Summary of 'To Kill A Mockingbird'

This story started with Finch’s family that lived in Maycomb County. They consist of Atticus, his children (Jem and Scout), and Calpurnia, their cook, a Nigger who also act as children’s caretaker. They have some people as their neighbor like Ms. Maudie Atkinson, Mrs. Dubose, Mrs. Rachel and Radley family. Among their neighbors, Radley family was known as a mysterious family. They’ve never showed themselves in society as the others did.  Along day and night, their hose is always closed. They’ve never talked with their neighbors. It made Jeremy Atticus Finch (Jem) and Jean Louise Finch (Scout) want to know about this family. They were curious about Arthur Radley (Boo) that has been stayed at home during his life. Until in the summer, they met and knowing each other with an active boy named Dill, a nephew of Mrs. Rachel. He just could come to Maycomb in the summer. In that time, they made an adventure and tried to see Boo and made him to come out from his house. But their effort was nothing. In the night when they tried to crawl in Radley’s backyard just to see Boo’s face, they almost are caught and shouted by Mr. Radley. After that incident, they never did it anymore although they still felt scary if they crossed in front of that house. Dill came back again to his school in Meridian. Jem and Scout back to their life. Besides crossed in front of Radley’s house, Jem and his young sister Scout also went to school passed through cabbage garden in the back of Radley’s house. They used to find precious things in the hole of Radley’s tree. They were curious about who the kind man that put those things in that tree. Until one day, they found that hole was closed with cement. Mr Nathan, the brother of Mr. Arthur (Boo) did that.

Atticus was a lawyer. He got one Nigger’s case when Scout was eight. Finch family was white people but Atticus Finch willing to take this case when John Taylor as the judge asked to him to handle this case. It is the case of Tom Robinson who was accused doing violence to a White woman named Mayella Ewell, the daughter of Bob Ewell. Since her father handled this case, Scout received many disapproval things from her friends, even her cousin. They said that her father is a Nigger lover who didn’t appreciate the White people as the majority society. During the court session, Atticus tried to prove that Tom Robinson didn’t do the violence. The violence was done by them (Ewell). Atticus tried to prove to the audience that Mayella and his father were in falsehood (lie). Although many people believed that Atticus was true that Tom Robinson didn’t do the violence, but the juries of this court session decided that Tom Robinson did that and had to be punished. It is true that many cases involved Niggers and the victory was always in the White’s side as the majority in that society.

In the night when Mr. Tom was brought to the jail, Atticus said that there was still hope. But, the unexpected thing was happened, Atticus came back to home and inform to his family that Tom Robinson was die. He was shouted out by the police in the jail because he tried to run away. Although Mr. Bob Ewell won in Robinson’s case, he still had revenge toward Mr. Tom Robinson and Atticus.

In one night, when Scout was accompanied by Jem after doing a stage performance I their school, came back to home and passed through the Radley’s backyard. Scout still wore her ham costume. When they walked in the dark, they heard one’s step behind of them. When they tried to run, it was late. A man with a knife on his hand stabbed them in the dark. Scout was alright because of her ham costume. But not with Jem, he was in unconsciousness. There was a stranger man who helped to bring them in their house. Actually the man who helped them was Mr. Arthur Radley (Boo). And the man who attacked them in the dark was Mr. Bob Ewell. After the sheriff came and made sure the man who attacked, he found that Mr. Boo died with his knife. Atticus was sure that Jem and Mr. Ewell had attacked each other and although his son was only thirteen, he said that he would make his son to be responsible in this case. But the sheriff was sure that Mr. Bob died because of himself. It was not possible for Jem to kill Mr. Bob with the bloody body and his almost broken arm.