"To Kill a Mocking Bird" by Harper Lee

Completed on 15^th of January. Rated with 5 stars

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Review: 

A brilliant story. Unfortunately, absent from my reading list at high-school. A story of a local lawyer in the provincial Alabama and his two children - Jean Louise, nicknamed Scout, and her brother Jeremy, called Jem. The story is presented from Jean Louise’s perspective – precocious young girl of six, when the story begins and of nine years old when it ends. The novel presents a number of issues facing young people, combined with questions of truth, morality, courage, racism and diversity of human characters and lifestyles.

The title is based on the following fact. When Jem received his air raffle as his Christmas present, Atticus told him that to kill a mockingbird is a sin because they don’t do any harm and sing their hearts out for us. It could be extended to some of the characters in the story, especially Tom Robinson and Arthur (Boo) Radley.

Characters:

1. Miss Maudie Atkinson - Atticus’ neighbour, where Scout spends a lot of time.
2. Mr Richard Avery - a boarder across Mrs Dubose house.
3. Miss Frutti Barber - one of the deaf sisters, who used a trumpet to hear.
4. Miss Tutti Barber - one of the two deaf sisters
5. Mr X Billups - arriving for the trial on a mule
6. Lily Brooke - Finches’ cousin.
7. Calpurnia (Cal) - Atticus black cook.
8. Miss Stephanie Crawford - Atticus’ neighbour
9. Mrs Crenshaw - the local seamstress, who prepared a costume for Scout.
10. Mr Walter Cunningham - one of the men trying to lynch Tom Robinson, recognised by Scout.
11. Walter Cunningham (Little Chuck) - a young boy at school, without any lunch. Can’t progress at school as he needs to work on his parents’ farm
12. Miss Emily Davis - arriving for the trial. Dipped snuff in private.
13. Mr Link Deas - one of the men visiting Atticus with sheriff about moving Tom Robinson from the court jail. He employed Tom as an agricultural worker.
14. Mrs Henry Lafayette Dubose - lives up two doors from Finches’. Considered the meanest woman in the neighbourhood.
15. Bob Ewell - father of Burris. Accused Tom Robinson of raping his daughter.
16. Burris Ewell - a young student, always attending the first day of school only, and then working on his parents’ farm.
17. Magellan Ewell - Ewell’s daughter, victim of alleged rape.
18. Atticus Finch - a lawyer at Mycomb
19. Ike Finch - Atticus’ cousin. The Confederate veteran.
20. Jean Louise Finch (Scout) - a narrator of the story, Six years old at the beginning of the story.
21. Jeremy (Jem) Finch - 9 y.o. Son of Atticus
22. John Hale Finch - Atticus’ brother, 10 years younger than Atticus, studied medicine.
23. Miss Caroline Fisher - young teacher, using a card system to teach kids read.
24. Miss Gates - Scout’s teacher in grade three, who disapproved Hitler.
25. Mr Gilmer - a court circuit solicitor.
26. Alexandra Hancock - Atticus’ sister
27. Francis Hancock - Aunt Alexandra’s son. One year older than Scout and disliked by her.
28. Jimmy Hancock - Aunt Alexandra’s husband
29. Charles Baker Harris (Dill) - 7 y.o. from Meridian, Mississippi, spending his summer holidays at his aunt’s place.
30. Miss Rachel Haverford - an aunt of Dill.
31. Cecil Jacobs - lives at the far end of the street. Accused Scout of her father defending black people.
32. Ruth Jones - a welfare office lady
33. Mr Tensaw Jones - arriving for the trial. Voted Prohibition ticket.
34. Mrs Grace Merriweather - a faithful Methodist. Attended aunt Alexandra ladies’ meeting.
35. Mr Arthur (Boo) Radley - mysterious neighbour, always staying inside.
36. Mr Nathan Radley - Arthur’s father, living with Arthur.
37. Mr Dolphus Raymond - arriving for the trial. Drunk before 8 o’clock in the morning. Staying with the coloured people.
38. Helen Robinson - Tom’s wife, with 3 children.
39. Tom Robinson - a black man defended by Atticus.
40. Mr Jake Slade - arriving for the trial. Was cutting his third set of teeth.
41. Reverend Sykes - a pastor in the First Purchase African M.E. Church, where Scout and Jem attended a mass with their housekeeper.
42. Mr Heck Tate - the sheriff of Maycomb County
43. John Taylor - a local judge
44. Mr Braxton Underwood - an owner, editor and printer of the local newspaper The Maycomb Tribune.
45. Mr Byron Waller - arriving for the trial. Could play the violin.
46. Zeebo - a local black rubbish collector. Calpurnia’s son.