To Kill A Mockingbird Full Summary

The first 200 words of this essay...

Part One:

Chapter 1 Summary

The chapter opens with the introduction of the narrator, Scout Finch, her older brother Jem (Jeremy), and their friend and neighbor, Dill (Charles Baker Harris). It quickly moves into an overview of Finch family history. Their ancestor, a Methodist named Simon Finch, fled British persecution to eventually settle in Alabama, where he trapped animals for fur and practiced medicine. Having bought several slaves, he established a largely self-sufficient homestead and farm, Finch's Landing, near Saint Stephens. The family lost its wealth in the Civil War.

Scout's father, Atticus Finch, studied law in Montgomery while supporting his brother, John "Jack" Hale Finch, who was in medical school in Boston. Their sister Alexandra remained at Finch's Landing. Atticus began his law practice in Maycomb, the county seat of Maycomb County, where his "office in the courthouse contained little more than a hat rack, a spittoon, a checkerboard, and an unsullied Code of Alabama." His first case entailed his defense of two men who refused to plead guilty for second-degree murder. They instead pleaded not guilty for first-degree murder, and were hanged, marking "probably the beginning of my father's profound distaste for criminal law."