It's a Sin to Kill a Mockingbird

Maycomb, the Radley's, the Education System and the Community

In the first chapter, we are introduced to the Finch family and their ancestry. Jeremy Atticus Finch ('Jem', nearly 10 years old) and Jean Louise Finch ('Scout', nearly 6 years old and the narrator of the story) are the children of Atticus Finch, a lawyer and respectable man who derives a reasonable income from his practises. He performs the role of both parents, (as his wife is dead), though he is aided by housekeeper Calpurnia.

Atticus Finch

I find it rather interesting and a little odd how the Finch children never refer to their Father as 'Dad'; in fact they call him 'Sir'. Perhaps this is a form of showing respect, since Atticus treats his kids with 'courteous detachment'. He is firm but fair and is patient with Jem and Scout, particularly in Chapter Three when he manages to convince Scout to reconsider her thoughts about school. Atticus often has some philosophical and inspirational thoughts on life, such as ‘you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view’. He tolerates the children’s inquisitive questioning and answers with considered responses. Overall, I believe his parenting methods are exemplary, especially seeing as he has to bring up his children without the support of his wife.


The Tired Old Town of Maycomb:


The Finch family live in the main residential area of the ‘tired old town’, located some twenty miles east of  Finch Landing (in the American South). By the description provided, it appears that Maycomb has been badly hit by the effects of the economic depression, particularly as ‘Maycomb County was farm country’. ‘There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with’. However, it is mentioned that ‘it was a time of vague optimism for some of the people’, which links with one of my favourite quotes; ‘Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself’. This line refers to a part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s inaugural speech which spoke of the possibility of turning the US economy around. The society seems to be built around tradition and heritage, and they appear afraid of change. This is particularly evident throughout Chapter Two and Three, when Scout frowns upon the teaching methods of Miss Caroline Fisher and mocks the Dewey Decimal System. The community as a whole is rather poor, containing the likes of the Cunningham family (who cannot afford to pay anyone back) and the infamous Burris Ewell, a filthy, louse-ridden, ill-mannered truant. The Maycomb ethos is completely alien to Miss Caroline, who comes from industrial North Alabama. I feel that Harper Lee portrays these topics in a humorous and relatable manner.

A brief overview:

The two children meet Dill (Charles Baker Harris), a six year old who visits every year from Mississippi to stay with Miss Rachel Haverford, his aunt. They all develop a fascination with the Radley family and their sinister, run down house, as well as the mysterious Arthur “Boo” Radley who no-one has seen leave for years. Over the chapters we learn more about the education system and Scout’s experiences, the Maycomb community and other significant characters. The author uses a wide range of vocabulary and varied sentence length to build tension and suspense and ensure that the reader is constantly engaged.