Apparently the character of Scout is based on Harper Lee herself, and the way of life depicted in the book is very much the way of life that Harper Lee had as a child. That could be why it's so believeable. It's shocking to think that people had such prejudices - and even more shocking to think that there are people who still feel that way now. The first time I read the book I cried when they found Tom guilty - the jury knew that he was innocent, but there was no way that they would not find a black man guilty. I cried too when he died - I was hoping that there would be justice for him in the end, but sadly it was not to be.

Harper Lee was a bit of a tomboy so its no surprise that Scout resembles her. I think this is a novel about ignorance and prejudice. And not just towards the black community as seen when Calpurnia takes Jem and Scout to church with her.

Tom's death is very sad and does leave you slightly outraged but I don't think that racism is the main topic in this novel, its just one form of ignorance after all. Boo Radley's character is an excellent example of how our imaginations run away with us when we're deprived of any real informaton. Scout builds him up to be this monsterous being when actually he's nothing of the sort.

I often wonder who the mockingbird is - is it Tom, Boo or Scout and Jem? I suppose it could just refer to any white person but this doesn't ring true to me with rest of the novel. I think the mockingbird represents justice and human rights but I might be over analyzing.

The book was totally believable. Things seem to change more slowly in the deep South and old habits of class and colour didn’t disappear just because of the great depression and I’m not sure that things as a great deal better now. After New Orleans was hit by the hurricane there were accusations that more help would have been available and given earlier if it has been the white community that had been hit.

I liked the way that Atticus brought up his children and the beliefs and attitudes he gave them to explore for themselves. He never forced his beliefs on them and allowed them to find out for themselves about the evils of bigotry and prejudice in both communities. He loved his children, and never beat them and did his best for them, so I was a little surprised that even though he knew that Ewell was out for revenge he allowed his children to come home on their own in the dark. I think he was a little naïve in thinking Ewell wouldn’t go for an easy target, after all he had done it before with Tom Robinson. I was also quite shocked that Atticus automatically believed that Jem had stabbed Ewell and wasn’t willing to listen to any other explanation for quite a while. Most parents insist that there children are little angels who wouldn’t hurt a fly even when it is obvious they aren’t.

Boo was a great character for the children’s to construct wild fantasies about. I remember when I was young there was an old woman who we were convinced was a witch and that her house was haunted and we always ran passed it in the dark. Of course looking back she was just an old woman who preferred the company of her many cats and wasn’t scary at all. I wonder how Boo would be regarded today? He used to leave sweets and gifts for the children and just happened to be out at night and was near enough to the children to help out. I’m sure he would be regarded with suspicion by the adults. Harmless people whose only ‘crime’ is to be a bit different are often targeted by people who should know better,

I really like how the book is structured to gradually illustrate the loss(/or losing) of childhood innocence. I love how Harper Lee explores themes such as prejudice, hypocrisy, racism through the eyes of Scout (Scout as a woman looking back and Scout as a child). I enjoyed reading between the lines when the young Scout described events but was too naive to understand the implications of them. Made them seem more poignant through the eyes of a child. And there were some that I missed the meaning of - like when Scout sat in on a Missionary meeting and Miss Maudie silenced Mrs Merriweather (or was it Mrs Farrow?). Scout then described Aunt Alexandra as giving Miss Maudie a grateful look. Well, all that went over my head

I liked how Lee explored the idea that (to quote 1001 Books...) "good and evil can coexist within a single community or individual."

This is illustrated by the ladies' missionary meeting where they (allegedly) feel sorry for the Mruna people, and by Scout's teacher who hates Hitler's dictatorship, yet both cannot apply this compassion to the black citizens of Maycomb.

It's also illustrated by Scout, Jem and Dill's persecution of the mysterious Boo Radley - they take on the prejudiced opinions of the town until Atticus tells them not to torment Boo/Arthur. To crawl into his skin to understand what he's feeling - loved that line/idea.

I loved how Boo Radley started off as a scary character (reminded me of my childhood when the whole class created a ghost hunting club after seeing strange lights in the shed at the far corner of the playground on the night of our Christmas school play. We were all aged 10) and then gradually became a human being in the children's eyes. I suppose this showed they were growing up and maturing. I loved how Arthur Radley left gifts in the tree and saved Jem and Scout from Mr Ewell at the end of the novel. I loved how Heck Tate said to Atticus, 'It's not Jem I'm thinking of' to save Arthur Radley from attending court etc.

I love how Arthur Radley is a mockingbird of the story as well as Tom. Oh and how I felt for poor Tom and his family. I think the mockingbird analogy is wonderful and perfect. I can understand why TKaM is studied in schools as it's a great example of a well structured novel. Harper Lee links wonderful ideas together throughout the entire book.

1. How do Scout, Jem, and Dill characterize Boo Radley at the beginning of the book? In what way did Boo's past history of violence foreshadow his method of protecting Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell? Does this repetition of aggression make him more or less of a sympathetic character? I don't remember what was said about Boo's past!! Need to re-read that!

7. One of the chief criticisms of To Kill a Mockingbird is that the two central storylines -- Scout, Jem, and Dill's fascination with Boo Radley and the trial between Mayella Ewell and Tom Robinson -- are not sufficiently connected in the novel. Do you think that Lee is successful in incorporating these different stories? Were you surprised at the way in which these story lines were resolved? Why or why not? I thought they were well connected in the novel. The book is well structured to show the kids coming of age and beginning to lose their childhood innocence. The 2 stories mentioned here are used to show that, and the kids' tormenting Boo mirrors attitudes towards black people (as witnessed at the trial). The Boo story is about the kids in their innocent & uncorrupted world; and the kids' involvement in the trial story is about them experiencing an adult and often unjust world. Imo, the two stories are connected by the children's involvement in each - the stories serve to contrast the stages in life the children are at. The Boo story: childhood innocence; the trial story: coming of age, entering adulthood.

And I didn't know this:

5. To Kill a Mockingbird has been challenged repeatedly by the political left and right, who have sought to remove it from libraries for its portrayal of conflict between children and adults; ungrammatical speech; references to sex, the supernatural, and witchcraft; and unfavorable presentation of blacks. Which elements of the book-if any-do you think touch on controversial issues in our contemporary culture? Did you find any of those elements especially troubling, persuasive, or insightful?