AN ANALYSIS OF MORAL VALUES FOUND IN HARPER LEE’S NOVEL TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
A THESIS
BY
RANCES TAMPUBOLON REG. NO 060705038
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT FACULTY OF LETTERS
UNIVERSITY OF SUMATERA UTARA MEDAN
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
All praise and grateful to the almighty God, and His son Jesus Christ who
has given me health, chance and ability to finish this thesis in the proper time.
There are so many steps has been done by me to make this thesis complete
and ready to presented as a thesis of the first graduate. I get so many helps,
support and motivation from many people to process of doing this thesis, from the
beginning until the end.
First, I would like to thanks to her supervisor and co-supervisor, Drs.
Parlindungan Purba, M.hum and Drs. Siamir Marulafau, M.hum for their
guidance, support, advice and constructive comments during the writing of this
thesis.
My sincere gratitude also goes to the Dean of Faculty of Letters,
University of Sumatera Utara, Drs. Syahron Lubis, M.A. , the head and the
secretary of English Department, Dra. Swesana Mardia Lubis, M.Hum, Drs.
Parlindungan Purba, M.hum, and all the lectures, and the staffs of English
Department for the facilities and opportunities given to me during my study in
this university.
My special thanks to my beloved parents, M. Tampubolon and T. br
Sihite, who have love me very much, have given me support and prayer. And my
beloved brothers D.Tampubolon and his wife Mrs. Sundari, R.Tampubolon br
Sinambela, Ronni Tampubolon, for giving me a great love, support, attention and
material during my study. Furthermore, my great thanks are for all of my sisters R
husband Mr. Lubis who also support and pray for her. Thanks also for all of my
nephews, thanks for your pray.
Special thanks also to my girlfriend, Hartati br Situmorang for giving me
support, great love and attention during doing this thesis I will appreciate all of
the time we spent together. I love you so much. Thanks for my closed friends
Hendra Halomoan Simbolon, Dix Wendy Saragih, Efa Handayani, Wilda Yanti,
Rindianti Irawan, Mawardi Saragih, Arwin Kurniawan, Harry Gullit, Juara Putra
Sakti Pulungan, Alfa Reza Lubis, Zulfikar Hanafi, Yakub ’05, Nurul ’05 and Hadi
Irawan ’07. I always remember the great moment we have spent together. Thanks
ABSTRACT
Skripsi ini berjudul “An Analysis of Moral Values Found in Harper Lee’ To Kill A Mockingbird.” Nilai moral merupakan yang di pakai oleh masyarakat dalam bentuk norma atau aturan. Interaksi yang terjadi di masyarakat menggambarkan keanekaragaman perilaku. Baik buruknya tingkah laku seseorang disebut sebagai nilai moral. Tanpa adanya penilaian terhadap tatanan tingkah laku tersebut, manusia akan hidup liar dan tidak terarah. Aturan-aturan yang ada di masyarakat sebagai moral standard yang diterima dan diyakini bersama oleh masyarakat tersebut akan menjadi pedoman hidup manusia dalam bertingkah laku.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
ABSTRACT
TABLE OF CONTENT
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Analysis
1.2 Statement of Analysis
1.3 Objective of Analysis
1.4 Scope of Analysis
1.5 Methodology of Analysis
1.6 Review of Related Literature
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL FRAME WORK
2.1 Concept of Morality
2.2 Character
2.3 Novel
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
3.1 Source of Data
3.3 Data Analysis
CHAPTER IV MORAL VALUES IN HARPER LEE’S NOVEL TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
4.1 Color Skin Prejudice
4.2 Underestimate
4.3 Slender
CHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
5.1 Conclusion
5.2 Suggestion
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ABSTRACT
Skripsi ini berjudul “An Analysis of Moral Values Found in Harper Lee’ To Kill A Mockingbird.” Nilai moral merupakan yang di pakai oleh masyarakat dalam bentuk norma atau aturan. Interaksi yang terjadi di masyarakat menggambarkan keanekaragaman perilaku. Baik buruknya tingkah laku seseorang disebut sebagai nilai moral. Tanpa adanya penilaian terhadap tatanan tingkah laku tersebut, manusia akan hidup liar dan tidak terarah. Aturan-aturan yang ada di masyarakat sebagai moral standard yang diterima dan diyakini bersama oleh masyarakat tersebut akan menjadi pedoman hidup manusia dalam bertingkah laku.
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Analysis
The word ‘literature’ derives from the Latin ‘letter’ which primarily refers
to the written or printed words. It might be based on this idea that even today we
still often think of literature almost exclusively as written expression.
The word ‘literature’ is also frequently used in very general sense of the
word to refer to the whole body of writing in a culture,regardless of its purpose.
Literature sprang up from imaginative mind of people who had talent to create
stories.They perceived what was happening arround them from a natural
phenomena to the lives of the people in their community.The eruption of a
volcano,earthquake,war might have become the source of stories. A writer can
make a story from the incidents he had seen or feel and organized a series of
related incidents into a plot and produced a literary work,such as; novel,drama or
poetry.
Wellek and Austin Warren (1977:25) stated there are three genres of
literary work,these genres originated from lyrics,epic and drama. As Literary
genre developed,lyric developed into poetry,epic developed into prose and only
Novel as a genre of fiction can be defined as: “a work of prose
fiction,usually an extended narrative that tells a story or uses incidents to
dramatize human experience and individual characters” (Grambs,1925: 93).
A novel can be analyzed in several points of view. It can be analyzed
from the moral,social and religious point of view. Moral has a close relationship
with character, because moral is reflected by character. Character is the element of
prose and moral actually is one of four levels of characterization.These four
levels are; physical,social,psychological and moral. These levels help us to see the
very basic description of characters.
Moral derives from the Latin ‘mos’ which means attitude and habits. This
attitude based on the determination of right and wrong. Values means standard
that used to define something and regarded as a conventional. In other word,
moral values is standard of attitude that based on the determination of right and
wrong which regarded by those who make the standart of moral.
In “To Kill A Mocking Bird” there are underestimate,slander and color
skin prejudice. These moral values can defect social system and break human
interaction which caused human’s social degradation.That is the main reason why
I interested in analyzing this novel as my analysis.
Finally, I hope this analysis will give the knowledge about moral values
that found in this novel because literary work especially novel can give moral
1.2 Statement Of Analysis
Underestimate,slander and prejudice are three negative attitudes. These
three attitude can defect social system and break human interaction that caused
social degradation. Thus, is social degradation related to moral values that result
underestimate, slander and color skin prejudice?
1.3 Objective of analysis
The objective of this analysis stands for the object that is going to analyze
based on the problem of analysis. The objective of this analyis is to find and
analyze how these three attitudes caused social degradation as reflected in Harper
Lee’s novel “To Kill A Mockingbird”...
1.4 Method of Analysis
Welleck and Austin Warren state that there are two approaches in
analyzing literary works. They are intrinsic and extrinsic approach. Intrinsic
approach is a kind of approach which analyze literary works based on the text and
the structural points of literary works; characters,plot,setting,style,point of view,
etc. Extrinsic approach is a kind of approach which analyze the relationship
between the content and the other discipline of knowledge such as history,
religion, psychology, biography,etc.
In this analysis, I use extrinsic approach. I also relate my analysis with the
biography of Harper Lee as the writer of “To Kill a Mocking Bird” because in
analyzing a novel, one should know the background of the writer of a novel to
1.6 Review of Related Literature
To analyse the moral values in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mocking
Bird, I consult various kind of Literary reading which are usefull to produce
literary analysis. As the main resources of data and information I use the
following books,those are:
1.Theory of Literature by Rene Welleck and Austeen Warren.
This book describes how literature as a social institution using language as its
medium in creating social relationship and the novelist becomes the member of
the society.
2.The elements of moral philosophy by James Rachels
This book tells about what is moral and how is moral is very important in human
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
2.1. General Concept of Moral
The word moral derives from Latin word, mores, the plural of mos. It
means that are “manners, custom, conduct, and the way of life”.
According to Runes (1977:202) moral is sometimes used as equivalent to
“ethics” more frequently it is used to designate the codes, conduct, and custom of
individuals, or of groups, as when one speaks of the morals, of a person or of a
people. Here it is equivalent to the Greek word ethos and the Latin mores. Ethics
(also referred to as moral philosophy) is that study or discipline which concerns
itself with judgments as to the rightness, or wrongness, goodness, or badness,
virtue or vice desirability or wisdom of actions, dispositions, end, objects or states
of affairs.
Angeles (1981:179) defined moral into some; they are :
1. Having to do with human activities that are looked upon as good or bad,
right and wrong, correct and incorrect
2. Conforming to the accepted rules of what is considered right (virtuous,
just, proper conduct).
3. Having a capacity to be directed by (influenced by) an awareness of right
and wrong, and the capacity to direct (influence) others according to rules
of conduct judged right or wrong.
According to Oxford Dictionary, (1982:657) moral is concerned with
goodness or badness of characters or disposition, or with the distinction between
right and wrong, dealing with regulation of conduct; concerned with rules of
morality; virtuous in general conduct. Based on that definition, moral is a basic of
human to distinguish among right and wrong intensions, thoughts or actions and
to arrange of human conducts.
Based on Burhanuddin Salam (2000: 2-3) defined moral as:
“Moral mempunyai pengertian yang sama dengan kesusilaan, memuat ajaran tentang baik buruknya perbuatan. Jadi, perbuatan itu dinilai sebagai perbuatan yang baik atau perbuatan yang buruk. Penilaian itu menyangkut perbuatan yang dilakukan dengan sengaja. Etika ialah suatu ilmu yang membicarakan masalah perbuatan atau tingkah laku manusia, mana yang dapat dinilai baik dan mana yang jahat”,
“Moral has the same meaning with ethics, which contains the lesson about the good and bad of our conduct. So, conduct is evaluated as the good conduct or the bad conduct. The evaluation concerns the action, which is done expressly. Ethics is science, which talks about of human action or behavior, which can be evaluated as good and bad conduct”.
A moral is the right to do. A person said moral if he/she is good in
character or conduct, virtuous according to civilized standards of right and wrong.
A person gets a moral from what they do, think, and say. Moral employs terms
such as good and bad, right and wrong to express preferences, decisions and
choices or to criticizes, grade, persuade, praise, blame, and encourage. In other
word, moral norms are standards to decide whether human conduct is right or
World Book Encyclopedia (2006:1349) stated that moral:
is good in character or conducts, such as:
1. virtuous according to civilized standards of right and wrong; right; just:
a moral act, a moral man.
2. capable of understanding right and wrong 3. Having to do with
character or with the difference between right and wrong
4. based on the principles of right conduct rather than on law custom.
5. teaching a good lesson; having a good influenced.
Moral has three principal meanings:
In its "descriptive" sense, moral refers
objectively right or wrong, but only referring to what is considered right or wrong
they are thought to cause benefit or harm, but it is possible that many moral
beliefs are based on prejudice, ignorance or even hatred.
In its
regardless of what people think. It could be defined as the conduct of the ideal
"moral" person in a certain situation. This usage of the term is characterized by
"definitive" statements such as "That act is immoral" rather than descriptive ones
Moral may also be defined as synonymous wit
encompasses the above two meanings and others within a systematic
philosophical study of the moral domain. Ethics seeks to address questions such
as, how a moral outcome can be achieved in a specific situation, how moral values
should be determined, what morals people actually abide by, what the
fundamental nature of ethics or morality is, including whether it has any objective
justification, and how moral capacity or moral agency develops and what its
nature is.
Like moral, ethics also described goodness and badness of humans conduct.
However, a distinction is sometimes made between morals and ethics.
According to Dictionary of Philosophy (1981), ethics derives from Greek,
ethikos, from word ethos, that has some meanings: “usage,” “character, “custom,”
“disposition,” and “manners”) which explain further as:
1. the analysis of concepts such as “ought,” “should,” “duty,” “moral rules,”
“right,” “wrong,” “obligation,” “ responsibility,” etc.
2. the inquire into the nature of morality or moral acts.
3. the search for morally good life.
Based on Wikipedia, free encyclopedia; ethics (also known as moral
philosophy) is a branch of philosophy, which seeks to address questions about
moral; that is, about concepts such as good and bad, right and wrong, justice, and
The distinction between moral and ethics is moral shows our action
directly while ethics is a science. When this distinction is made, the term morals
is taken to refer to generally accepted standards of right and wrong in a society
and the term ethics is taken to refer to more abstract principles which might
appear in a code of professional ethics or in a textbook in ethical theory. However,
the terms moral philosophy or moral theory would refer to a set of abstract moral
principles as appropriately as the term ethics, so it may be more practical to use
the words interchangeably. Both of the terms refer to standards of right conduct
and the judgments of particular actions as right or wrong by those standards.
Moral define personal character, while ethics stress a social system in which those
moral are applied. In other words, ethics point to standards or codes of behavior
expected by the group to which the individual belongs. This could be national
ethics
A moral theory can be conveniently divided into three parts.
First, there is a moral standard, a criterion or test of what is right or wrong.
It has the general form:
"Those actions are right that possess characteristic X."
Thus, those and only those actions are right that possess some
characteristic X. We could fill in X by a phrase such as, "producing the greatest
total amount of human well-being" or "equally respect the humanity of each
by human well-being? What do we mean by respect for the humanity of each
person? These questions would have to be answered in an adequate moral theory.
Second, moral principles serve to categorize different types of actions as
right or wrong. Moral principles have the following form:
"Those actions of type Y are right (or wrong)."
Such actions are right because they conform to the moral standard by
possessing characteristic X or wrong because they fail to conform. Examples of
moral principles would be, "Bribery is wrong" and "Killing innocent people is
wrong." These practices might be wrong because they fail to promote human
well-being or because they fail to respect the humanity of each person. In any
case, they serve to show the implications of the moral standard for a broad class of
actions.
Third, moral judgments are statements about the rightness or wrongness of
particular actions. Moral judgments have the following form:
"Action Z is right (or wrong)."
Examples of moral judgments would be "someone should not have bribed
the foreign official to buy his product" or "someone should not have agreed to
work on the defense contract". Moral judgments apply moral standards or moral
principles to specific situations. They are thus the ultimate goal of moral
From distinguish between moral and ethic can be concluded that moral is a
conduct, which has been determined by ethic. Conduct that has been determined
by ethics concerned with good and bad and said as moral. Said good if the
conduct, which is absolutely known by ethics as goodness, and said bad if the
conduct, which is absolutely known by ethics as badness.
Moral is divided into two parts; they are personal moral and social moral.
There is a fundamental difference between personal moral and social moral.
Personal moral defines how we personally respond to life from or within our own
integrity, and within our own personal values. Social moral defines how we
respond to our environment, our immediate community and the world community.
We are all personally guided by our own sense of what is right and wrong.
Socially, we must be guided as well.
Moral also can be measured subjectively and objectively. Conscience
gives subjective criterion, while norm give objective criterion. When Conscience
wants implying something right, then norm will help to search a moral goodness.
Human depends on morality, culture, custom, and religion to help them in
point out someone’s conduct. Moral related to morality. Morality is politeness,
everything that related with etiquette and politeness. Morality is guidance, which
is had of individual or society concerning to what is wrong and right according to
moral standard. Morality can source from tradition and custom, religion or
ideology. Moral standard is a standard, which interrelated to a case that having
own interest, impartial and its breaches is associated withfeelings of guilt, shame,
regret, etc.
In literature moral is a
for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a
morals can often be taken from the story itself; for instance, that "arrogance or
overconfidence in one's abilities may lead to failure or the loss of an event, race,
or contest". The use of
story by eliminating complexity of personality and so spelling out the issues
arising in the interplay between the characters, enables the writer to generate a
clear message. With more rounded characters, such as those typically found in
writer may point it up in other ways (for example: the
2.2. Character
Before discussing characterization, we have to know something about the
characters. Character is an important element in novel because without them story
will not exist. Character is a person who acts in the story. Generally, characters
Dictionary of Literary Terms (1972:70) defines that:
Character is the aggregate of traits and features that form the nature of
some person or animal. A person represented in a story, novel, play, etc.
Characters also refer to moral qualities and ethical standards and
principles. In literature, character has several meanings notably that a person
represented in a story, novel, play, etc. In 17th century England, a character was a
formal; sketch or descriptive analysis of a particular virtue or vice as represented
in a person, what is now more often called a character sketch.
E.M. Foster (1990) distinguishes two kinds of characters, those are:
1. Flat: a flat character is constructed round a single idea or quality; he is
unchanging, static; at the end of the novel he I essentially what he has been
throughout. His every response is predictable, the readers can anticipate exactly
the character will react.
2. Round: quite the opposite is a character portrayed in the round. He is
profoundly altered by his experiences. His responses take us by surprise. He does
not embody a single idea or quality, but is much more complex.
Literary work usually portrays some different types of characters; the
dimensions the characters assume and the roles they are given. Some types of
1. Stereotypes
A stereotype is a conventional character representing a particular group or
class or occupation. Because the character is conventional, he acts according to set
patterns. His appearance is familiar, his speech is predictable, and his actions are
standardized. Stereotyping is a simplified way of looking at people representative
of a group rather than as individuals.
Stereotypes often seem true experience, not because they are exact replicas
of people who walk in the streets, but because people whom we meet show some
of the same traits of talking, dressing, and acting associated with types.
Unquestionably, stereotypes in literature have had their effect in social attitudes.
Despite the serious social and personal implications of stereotyping, it persists in
literature as a quick means of characterization. The typical senator, the typical
servant-these are all characterization that may be used by writer for a purpose,
perhaps for comedy or satire. Stereotypes may also be related to races and ethics
group. As an example, it is often said that the Irish are people who easily get
angry.
2. Stocks characters
Closely related to stereotypes are stock characters. Even though the word
‘stock’ has close association with drama, stock figures appear in other genres as
well. They are figures who because of their customary associations with dramatic
Today we tend to identify the stock villain with the snarling, mousthached
character of 19th century melodrama, but that figure is only an exaggerated
portrayal of a long tradition. Among other stock figures, one could talk of
traditional scapegoats and fallen women.
3. Allegorical and symbolical characters
Allegorical characters are usually not given human names; they represent
human attitudes and emotions. Allegorical characters are not symbolical ones.
Any character may be interpreted as symbolical when it appears that his actions
and words seem to represent some thought, view, or quality. A symbolical figure
is one whose accumulated actions lead the readers to see him as something more
than his own person, to see him as the embodiment of redemptive power or hope.
4. Full-dimensional characters
Full dimensional characters in literary works are usually described at
greater length and revealed in more detail-they are capable of greater
individuation. No doubt, many people whom we encounter casually and see only
as stereotypes- the waitress, the cab driver, the servant-would be interesting
subjects for study, but, just as in life, literature does not permit us to know every
character equally well. Leading characters of a literary work are drawn in full;
others are only sketched in to fill out the scene. Though poetry ordinarily does not
permit the same space for character development that fiction and drama do, it is
The very length of fiction and drama permit the possibility of presenting
characters that grow and change over a period. A novelist like Charles dickens
often accounted for the full lifespan of his characters, from birth to death.
Now let us see what the meaning of characterization is. Characterization is
the author’s way of describing his characters in a literary work; or it is the
author’s means of differentiating one character to another. Characters are closely
related to the plot because character means actions, while actions from the plot of
literary work.
Dictionary of Literary Terms (1972:71) defines that:
The creation of images of imaginary persons in drama, narrative poetry,
the novel and the short story is called characterization. In effective narrative
literature, fictional persons, through characterization, become so credible that they
exist for the reader as real people.
Every reader is interested in people, or should be, because people are the
most important single factor in individual lives. In fiction, a reader, primarily
interested in individual concerned, has a natural tendency to identify with the
‘hero’ and to hate the ‘villain’ or to feel “for” “with” one individual or group and
“against” another.
Writers uses any or all several basic means of characterization: a
characters is revealed by (1) his actions, (2) his speech, (3) his thought, (4) his
characterization no thesis, no plot, and no setting can developed genuine interest
for a reader or cause him to care what happen, to whom, and why.
It is difficult to identify with a character that one does not know or
understand. This is why characterization is important in fiction. Before a writer
can make his reader sympathize with or oppose a character, that character must
come alive. The reader wants to be able to visualize him-to see him act and hear
him talk. Characterization, no mere by –product, is an essential part of plot.
Character generates (causes) plot and plot result from, and is dependent upon,
character.
An author may present his characters in two general ways, those are,
1. Directly, telling his readers the characters’ qualities.
2. Through actions, showing the characters’ deeds by which his
characters may be revealed.
It has often been assumed that characters in a literary work can be judged
from four levels characterization. These four levels of characterization are helpful
for us to see the very basic description of characters. The four levels of
characterization are:
1. Physical: physical level supplies such basic facts, as sex, age, and size.
It is the simplest level of characterization because it reveals external
2. Social: A social level of characterization includes economic status,
profession, religion, family and social relationships –all those factors
that place a character in his environment.
3. Psychological: this level reveals habitual responses, attitudes, desires,
motivation, likes and dislikes –the inner workings of the mind, both
emotional and intellectual which lead to action. Since feeling, thought,
and behavior define a character more fully than physical and social traits
and since a literary work usually arises from desires in conflict, the
psychological level is the most essential parts of characterization.
4. Moral: moral decisions more clearly differentiate characters than any
other level of characterization. The choices by a character when he is
faced with a moral crisis show whether he is selfish, a hypocrite, greedy,
miserly, or he is the one who always acts according to his belief. A
moral decision usually causes a character to examine his own motives
and values, and in the process, his true nature is revealed both to himself
and to the readers.
Reading a literary work, we often feel sympathy for a character; on the
other hand, we may feel unsympathetic for another. A character’s honesty,
boldness, or suffering may create a moving story that stirs our emotion and
feeling. On the contrary, a character who is wicked, cruel, dishonest, etc, may give
rise to our dislike. The ability of an author to describe his characters makes a
reader feel that he is watching the reality of human life, and, consequently, the
Millie and Yates (1982:228) say, “There are at least six methods by which
an author can show characters”. They give an example of some ways that we may
follow. The character describes in the example below has a strong will and won’t
give up.
1. by what the person says:
“Give up? Don’t be silly. I haven’t even started yet!”
2. by what someone else says:
“Jenkins? A bulldog is a quieter compared to him”.
3. by his or action:
Wearily Marlene straightened her shoulders, took a deep breath, and tried again, as she had trying for hours, to make the figure balance.
4. by indicating his or her thoughts:
So they thought she would give up. What a laugh! She’d show them’
5. by the way that other people treat him or her:
Here was a mission on which only a person who would never quit could succeed. The colonel’s glance went swiftly down the eager line standing before him. Then, “banter you’re the one,” he barked.
6. By the author’s direct words: Sophia was a person who never gave up.
Roberts and Jacobs use five ways to present characters:
1. Action. What characters do is our best way to understand what they are.
For example, walking in the woods is creation for most people, and it
2.description, both personal and environmental. Appearance and
environment reveal much about a character’s social and economic status,
of course, but they also tell us more about character traits.
3.dramatic statements and thought.
4. statements by the other character
5. statement by the author speaking and storyteller or observer.
2.3. Novel
The word "novel" is derived from Italian word "novella" that used to
describe a short, compact, broadly realistic tale popular during the medieval
period. Until the seventeenth century ‘novel’, if it was used at all, meant a short
story of the kind written and collected by Boccacio (1313-75) in his decameron.
By about 1700 is had got something like its present meaning, which, as the
shorter oxford dictionary tells us, is ‘a factious prose narrative of considerable
length in which characters and actions representative of real life are portrayed in a
plot of more or less complexity’. In other word a novel, as we understand it today,
is a story longer, more realistic and more complicated than the Italian novella as
written by Boccario and other writers of his time. The novel is now the most
widely read all of kinds of literature, and the new form of such kind of prose was
then called ‘novel’ (novel means ‘new’).
Taylor (1981:460 says Novel is a form of literary work. Novel is normally
a prose work of quite some length and complexity, which attempts to reflect and
express something of the quality or value of human experience or conduct.
Therefore, novel creates by authors to represent their life experience that they put
in written form.
The novel deals with a human character in a social situation, man as a
social being. The novel places more emphasis on character, especially one
well-rounded character, than on plot. Another initial major characteristic of the novel is
The novel can be considered a work of imagination that is grounded in
reality. On the other hand, during the middle Ages a popular literary form was the
romance, a type of tale that describes the adventures, both natural and
supernatural, of such figures of legend as the Trojan heroes, Alexander the Great,
and King Arthur and his knights. Thus, the modern novel is rooted in two
traditions, the mimetic and the fantastic, or the realistic and the romantic.
There are certain elements, which every novel has, and these are:
Plot
This is what happens in the novel, it is the author's arrangement of the
story. There can be a logical development of events with a careful linking of
scenes or there can be a series of apparently unrelated scenes, which are not
shown to be connected until the end of the novel - there should be a beginning,
middle and an end.
Setting
The setting of a novel encompasses a number of different, but linked, elements:
• Time: day or night; summer or winter; the historical period (an actual
date)
• Place: inside or outside; country or city; specific town and country; real or
fictional
• Social: the minor characters who take little part in advancing the plot, but
Characterization
Characters in a novel are the vehicles by which the author conveys to us
his / her view of the world.
We learn about individual characters from their own words and actions;
from what other characters say about them and the way others act towards them.
Characters help to advance the plot and characters must grow and change in
response to their experiences in the novel.
Theme
This is the central idea which runs through the novel; the author's purpose
in writing. There may be a moral in the story - such as the need for social reform
in many of Dickens' novels. It is the message that author wishes to convey or the
lesson author wants the reader to learn. Theme is revealed through the values of
characters when confronting obstacles and resolving conflict in pursuit of their
goal. It can be considered the foundation and purpose of your novel. Without
purpose, the story becomes trivial.
. The theme gives the story focus, unity, impact and a 'point'. The theme
becomes clear by looking at what happens to the major characters. If the main
character survives while others do not, it shows us that the author is rewarding his
Point of view
Point of view is who is telling the story. This can be done several ways. In
first person, one character is speaking in the "I" voice. Second person, which uses
"you," is the least common point of view. Third person, which can be handled in a
variety of ways, is the most often used method. In third person limited, the
narrator can only go inside the head of the character telling the story. This requires
the character to be in every scene, which must be told through their eyes. Third
person omniscient gives the author the most freedom. Using this, the author can
have different point of view characters for different scenes.
Style and presentation.
This is the way the story is written.
There are four main ways a story can be presented (and countless combinations of
these):
1 the central character tells the story in his / her own words
2 a non-central character tells the story
3 the author refers to all characters in the third person, but reveals only what
can be seen, heard or thought by a central character
4 the author refers to each character in the third person and describes what
most or all of the characters see, hear and think; the author can also
The author can adopt:
1 a subjective point of view, which means he / she judges and interpretes the
characters for the reader
2 or an objective view, in which the author presents events and allows the
reader to make judgments
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
3.1 Source of Data
The sources of data for this thesis are from the Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A
Mockingbird and some critical books have close relation with novel, which will be
discussed later. In analyzing this novel, I would have picked out many books to be
looked into other references and as guidance. The data is not fully copied,
although there are some quotations.
3.2 Data Collecting
In collecting the data, I need some instrument for this thesis. The
technique used by gathering all the data from the library or from internet and other
supporting material relevant to the topic of the thesis as much as possible, then I
begin to read the data carefully, to take down notes and composes it properly. The
whole data, the quotation will be put in her thesis later on and find out the relation
with the study. The right data is divided into parts to suit the parts of the study.
All of the data are read carefully line by line to find out the relation with the
3.3 Data Analysis
By writing this thesis, I have combined the important data from many
other sources, which have been collected and analyze them well. The kind of
research is library research. I collect the data from various books and internet. In
analysis of this thesis, i use qualitative descriptive method.
This method is a scientific procedure to get conclusion from particular
thing to general idea based on the theory.. I use some steps in doing this analysis.
First, I read whole novel to get deep understanding about the novel,
second, i select the important information about moral values in that novel.
Third, I quote the text and make the quotation as the data to support the
analysis. Fourth, i would make interpretation base on the data that have been
already taken before.
The last is I would make further analysis about moral values that found in
CHAPTER IV
MORAL VALUES IN HARPER LEE’S NOVEL TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD
4.1 COLOR SKIN PREJUDICE
Color skin prejudice is one of theme of the novel. During the Depression
era, blacks were still highly subjugated members of society. Blacks were not
permitted to commingle with whites in public settings, as exemplified in the
courthouse physical separation of races and in the clearly distinct black and white
areas of town. Moreover, things like intermarriage were almost unheard of, and
sorely looked down upon.
Throughout the novel, Scout explores the differences between black
people and white people. She and Jem attend church with Calpurnia and Scout
truly enjoys the experience. Afterwards, she asks Calpurnia if she might be able to
visit her house sometime because she has never seen it. Calpurnia agrees, but the
visit is never made, largely because Aunt Alexandra puts a stop to it. Jem, Scout
and Dill also sit with the black citizens of the town in the balcony of the court
house to observe the trial. In addition, Scout and Dill have a lengthy conversation
with Mr. Raymond, a white man who married a black woman and has mixed
children. Mr. Raymond reveals that he pretends to be an alcoholic by carrying
around a paper bag with a bottle of Coca-Cola inside in order to let the town
excuse his choice to marry a black woman.
Tom Robinson is convicted purely because he is a black man and his
single defining factor in the jury's decision. Atticus fights against color skin
prejudice, and a few other townspeople are on his side, including Miss Maudie
and Judge Taylor. Jem and Scout also believe in color skin prejudice, but they are
obviously in the minority. When Atticus wins the trial, he tries to make his
children understand that although he lost, he did help move along the cause of
ending color skin prejudice as evidenced by the jury's lengthy deliberation period.
Usually, such a trial would be decided immediately.
Scout unpleasant first day of school offers a further introduction to
Maycomb’s tortured social ladder. It provides sharp color skin prejudice as one
theme of the novel. In her interaction with Miss Caroline, Scout is victimized by
her teacher’s inexperience about Maycomb’s social life. It can be seen from quote
below:
Walter Cunningham’s face told everybody in the first grade he had hookworms. His absence of shoes told us how he got them. People caught hookworms going barefooted in barnyards and hog wallows. If Walter had owned any shoes he would have worn them the first day of school and then discarded them until mid-winter. He did have one clean shirt and neatly mended overalls. (Lee, 1960:19)
The law and method of teaching are shown to be irrational. Burris Ewell
can keep the law happy by coming to school only a day a year in quote below:
Color skin prejudice in Maycomb also appeared when Scout asks Atticus
about his interest in depending Tom Robinson,a black man accused raping white
woman; because her friends insult Atticus depends a black man in quote below:
But I was worrying another bone. ”Do all lawyers depended niggers?
“of course they do, scout” He made it sound like you were runnin a still.”
Atticus sighed. “I’m simply defending a negro-his name’s Tom Robinson. He lives in that little settlement beyond the town dump. He’s a member of Calpurnia’s church, and Cal knows his family well. She says they’re clean-living folks. Scout, you aren’t old enough to understand some things yet, but there’s been some high talk around town to the effect I shouldn’t do much about depending this man. It’s a peculiar case it won’t come to trial until summer session..” (p.75).
Not only Scout’s friend who insult her about Atticus defending Tom
Robinson, but also Francis do that. It can be proved by quotation below:
“ If uncle Atticus let you run around with stray dogs, that’s his on business, like grandma says, so it ain’t your fault. I guess it ain’t your fault if uncle Atticus is a nigger-lover besides, but I’m here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the family...”
“Francis, what the hell do you mean?”
“just what I said. Grandma says it’s bad enough he lets you all run wild, but now He’s ruinin’ the family, that’s what he’s doin’ “.
Color skin prejudice also shown in court when black people wait the white people
to go upstairs, it shows color skin prejudice in Maycomb’s society that black
people and white people in difference, as looked at the condition of the society in
Maycomb Country. It can be proved in quotation below:
This was news, news that put a different light on things: Atticus had to, whether he wanted to or not. I thought it odd that he hadn’t said anything to us about it— we could have used it many times in defending him and ourselves. He had to, that’s why he was doing it, equaled fewer fights and less fussing. But did that explain the town’s attitude? The court appointed Atticus to defend him. Atticus aimed to defend him. That’s what they didn’t like about it. It was confusing.
The Negroes, having waited for the white people to go upstairs, began to come I “Whoa now, just a minute,”
(Lee, 1960:163)
Tom Robinson see that he will be carried to a court by Mr. Ewell to be a victim of color skin prejudice. It can be proved bt quotation below :
“If you had a clear conscience, why were you scared?”
“Like I says before, it weren’t safe for any nigger to be in a—fix like that.”
“But you weren’t in a fix—you testified that you were resisting Miss Ewell. Were you so scared that she’d hurt you, you ran, a big buck like you?”
“No suh, I’s scared I’d be in court, just like I am now.”
“Scared of arrest, scared you’d have to face up to what you did?” “No suh, scared I’d hafta face up to what I didn’t do.”
“Are you being
impudent to me, boy?” “No suh, I didn’t go to be.”
Scout also see how color skin prejudice appear in court, and make a different to a nigger.
it can be proved by quotation below :
“He didn’t act that way when—” “Dill, those were his own witnesses.”
“Well, Mr. Finch didn’t act that way to Mayella and old man Ewell when he cross- examined them. The way that man called him ‘boy’ all the time an‘ sneered at
him, an’ looked around at the jury every time he answered—” “Well, Dill, after all he’s just a Negro.”
“I don’t care one speck. It ain’t right, somehow it ain’t right to do ‘em that way. Hasn’t anybody got any business talkin’ like that—it just makes me sick.”
“That’s just Mr. Gilmer’s way, Dill, he does ‘em all that way. You’ve never seen him get good’n down on one yet. Why, when—well, today Mr. Gilmer seemed to me like he wasn’t half trying. They do ’em all that way, most lawyers, I mean.”
“Mr. Finch doesn’t.”
“He’s not an example, Dill, he’s—” I was trying to grope in my memory for a sharp phrase of Miss Maudie Atkinson’s. I had it: “He’s the same in the courtroom as he is on the public streets.”
Color Skin Prejudice also clearly shown in court when Tom Robinson, as a black man supposed
as immoral and liar.
It can be prove in quotation below:
“Which, gentlemen, we know is in itself a lie as black as Tom Robinson’s skin, a lie I do not have to point out to you. You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women—black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men. There is not a person in this courtroom who has never told a lie, who has never done an immoral thing, and there is no man living who has never looked upon a woman without desire.” (p.205)
Color skin is not a a right way to judge someone else,because every man are created equal and
have the same position in this world. It can be proved by this quote :
Color skin prejudice makes the people of Maycomb hate one each other and also role the class
status that break human interaction. Color skin prejudice in Maycomb are prepared to result cruel
and hates.
It can be proved from this quotation:
“What about the Chinese, and the Cajuns down yonder in Baldwin County?”
“I mean in Maycomb County. The thing about it is, our kind of folks don’t like the Cunninghams, the Cunninghams don’t like the Ewells, and the Ewells hate and despise the colored folks.” (p.227)
4.2 Underestimate
In the novel Kill To A Mockingbird there are many moral values to be learned, most
importantly don't underestimate others abilities and stand up for what you believe is right. These
moral values can be found throughout the book as the main characters learn them. Through the
course of the trial, Atticus, Jem, Scout, Boo, Tom, and Dill learn the importance of these moral
values.
One of the main moral in to kill a mockingbird is underestimate. It can destroy human’s
sympathy and understanding that result misunderstanding and ignorant. Atticus tells scout should
always try to put herself in someone else’s point of view before judges them. It can be prove from
this quotation:
“First of all,” he said, “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-”
for one thing, but if Walter and I had put ourselves in her shoes we’d have seen it was an honest mistake on her part. We could not expect her to learn all Maycomb’s ways in one day, and we could not hold her responsible when she knew no better.(Lee, 1960:30)
Underestimate also effects Jem and Scout’s judgment to another person, they judge Boo Radley
with expectation that he is a superstitions person, and make them want to take another person
business. It can be proved from quotation below:
“Son,” he said to Jem, “I’m going to tell you something and tell you one time:
stop tormenting that man. That goes for the other two of you.”
What Mr. Radley did was his own business. If he wanted to come out, he would. If he wanted to stay inside his own house he had the right to stay inside free from the attentions of inquisitive children, which was a mild term for the likes of us. How would we like it if Atticus barged in on us without knocking, when we were in our rooms at night? We were, in effect, doing the same thing to Mr. Radley. What Mr. Radley did might seem peculiar to us, but it did not seem peculiar to him. Furthermore, had it never occurred to us that the civil way to communicate with another being was by the front door instead of a side window? Lastly, we were to stay away from that house until we were invited there, we were not to play an asinine game he had seen us playing or make fun of anybody on this street or in this town- (p.49)
The adversity faced by the family reveals Atticus’ parenting style, his focus on instilling moral
values in Jem and Scout. He tells his children to avoid getting in fights and not no underestimate
another person, because it deals to kill a mockingbird, because it is a sin to kill a mockingbird.
When he gave us our air-rifles Atticus wouldn’t teach us to shoot. Uncle Jack instructed us in the rudiments thereof; he said Atticus wasn’t interested in guns. Atticus said to Jem one day, “I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”
That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I
asked Miss Maudie about it.
“Your father’s right,” she said. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (p. 91)
“Why, I run for Tate quick as I could. I knowed who it was, all right, lived down yonder in that nigger-nest, passed the house every day. Jedge, I’ve asked this county for fifteen years to clean out that nest down yonder, they’re dangerous to live around ‘sides devaluin’ my property—”
“Thank you, Mr. Ewell,” said Mr. Gilmer hurriedly.(p.175)
A man is equal to another eventhough he is a colored man. It can be proved by quotation below :
He jerked his head at Dill: “Things haven’t caught up with that one’s instinct yet. Let him get a little older and he won’t get sick and cry. Maybe things’ll strike him as being—not quite right, say, but he won’t cry, not when he gets a few years on him.”
“Cry about what, Mr. Raymond?” Dill’s maleness was beginning to assert itself. “Cry about the simple hell people give other people—without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that
they’re people, too.”
“Atticus says cheatin‘ a colored man is ten times worse than cheatin’ a white man,” I muttered. “Says it’s the worst thing you can do.” (p.201)
When Jem stops scout to mash roly-poly, it means that Jem demonstrates a desire to protect
anything that does no harm, and it is a sinful to take advantage or destroy something weaker than
one’s self just as it is a sin to kill a mockingbird that represented by Tom’s suffer and death. It
can be prove from the quotation below:
Jem was scowling. It was probably a part of the stage he was going through, and I wished he would hurry up and get through it. He was certainly never cruel to animals, but I had never known his charity to embrace the insect world.
“Why couldn’t I mash him?” I asked.
“Because they don’t bother you,” Jem answered in the darkness. He had turned out his reading light.
“Reckon you’re at the stage now where you don’t kill flies and mosquitoes now, I reckon,” I said. “Lemme know when you change your mind. Tell you one thing, though, I ain’t gonna sit around and not scratch a redbug.”
Under estimate was told by Atticus in the court. Atticus says that all man are created equal,
there is no man more powerful than others, especially in law; so it is not good to under estimate
someone else.
“But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal—there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal of an Einstein, and the ignorant man the equal of any college president. That institution, gentlemen, is a court. It can be the Supreme Court of the United States or the humblest J.P. court in the land, or this honorable court which you serve. Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal.(p.205)
It is not right that some people who smarter than others, some people who have more
opportunity because they’re born with it, some men make more money than others, some ladies
make better cakes than others make different than other because everyone is created equal and
4.3 Slender
Slender is strong word that is very hard to run from this novel. It was resulted by color
skin prejudice and underestimate. Slender is expressed in to kill a mocking bird in certain forms
such as diversity and inferior attitude that anyone can be the victim of slender.
In this novel, slender shown when Mr. Ewell suspect Tom Robinson rutting on his
daughter, Mayella. Rutting is a beast’s attitude. From this statement Tom Robinson was similar
with beast. It can be proved by quotation below:
Mr. Ewell looked confusedly at the judge. “Well, Mayella was raisin‘ this holy racket so I dropped m’load and run as fast as I could but I run into th’ fence, but when I got distangled I run up to th‘ window and I seen—” Mr. Ewell’s face grew scarlet. He stood up and pointed his finger at Tom Robinson. “—I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin’ on my Mayella!” (p.173)
Mr.Ewell who is left-handed suspects Tom Robinson raping a white woman. It can be proved from quotation below:
“You’re left-handed, Mr. Ewell,” said Judge Taylor. Mr. Ewell turned angrily to the judge and said he didn’t see what his being left-handed had to do with it, that he was a Christ-fearing man and Atticus Finch was taking advantage of him. Tricking lawyers like Atticus Finch took advantage of him all the time with their tricking ways. He had told them what happened, he’d say it again and again— which he did. Nothing Atticus asked him after that shook his story, that he’d looked through the window, then ran the nigger off, then ran for the sheriff. Atticus finally dismissed him. (p.177)
Tom Robinson is a victim of slender. Mayella tells the people in court that Tom Robinson
hit her again and again before take advantage of her.
“I said come here, nigger, and bust up this chiffarobe for me, I gotta nickel for you. He coulda done it easy enough, he could. So he come in the yard an‘ I went in the house to get him the nickel and I turned around an ’fore I knew it he was on me. Just run up behind me, he did. He got me round the neck, cussin‘ me an’ sayin‘ dirt—I fought’n’hollered, but he had me round the neck. He hit me agin an‘ agin—”
Atticus, the lawyer who defends Tom Robinson proved that Mr. Ewell and Mayella told
a lie and suspect Tom. The people be able to know that Tom Robinson is a victim of slender
by Atticus’ words. It can be proved by the quotation below:
Atticus turned to the defendant. “Tom, stand up. Let Miss Mayella have a good long look at you. Is this the man, Miss Mayella?”
Tom Robinson’s powerful shoulders rippled under his thin shirt. He rose to his feet and stood with his right hand on the back of his chair. He looked oddly off balance, but it was not from the way he was standing. His left arm was fully twelve inches shorter than his right, and hung dead at his side. It ended in a small shriveled hand, and from as far away as the balcony I could see that it was no use to him.(p.185)
Atticus also tries to ask Mayella to tell the truth about what was happened in the day when
Mayella ordered Tom Robinson to help her in order to make people know what is the real fact.
It can be proved by the quotation below:
Atticus raised his head. “Do you want to tell us what happened?”
But she did not hear the compassion in his invitation. “I got somethin‘ to say an’ then I ain’t gonna say no more. That nigger yonder took advantage of me an‘ if you fine fancy gentlemen don’t wanta do nothin’ about it then you’re all yellow stinkin‘ cowards, stinkin’ cowards, the lot of you. Your fancy airs don’t come to nothin‘—your ma’amin’ and Miss Mayellerin‘ don’t come to nothin’, Mr. Finch—”
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
5.1. Conclusion
To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel that much explores about moral. Moral is concerned
with goodness or badness of characters, or a basic of human to distinguish among right and
wrong intensions, thoughts or actions and to arrange of human conducts. In literature moral is a
In To Kill A Mockingbird ,Lee explores the morality about Color skin prejudice,
underestimate and slander that changes human’s social status and destroy human’s interaction.
From the novel, I found some goodness that can be learnt, such as sympathy, understanding and
love each other.
Color skin prejudice is a negative attitude that makes a person judge another based on
the color of skin without knowing her or his good attitude as a human beings. Color Skin
prejudice usually makes a person cannot see the equality that given to him since he was born. In
this novel, people make a social class based on their color skin. Moreover, a black man was
suffered and dead just because of color skin prejudice. A person who is a victim of color skin
prejudice will be so suffer an disappointed. Color skin prejudice is a negative attitude that
caused insulting and discriminating to other. Therefore, Color skin prejudice is a negative
Underestimate is also a negative attitude that should be avoid. Underestimate that shown
by some characters in this novel makes a person judge another people cruelly and lead it to a
wrong judgment. This wrong judgment result irrational judgment among one person to other.
Slender is another negative attitude that found in this novel. Slender causes a person
suffer and get his unpleasing situation because he accused of raping a woman. The people can
not see the real fact because of slender that arranged by other person to a weaker person. Slender
reflects the novel’s preoccupation with injustices inflicted upon innocents. In this unpleasant
situation, a black person who was killed by slender be the represent of novel’s tittle to kill a
mocking bird. In other ways, Tom Robinson as a black person character is a mockingbird itself.
5.2. Suggestion
This novel is very interested to read and to be analyzed. After analyzing the novel, the
writer wants to give suggestion. In ‘To kill A Mockingbird’ I can find moral values that can be
learnt as moral values such as color skin prejudice, underestimate, and slender that make To kill
a mockingbird is a novel that full of moral values. To Kill A Mockingbird is a large describing of
great sweetness, humor and compassion that can be read by the reader.
Every mistake that I have made in this analysis are my responsibilities. This analysis is
still far from being perfect so I expect every suggestion and critic that is good for the
improvement of this analysis.
Finally, I hope the reader would analyze other aspects of this novel and get interesting
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Abel, Darrel. 1963. American Literature. Volume 3. Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.
Angeles, Peter A.1981. Dictionary of philosophy. US of America: A division of Harper & Row, New York.
Beckson, Karl and Arthur Ganz. 1960. Literary Terms. A Dictionary, 3rd Edition. Ahad
Enterprise 2609, Baradari, Ballimaran. Delhi.
French, Warren et al.2000. Reference Guide to American Literature. St. James Press.
Gramb, David. 1989. Literary Companion Dictionary. Hartnoll Print Ltd.
Horton, Rod W, Edward, Herbert W. 1974. Background of American Literary Thought. London:
Prentice Hall, Inc.
Lee, Harper. 1960. To Kill A Mockinbird. New York : Warner Books, Inc.
Mulyadi. 2003. Dasar- Dasar Penulisan Ilmiah: Bahan Ajar. Medan.
Rachels, James. 1998. The Elements of Moral Philosophy, 4th Edition : McGraw
Hill. New York.
Roberts, Edgar V and Jacobs, Henry E. 1995. Literature an introduction to reading and writing.
New Jersey. Upper Saddle River.
Runes, Dagobert D. 1963. Treasure of World Philosophy. Paterson, New Jersey: Littlefield,
Salam, Burhanuddin. 2000. Pola Dasar Filafat Moral : Rineka Cipta. Jakarta.
Wellek, Rene and Austin Warren. 1967. Theory of Literature. New York : Penguin Book.
APPENDICES
Summary of the Novel
the main character, a little girl named Jean Louise "Scout" Finch. Her father
lawyer with high moral standards. Scout, her brother Jem, and their friend Dill are intrigued by
the local rumors about a man name
leaves his house. Legend has it that he once stabbed his father in the leg with a pair of scissors,
and he is made out to be a kind of monster. Dill is from Mississippi but spends his summer in
Maycomb at a house near the Finch's.
The children are curious to know more about Boo, and during one summer create a
mini-drama they enact daily, which tells the events of his life as they know them. Slowly, the children
begin moving closer to the Radley house, which is said to be haunted. They try leaving notes for
Boo on his windowsill with a fishing pole, but are caught by Atticus, who firmly reprimands
them for making fun of a sad man's life. Next, the children try sneaking over to the house at night
and looking through its windows. Boo's brother, Nathan Radley, who lives in the house, thinks
he hears a prowler and fires his gun. The children run away, but Jem loses his pants in a fence.
When he returns in the middle of the night to get them back, they have been neatly folded and
the tear from the fence roughly sewn up.
Other mysterious things happen to the Finch children. A certain tree near the Radley
house has a hole in which little presents are often left for them, such as pennies, chewing gum,
and soap carved figures of a little boy and girl who bear a striking resemblance to Scout and Jem.
the mystery giver, they find that Boo's brother has plugged up the hole with cement. The next
winter brings unexpected cold and snow, and Miss Maudie's house catches on fire. While Jem
and Scout, shivering, watch the blaze from near the Radley house, someone puts a blanket
around Scout without her realizing it. Not until she returns home and Atticus asks her where the
blanket came from does she realize that Boo Radley must have put it around her while she was
entranced by watching Miss Maudie, her favorite neighbor, and her burning house.
Atticus decides to take on a case involving a black man named
been accused of raping a very poor white girl name
Ewell family, who belong to the layer of Maycomb society that people refer to as "trash." The
Finch family faces harsh criticism in the heavily racist Maycomb because of Atticus's decision to
defend Tom. But, Atticus insists on going through with the case because his conscience could
not let him do otherwise. He knows Tom is innocent, and also that he has almost no chance at
being acquitted, because the white jury will never believe a black man over a white woman.
Despite this, Atticus wants to reveal the truth to his fellow townspeople, expose their bigotry,
and encourage them to imagine the possibility of racial equality.
Because Atticus is defending a black man, Scout and Jem find themselves whispered at
and taunted, and have trouble keeping their tempers. At a family Christmas gathering, Scout
beats up her cloying relative
being a "nigger-lover". Jem cuts off the tops of an old neighbor's flower bushes after she derides
Atticus, and as punishment, has to read out loud to her every day. Jem does not realize until after
Scout, Atticus holds this old woman up as an example of true courage: the will to keep fighting
even when you know you can't win.
The time for the trial draws closer, and Atticus's sister Alexandra comes to stay with the
family. She is proper and old-fashioned and wants to shape Scout into the model of the Southern
feminine ideal, much to Scout's resentment. Dill runs away from his home, where his mother and
new father don't seem interested in him, and stays in Maycomb for the summer of Tom's trial.
The night before the trial, Tom is moved into the county jail, and Atticus, fearing a possible
lynching, stands guard outside the jail door all night. Jem is concerned about him, and the three
children sneak into town to find him. A group of men arrive ready to cause some violence to
Tom, and threaten Atticus in the process. At first Jem, Scout and Dill stand aside, but when she
senses true danger, Scout runs out and begins to speak to one of the men, the father of one of her
classmates in school. Her innocence brings the crowd out of their mob mentality, and they leave.
The trial pits the evidence of the white Ewell family against Tom's evidence. According
to the Ewells, Mayella asked Tom to do some work for her while her father was out, and Tom
came into their house and forcibly beat and raped Mayella until her father appeared and scared
him away. Tom's version is that Mayella invited him inside, then threw her arms around him and
began to kiss him. Tom tried to push her away. Whe
beat her, while Tom ran away in fright. According to the sheriff's testimony, Mayella's bruises
were on the right side of her face, which means she was most likely punched with a left hand.
Tom Robinson's left arm is useless due to an old accident, whereas Mr. Ewell leads with his left.
Given the evidence of reasonable doubt, Tom should go free, but after hours of deliberation, the
in the balcony with Maycomb's black population. They are stunned at the verdict because to
them, the evidence was so clearly in Tom's favor.
Though the verdict is unfortunate, Atticus feels some satisfaction that the jury took so
long deciding. Usually, the decision would be made in minutes, because a black man's word
would not be trusted. Atticus is hoping for an appeal, but unfortunately Tom tries to escape from
his prison and is shot to death in the process. Jem has trouble handling the results of the trial,
feeling that his trust in the goodness and rationality of humanity has been betrayed.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ewell threatens Atticus and other people connected with the trial
because he feels he was humiliated. He gets his revenge one night while Jem and Scout are
walking home from the Halloween play at their school. He follows them home in the dark, then
runs at them and attempts to kill them with a large kitchen knife. Jem breaks his arm, and Scout,
who is wearing a confining ham shaped wire costume and cannot see what is going on, is
helpless throughout the attack. The elusive Boo Radley stabs Mr. Ewell and saves the children.
Finally, Scout has a chance to meet the shy and nervous Boo. At the end of this fateful night, the
sheriff declares that Mr. Ewell fell on his own knife so Boo, the hero of the situation, won't have
to be tried for murder. Scout walks Boo home and imagines how he has viewed the town and
observed her, Jem and Dill over the years from inside his home. Boo goes inside, closes the door,
Biography of the Author
Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama. Lee Harper is best
known for writing the Pulitzer Prize-winning best-seller To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)—her one
and only novel. The youngest of four children, she grew up as a tomboy in a small town. Her
father was a lawyer, a member of the Alabama state legislature, and also owned part of the local
newspaper. For most of Lee’s life, her mother suffered fro
