To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a novel about growing up in the Southern United States in the 1930s. The story, told from the viewpoint of a little girl, covers a span of three years, during which the main characters undergo significant changes. The narrator, Scout Finch, lives with her brother Jem and their father Atticus in the fictitious town of Maycomb, Alabama. Racial inequality was the norm and African Americans were oppressed in every level of society.
A lawyer and widower, Atticus raises his children by himself, with the help of kindly neighbors and a housekeeper named Calpurnia. Scout and Jem discover that their father is going to represent a black man named Tom Robinson, who is falsely accused of raping and beating a white woman. Atticus, Scout and Jem have to tolerate a barrage of racial slurs and insults because of Atticus’ defense of Tom. Tom is tried and convicted even though Atticus proves that Tom could not have possibly committed the crime of which he is accused. Just as Atticus files an appeal of the conviction, circumstances go from bad to worse.
The character of Atticus represents all that is fair and just. He fights for justice, even while he and his family are threatened. He teaches his children that everyone deserves respect, regardless of your skin color or your social standing.
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