-31

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Further Reading & Resources

Discussion Questions

Summary and Study Guide

To Kill a Mockingbird  is a Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel written by Harper Lee and originally published in 1960. The book is widely regarded as an American classic and, until recently, was the only novel Lee had published. To Kill a Mockingbird was inspired by events and observations that took place in Lee’s hometown. Set in the Great Depression, from 1932 to 1935, the novel is narrated by a young girl named Scout, whose coming-of-age experiences closely mirror Lee’s.

To Kill a Mockingbird follows the lives of three children: Scout; her brother, Jem; and their friend, Dill. In the beginning, the novel focuses on the wild imaginations of the three children as they entertain themselves during the summer in Maycomb, Alabama. Maycomb is a quiet town with deep-seated social hierarchies based on race, class, and how long each family has lived there. Within their respective social groups, Maycomb’s residents are closely-knit, to the point of being (both metaphorically and literally) incestuous, and gossip runs wild about any person who diverges from social norms.

Get access to this full Study Guide and much more!

  • 6,950+ In-Depth Study Guides
  • 5,100+ Quick-Read Plot Summaries
  • Downloadable PDFs

Children and local gossips, such as Miss Stephanie , spread tall tales about Scout and Jem’s reclusive neighbor, Arthur “Boo” Radley . These tales paint Boo as a mysterious and deadly figure, claiming he stabbed his father with a pair of scissors, poisons the nuts that fall from the trees on the Radley property, and haunts the streets of Maycomb at night. Fascinated and terrified by these tales, Scout, Jem, and Dill spend the summer forming elaborate plans to make Boo come out of his house. After two summers of this, they notice that someone begins leaving them small gifts in the knothole of a tree on the Radley’s lot. They assume it is Boo—though they never lay eyes on him—and are devastated when Boo’s older brother, Nathan Radley , fills the tree’s knothole with cement.

Shortly thereafter, a much greater problem begins to stir in Maycomb. Scout’s father, a lawyer named Atticus Finch , is assigned to defend a Black man, Tom Robinson , who is accused of raping a White woman. Atticus is a thoughtful man who believes it is his civic duty to provide a fair defense for Tom Robinson, despite the disapproval of prejudiced townsfolk in Maycomb.

The SuperSummary difference

  • 8x more resources than SparkNotes and CliffsNotes combined
  • Study Guides you won ' t find anywhere else
  • 100+ new titles every month

As local children and adults alike taunt the Finch family for Atticus’ actions, Atticus advises Scout and Jem to hold their heads high and appreciate situations from others’ perspectives. This appreciation plays a major role in a later scene, wherein a threatening mob gathers at the jail where Tom Robinson is held. As Atticus stands between the mob and Tom, Scout and Jem run forward to protect their father. Scout identifies someone she knows within the mob, Mr. Cunningham, and  attempts to speak kindly (though naively) to him about his son, his family, and his financial situation. Mr. Cunningham is moved to shame by Scout’s efforts to empathize with him, and he calls off the mob.

Throughout the trial of Tom Robinson, Atticus presents evidence that Tom is not responsible for the crime. In fact, Tom is the victim of multiple advances by his accuser, Mayella Ewell . Strong evidence indicates that the true abuser is actually Mayella’s father, Bob Ewell. However, because this is a small, racially divided southern town, the jury ultimately finds Tom Robinson guilty of the crime despite all the evidence to the contrary. Ultimately, Tom attempts to escape from prison and is shot dead.

After the trial concludes, Bob Ewell accuses Atticus of ruining his honor and vows to get revenge. He tries to break into the judge’s house, torments Tom’s widow, and attacks Scout and Jem while they walk home after a school Halloween pageant. During the attack, a mysterious figure comes to their rescue and carries Jem home to safety. When she returns home, Scout realizes their rescuer is Boo Radley.

The sheriff arrives to find that Bob Ewell was killed in the fight. He and Atticus discuss the implications of charging Jem, whom Atticus believes is responsible, or Boo, whom the Sheriff believes is responsible. In the end, the sheriff decides the most ethical course of action is to tell a white lie: that Bob Ewell drunkenly fell on his own knife.

Boo asks Scout to walk him home, and once they reach his door, he disappears again. Scout imagines what life is like from Boo’s perspective and develops a mature understanding of the human condition.

To Kill a Mockingbird  addresses themes of violence, power, and racial injustice. Guided by Scout’s childhood perspective, the novel dually serves as a “bildungsroman”—examining the formative experiences of a young girl—and a deconstruction of the time, place, and social climate she grew up in.

Content Warning

Some characters in To Kill a Mockingbird use racist language. This study guide aims not to reproduce that language and avoids quoting it. 

blurred text

Don't Miss Out!

Access Study Guide Now

Ready to dive in?

Get unlimited access to SuperSummary for only $ 0.70 /week

Related Titles

By Harper Lee

Go Set A Watchman

Featured Collections

American literature.

View Collection

Audio Study Guides

Banned books week, books made into movies, books that teach empathy, coming-of-age journeys, community reads, pulitzer prize fiction awardees &..., southern gothic.

'To Kill a Mockingbird' Summary

Harper Lee’s Pulitzer-winning novel deals with race and justice

summary of book to kill a mockingbird

  • B.A., English, Rutgers University

Published in 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most influential novels of the 20th century. It tells a story of racism, moral courage, and the power of innocence that has influenced several generations’ ideas about justice, race relations, and poverty.

Scout and Friends

To Kill a Mockingbird is narrated by Jean Louise Finch, a 6-year-old girl usually referred to by her nickname, Scout. Scout lives in Maycomb, Alabama with her brother Jem and her father Atticus, who is a widower and a prominent attorney in town. The novel opens in 1933 when the town—and the entire country—is suffering the effects of the Great Depression.

A young boy named Dill Harris arrives with his family for the summer and immediately forms a bond with Scout and Jem. Dill and Scout agree to get married, but then Dill spends more time with Jem than her, and Scout begins to regularly beat up Dill as a way of forcing him to honor their betrothal.

The three children spend their days and nights pretending and playing games. Dill becomes interested in the Radley Place, a house on the Finch’s street where the mysterious Arthur "Boo" Radley lives. Boo does not leave the house and is the subject of much rumor and fascination.

The Tree at the Radley House

When the summer ends, Scout must attend school and does not enjoy the experience. She and Jem walk past the Radley house every day to and from school, and one day Scout discovers that someone has left presents for them in a hollow of a tree outside the Radley house. This continues throughout the school year. When summer comes around again, Dill returns, and the three children pick up where they left off, play-acting the story of Boo Radley. When Atticus realizes what they’re doing, he tells them to stop and to think of Arthur not as a figure of fun, but as a human being. The children are chastened, but on the last night before Dill goes home again, the children sneak into the Radley house. Nathan Radley, Arthur’s brother, is enraged and shoots at the intruders. The children scramble to escape and Jem loses his pants when they become caught and torn. The next day Jem goes to retrieve the pants, and finds they have been sewn and cleaned.

Jem and Scout return to school and find more presents in the tree. When Nathan realizes that Boo is leaving them gifts, he pours cement into the hollow. One evening their neighbor Miss Maudie’s house catches fire and the community organizes to put it out. As Scout stands shivering to watch the flames, she realizes someone has slipped behind her and put a blanket over her shoulders. She is convinced it was Boo.

Atticus's Case

A terrible crime rocks the small town: a Black man with a crippled arm named Tom Robinson is accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Atticus Finch reluctantly agrees to defend Robinson, knowing that otherwise he will not get anything close to a fair trial. Atticus experiences anger and pushback from the white community for this decision, but refuses to do less than his best. Jem and Scout are also bullied because of Atticus’ decision.

At Christmas the Finches travel to Finch’s Landing to celebrate with relatives. Calpurnia, the family cook, takes Jem and Scout to a local Black church, where they discover that their father is revered for his decision to defend Tom, and the children have a wonderful time.

The next summer, Dill is not supposed to come back but rather to spend his summer with his father. Dill runs away and Jem and Scout attempt to hide him, but he is soon compelled to go home. Atticus’ sister, Alexandra, comes to stay with them to look after Scout and Jem—especially Scout, who she insists needs to learn how to act like a young lady and not a tomboy.

A mob of angry people come to the local jail intending to lynch Tom Robinson. Atticus meets the mob and refuses to let them pass, daring them to attack him. Scout and Jem sneak out of the house to spy on their father and are there to see the mob. Scout recognizes one of the men, and she asks after his son, who she knows form school. Her innocent questions embarrass him, and he helps to break up the mob in shame.

The Trial and Its Aftermath

The trial begins. Jem and Scout sit with the Black community in the balcony. Atticus puts up a brilliant defense. The accusers, Mayella Ewell and her father Robert are low-class people and not very bright, and Atticus demonstrates that Bob Ewell had been beating Mayella for years. Mayella propositioned Tom and attempted to seduce him. When her father walked in, she made up the story of rape to save herself from punishment. The wounds that Mayella suffered that she said Tom inflicted would not be possible because of Tom’s crippled arm—in fact, the wounds were inflicted by her father. Bob Ewell is surly and angry that Atticus has made him a fool, but despite these efforts, the jury votes to convict Tom. Tom, despairing of justice, tries to escape from jail and is killed in the attempt, shaking Scout’s faith in humanity and justice.

Bob Ewell feels humiliated by Atticus, and begins a campaign of terror against everyone involved, including the judge in the case, Tom’s widow, and Scout and Jem. On Halloween, Jem and Scout go out in costume and are attacked by Bob Ewell. Scout cannot see well due to her costume and is terrified and confused. Jem is badly injured, but Boo Radley suddenly rushes to their assistance, killing Bob Ewell with his own knife. Boo then carries Jem to the house. The sheriff, recognizing what has happened, decides that Bob Ewell tripped and fell on his own knife, declining to investigate Boo Radley for the killing. Boo and Scout sit quietly for a while, and she sees that he is a gentle, kind presence. Then he returns to his house.

Jem’s injury means he will never be the athlete he hoped to be, but will heal. Scout reflects that she now can see Boo Radley as Arthur, a human being, and she embraces her father’s moral view of the world despite its imperfections.

  • 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Book Club Discussion Questions
  • 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Quotes Explained
  • 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Characters
  • 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Themes, Symbols, and Literary Devices
  • 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Overview
  • Top Conservative Novels
  • Scout Finch Quotes from 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee
  • 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and 'Go Set a Watchman' Quotes
  • Profile of Serial Killer Tommy Lynn Sells
  • 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Vocabulary
  • 10 Classic Novels for Teens
  • The Astor Place Riot of 1849
  • Profile of Richard Kuklinski
  • Atticus Finch Biography
  • Controversial and Banned Books
  • 5 Novel Setting Maps for Classic American Literature

summary of book to kill a mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird

Everything you need for every book you read..

Good, Evil, and Human Dignity Theme Icon

To Kill A Mockingbird (film)

By robert mulligan.

  • To Kill A Mockingbird (film) Summary

After a stylized opening credit sequence, a camera descends on the languid, small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama. An adult version of Jean Louise “Scout” Finch narrates the film’s events, which are told from six-year-old Scout’s point of view in the early 1930s, at the peak of the Great Depression. The adult Scout briefly recalls her upbringing in Maycomb, remarking, “The day [in Maycomb] was 24 hours long, but it seemed longer. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go and nothin' to buy...and no money to buy it with. Although Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothin' to fear but fear itself...That summer, I was six years old.”

We then see a poor farmer, Walter Cunningham, deliver a crokersack full of hickory nuts to one of the town’s defense lawyers and Scout’s father, Atticus, as part of entailment for Atticus’s legal work. After an ashamed and embarrassed Walter leaves, Scout inquires about her family’s socioeconomic status and how they compare to the Cunningham family. Atticus tells Scout that they are poor, but not as poor as Cunninghams, whose livelihoods were shaken by the Depression.

In the same scene, Jem—Scout’s older brother—looks down from a treehouse and spots a young boy crouching among the plants. The young boy soon introduces himself to Scout and Jem as Charles Baker “Dill” Harris, who is visiting his aunt, one of Finch’s neighbors, Miss Stephanie Crawford, for two weeks in Maycomb. Dill is eccentric and acts beyond his years, but he, Scout, and Jem become fast friends and spend their summer days playing games, hanging out in the treehouse, and fantasizing about the nearby house which harbors Maycomb’s pariah— Arthur “Boo” Radley . Equally terrified and intrigued by the creaky Radley house, the three children believe in the gossipy story that a cruel Mr. Radley locked up his mentally unstable and troublesome son, Boo, after Boo supposedly stabbed him in the legs with scissors.

One night, Atticus overhears a poignant conversation between Jem and Scout. Scout asks Jem whether their deceased mother was pretty, if they love her, and if he misses her, as Scout was only two years old when she passed and therefore has no real memories of her. Then, a local judge, Judge Taylor, approaches Atticus and informs him that the grand jury will soon charge Tom Robinson , a black man accused of raping a white woman. Judge Taylor asks Atticus if he would defend Tom in court, and Atticus, a deeply moral man, agrees to “take the case.”

Time passes and summer ends. Scout begins school and fights with Walter Cunningham Jr; Scout attempted to explain why the poverty-stricken Walter could not afford lunch, but her teacher “got sore” at her, and Scout projects her frustration onto innocent Walter. Jem stops the fight, apologizes for Scout’s irrational behavior, and invites Walter over for dinner.

During dinner at the Finch household, Jem asks Walter if he has a gun of his own, and Walter says he does. Atticus then shares his own experiences with a gun as a young boy; he explains that his father allowed him to shoot and kill most birds, with the memorable exception of a mockingbird—a harmless songbird that only exists to offer music and give pleasure to people.

Meanwhile, Jem and Scout find two carved soap figures in the knothole of a tree at the edge of the Radley property. The figures resemble themselves, and later that night, Jem shows Scout a box containing marbles, an old pocket watch, a whistle, a crayon, and other items from a mysterious giver.

As another summer arrives and Tom Robinson’s trial looms closer and closer, racial tensions in Maycomb begin to escalate. Atticus is hatefully ridiculed by the town, especially by Mr. Ewell, who calls him a “n—er lover.” One night, Atticus decides to stand guard outside the jail where Tom is being held. A lynch mob, comprising of Maycomb’s most racist and ignorant men, surrounds the jail and demands that Atticus to move. Sensing the tense and dangerous situation, Scout, Dill, and Jem run over to the mob. Atticus urges them to go home, but Scout innocently engages in a candid yet alarming conversation with Walter Cunningham Sr., one of the men in the mob. Her words embarrass the crowd—who soon dissipates—and thereby prevent a potential lynching.

The next day, the vast majority of Maycomb’s population visit the courthouse to watch the explosive, dramatic trial. Atticus prohibits the children from attending the trial, but they go anyway. The elderly Baptist minister Rev. Sykes allows the children to join the black audience on the balcony of the courtroom, as the rest of the courthouse is packed with spectators.

The courtroom sequence comprises four examinations or cross-examinations: Sheriff Tate, Mr. Ewell, Mayella, and Tom. Tate reveals that nobody called a doctor on the night of Mayella’s beating and rape, and that Mayella was severely beaten. Then, Mr. Ewell testifies that when he came home that night, he found Tom on top of Mayella. Atticus then hands paper and pencil to Ewell and requests him to write his name. Ewell struggles, but reveals himself to be left-handed. Atticus argues that Tom has a crippled left arm, which disqualifies him as the supposed rapist, who would have had to extensively use his left hand to assault Mayella before raping her. Atticus implies that because Ewell is left-handed, he—not Tom—was the one who beat up Mayella. Outraged, Ewell complains to the judge: “That Atticus Finch is tryin' to take advantage of me. You gotta watch lawyers like Atticus Finch."

Mayella’s testimony comes next. During cross-examination, her statements about her relationships with Tom and her father are confusing and contradictory; she is obviously lying. Atticus challenges her testimony, asking, "Do you want to tell us what really happened?" Mayella then loses her remaining composure, shouts at Tom and the jury, and runs from the witness stand.

Tom’s testimony contradicts Mayella’s false story. He claims she often invited him inside the fence to do chores for free for over a year, and on the night of the attack, Mayella attempted to seduce him. When the circuit solicitor, Mr. Gilmer, asks Tom why he felt compelled to do chores for Mayella, Tom somewhat unwisely states that he felt sorry for the white woman.

Later, Atticus delivers a passionate, final defense summation of Tom to the all-white jury. He states the case should never have been brought to trial because of the lack of evidence, points out the blatant contradictions of Mayella’s testimony, and claims she lied due to the overwhelming guilt concerning her sexual attraction to a black man, a horrific offense at the time. He powerfully implies that Mayella failed to seduce Tom Robinson and falsely accused him of rape after her father attacked her for making advances toward a black man.

After hours of deliberation, though, the jury pronounces Tom guilty. Atticus urges Tom not to be too disappointed; the case was doomed from the start because of the prejudiced white jury, and they would ask for an appeal. As the courtroom clears, Atticus gathers his belongings and the black spectators stand up to show their respect and admiration for his passionate defense. Rev. Sykes says, “Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father’s passin’” to Scout, who then rises.

That night, Tate informs Atticus that Tom supposedly tried to escape jail and was shot to death by the authorities. Atticus, accompanied by Scout and Jem, then goes to the Robinson household to deliver the news. Mr. Ewell confronts Atticus in the Robinson yard and spits into his face; Atticus glares at him and climbs back into his car.

Mr. Ewell gets revenge on Atticus the following fall. Jem and Scout walk home from the Halloween pageant at their school, and Ewell follows the children home and suddenly attempts to kill them with a large kitchen knife. He breaks Jem's arm, and Scout becomes helpless throughout the attack due to a visually and physically confining ham costume. Fortunately, Boo Radley saves Jem and Scout's lives and stabs Ewell.

Scout finally meets the shy, ghostly Boo—whose stark paleness suggests a life spent in a sun-deprived setting—at home. Scout no longer fears Boo and they sit quietly together on the swing while Tate and Atticus discuss the night’s events. In an attempt to avoid the innocent, reclusive Boo from being tried for murder and receiving unwanted public attention from Maycomb residents, Tate fabricates a story, asserting that a drunk Ewell fell and killed himself on his knife. Atticus hesitantly agrees to cover up the truth. With a newfound maturity, Scout walks Boo home and imagines how he views the world. The film concludes with the adult version of Scout admitting how she often reflects on these memories of her childhood, noting that Atticus stayed in the injured Jem’s room all night and was there when he woke in the morning.

GradeSaver will pay $15 for your literature essays

To Kill A Mockingbird (film) Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for To Kill A Mockingbird (film) is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Which did you enjoy more- the book or the movie? Why?

This question calls for your opinion, there is no right or wrong answer. I love both the movie and the book.... the movie is spectacular.

Why did more people choose watching movies?

First of all, one of the main reasons why poeple chose films is that their faster and easier to "consume". In oder words, some people would rather spend 2 hours watching a film than 4 hours reading the book,

Secondly, the film industry has become...

What does Jem ask Walter Cunningham about at lunch? Why does Atticus say it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird?

Jem asked, “Your daddy Mr. Walter Cunningham from Old Sarum?” , and Walter nodded and Jem grinned at him and invited him to have dinner with them, assuring him that they would be glad to have him over, and he said: Jem said, “Our daddy’s a friend...

Study Guide for To Kill A Mockingbird (film)

To Kill A Mockingbird (film) study guide contains a biography of Robert Mulligan, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

  • About To Kill A Mockingbird (film)
  • Character List
  • Director's Influence

Essays for To Kill A Mockingbird (film)

To Kill A Mockingbird (film) essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of To Kill A Mockingbird (film) by Robert Mulligan.

  • Peculiarities of Human Behaviour and Motivations in The Merchant of Venice and To Kill a Mockingbird

Wikipedia Entries for To Kill A Mockingbird (film)

  • Introduction

summary of book to kill a mockingbird

IMAGES

  1. Summary and Analysis of To Kill a Mockingbird by Worth Books

    summary of book to kill a mockingbird

  2. ⛔ Chapter 3 to kill a mockingbird summary. To Kill a Mockingbird

    summary of book to kill a mockingbird

  3. 😎 To kill a mockingbird synopsis short. What Is a Brief Summary of Kill

    summary of book to kill a mockingbird

  4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Book Summary

    summary of book to kill a mockingbird

  5. To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee (Book Review)

    summary of book to kill a mockingbird

  6. To Kill a Mockingbird Video Summary

    summary of book to kill a mockingbird

VIDEO

  1. Why To Kill A Mockingbird is Banned

  2. To Kill A Mockingbird 1 of 2

  3. Exploring Chapters 19-23 from "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee

  4. 📘 "To Kill a Mockingbird" Book Review: Themes of Racial Injustice, Prejudice, and Innocence! 🎯

  5. To Kill a Mockingbird

  6. Exploring Chapters 6-10 from "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee

COMMENTS

  1. To Kill a Mockingbird: Full Book Summary

    Jem Finch Boo Radley Bob Ewell Mockingbirds Boo Radley Maycomb, Alabama Quick Quizzes Full Book Part One, Chapter 1 Chapters 2 & 3 Chapters 4-6 Chapters 7 & 8 Chapters 9-11

  2. To Kill a Mockingbird

    Feb. 8, 2024, 11:41 PM ET (The Hindu) Arena brings alive Harper Lee's classic To Kill a Mockingbird Top Questions What is To Kill a Mockingbird about? What inspired Harper Lee to write To Kill a Mockingbird? How did people respond to To Kill a Mockingbird? Why is To Kill a Mockingbird a significant text? Is there a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird?

  3. To Kill a Mockingbird: To Kill a Mockingbird Book Summary & Study Guide

    Literature Notes To Kill a Mockingbird Book Summary Book Summary To Kill a Mockingbird is primarily a novel about growing up under extraordinary circumstances in the 1930s in the Southern United States. The story covers a span of three years, during which the main characters undergo significant changes.

  4. Quick summary of To Kill a Mockingbird

    The protagonist is Jean Louise ("Scout") Finch, an intelligent and unconventional girl who ages from six to nine years old during the course of the novel. She and her brother, Jem, are raised by their widowed father, Atticus Finch, a prominent lawyer who encourages his children to be empathetic and just.

  5. To Kill a Mockingbird: Study Guide

    To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, published in 1960, is a profound exploration of racial injustice and moral growth set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the 1930s.

  6. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Plot Summary

    Chapter 1 In the small town of Maycomb, Alabama, in the middle of the Great Depression, six-year-old Scout Finch lives with her older brother, Jem, and her widowed father, Atticus. Atticus is a lawyer and makes enough to keep the family comfortably out of poverty, but he works long days.

  7. To Kill a Mockingbird Summary

    To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee tells the story of Scout Finch, a young girl growing up in a small Alabama town during the 1930s. Here are some key plot summary points: Tensions mount in...

  8. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Summary

    By Harper Lee 'To Kill A Mockingbird' is a coming of age story where a child discovers that white and black belong to two unfairly different worlds in her society. Written by Onyekachi Osuji B.A. in Public Administration and certified in Creative Writing (Fiction and Non-Fiction)

  9. To Kill a Mockingbird Summary and Study Guide

    To Kill a Mockingbird is a Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel written by Harper Lee and originally published in 1960.The book is widely regarded as an American classic and, until recently, was the only novel Lee had published. To Kill a Mockingbird was inspired by events and observations that took place in Lee's hometown.Set in the Great Depression, from 1932 to 1935, the novel is narrated by a ...

  10. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Summary

    To Kill a Mockingbird is narrated by Jean Louise Finch, a 6-year-old girl usually referred to by her nickname, Scout. Scout lives in Maycomb, Alabama with her brother Jem and her father Atticus, who is a widower and a prominent attorney in town. The novel opens in 1933 when the town—and the entire country—is suffering the effects of the ...

  11. To Kill a Mockingbird Study Guide

    Quotes Characters Symbols Theme Viz Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on To Kill a Mockingbird makes teaching easy. Everything you need for every book you read. "Sooo much more helpful than SparkNotes. The way the content is organized and presented is seamlessly smooth, innovative, and comprehensive." Get LitCharts A +

  12. To Kill a Mockingbird Summary

    by Harper Lee Buy Study Guide To Kill a Mockingbird Summary To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in Alabama during the Depression, and is narrated by the main character, a little girl named Jean Louise "Scout" Finch. Her father, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer with high moral standards.

  13. To Kill a Mockingbird

    The historian Joseph Crespino explains, "In the twentieth century, To Kill a Mockingbird is probably the most widely read book dealing with race in America, and its main character, Atticus Finch, the most enduring fictional image of racial heroism." [1]

  14. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    Harper Lee 4.26 6,052,675 ratings116,002 reviews The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it. "To Kill A Mockingbird" became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960.

  15. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    To Kill a Mockingbird Summary: Part 1. The novel begins in 1933 in Maycomb, a small Alabama town. Jean Louise " Scout " Finch lives with her widowed father, Atticus, and her older brother, Jem. A ...

  16. To Kill a Mockingbird Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis

    Quotes Characters Symbols Theme Viz Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on To Kill a Mockingbird makes teaching easy. Everything you need for every book you read. "Sooo much more helpful than SparkNotes. The way the content is organized and presented is seamlessly smooth, innovative, and comprehensive." Get LitCharts A + Previous Summary

  17. To Kill a Mockingbird

    Visit us at https://www.gradesaver.com/to-kill-a-mockingbird/study-guide/video to read the full video transcript and our study guide for this classic novel, ...

  18. To Kill a Mockingbird: Chapter 15 Summary & Analysis

    Analysis. After some pleading, Dill 's mother allows him to stay. After this, things go downhill quickly. One evening, Mr. Tate knocks and asks Atticus to come outside. Scout knows that men only talk outside for death or politics and wonders who died. She and Jem try to follow, but Atticus sends them back in.

  19. To Kill A Mockingbird (film) Summary

    Time passes and summer ends. Scout begins school and fights with Walter Cunningham Jr; Scout attempted to explain why the poverty-stricken Walter could not afford lunch, but her teacher "got sore" at her, and Scout projects her frustration onto innocent Walter.

  20. To Kill a Mockingbird: What Does the Ending Mean?

    The novel ends after Bob Ewell attacks Scout and Jem, and Boo Radley rescues them, killing Bob in the process. Atticus and Sheriff Heck Tate have a conversation about how to deal with the situation, and Scout walks Boo home. The conversation between Atticus and Heck can be difficult to understand, because the two men are talking about two ...

  21. Liz Lanaghan on Instagram: "Book Review: To Kill A Mockingbird by

    30 likes, 1 comments - lizslibrary0915 on April 18, 2023: "Book Review: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee Rating: Genre: Classic Published: ..." Liz Lanaghan on Instagram: "Book Review: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee Rating: 🐾🐾🐾 Genre: Classic Published: 5/23/08 Review: We'll I can now officially say that I have read this book!

  22. Atticus Finch Character Analysis in To Kill a Mockingbird

    Atticus Finch Character Analysis Previous Next As one of the most prominent citizens in Maycomb during the Great Depression, Atticus is relatively well off in a time of widespread poverty. Because of his penetrating intelligence, calm wisdom, and exemplary behavior, Atticus is respected by everyone, including the very poor.