To Kill A Mockingbird is set in a small town in Maycomb County, Alabama in the 1930's. Maycomb is a very small, friendly place where everyone knows everyone else. It is very quiet and peaceful; children are always out playing and people are honest and work hard. There is, however, a lot of racism and a big difference between the "white folk" and the "negreos" which creates some tension in daily life. The "negreos" were thought to be inferior to the white people and were treated as such, especially by the older generation of characters.
The main characters of the book (so far) are a little girl named Jean Louise Finch, also known as "Scout" and her older brother, Jem. In the beginning of the book, she is 6 years old and he is 10. She is a tomboy and dislikes anything "proper" or ladylike. She is very smart for her age and can read and write well above her age level but she hates school and the way they teach. In the start of the story, she often got into fights with other kids defending her father from insults. She is headstrong and clever, and she has a very defined opinion about many things. The story is written through her eyes.
Her brother, Jem, is 4 years older than her. When there is no one else to play with, he and Scout are inseparable, but when he is at school, he tries to distance himself from her. Not much emphasis is put on the character, other than that he is a huge part of her life (often there is not major detail about Jem, but he is almost always present in the story). He is also mature for his age, but like a typical boy, he will never back down from a dare. He and Scout often fight with each other, but they are very close in family.
Other significant characters in the story are their father, Atticus Finch and their black cook, Claphurna. Atticus is a lawyer who caused quite a stir when he started defending a "negreo", Tom Robinson against an accusation of rape. He was accused of many things and insults were everywhere, sometimes causing Scout to get into a fight. His wife and Jem and Scout's mother passed away when Scout was very young, so he is alone in raising them, except for Calphurna. Calphurna is officially their cook but she also helps with many of the things a mother would do. She comforts Scout when things goes wrong, she cleans around the house and she is always there for them. She plays more of a mother role in Scout's life then Jem's as Jem, as well as being older, can actually remember his mother and misses her.
There has been a lot of conflict in the book so far, big and small. A major conflict happened when Jem and Scout had to pass old, sickly Mrs. Dubose's house on their way to town. She was always taunting them with insults and criticisms about everything from their father to the way they were walking. Jem and Scout always had trouble restraining themselves around her, and they only did because Atticus lectured them on the importance of being gentlemen and lady. One day, however, it was too much for Jem to handle and he took Scouts new baton and destroyed all of Mrs. Dubose's flowers. When Atticus heard about this, he was furious and he talked with Mrs. Dubose and they decided that Jem's punishment would be to have to read to her 2-3 hours every day except Sunday.
To Kill A Mockingbird could be categorized as Southern Fiction, a Southern Drama or even a coming-of-age story about "Scout" Finch. So far, they story has been about her life from age six to eight and the various challenges and hardships she went through, as well as the many joys of childhood.
