Changes

The literary work of 1960 and the movie of 1962 are set in a small town in Alabama, called Maycomb, and it is set in the Depression-era of the 1930s. In many ways, it is a traditional coming of age story and it is told from the perspective of Jean Louise Finch, nicknamed Scout, who is aged 6 when the book begins. She lives with her widowed father Atticus Finch, her older brother, and her best friend is a boy called, Dill. The three children live in dread and terror of Boo Radley a mysterious recluse who lives on the same street, in a boarded-up house. We later find out that he has been forced to stay at home by his father after he committed a minor crime, which brought shame to his family. Tom Robinson, a black man is charged with raping a white woman, Mayelle Ewell, and Atticus Finch is appointed his lawyer. At one point there is an attempt to lynch Robinson, but this is averted after an intervention by Scout. Atticus defends Tom, and he does it skillfully and he appears to prove that his client is innocent and Mayelle is a liar. However, the all-white jury convicts Tom, even though it is clear that they do not believe the allegations against him. Later, while in prison, Tom is shot while allegedly trying to escape. Bob Ewell is angered by his family’s treatment in the court and especially by Atticus’ cross-examination of his daughter .<ref>Lee, Harper. To kill a mockingbird (London, Random House, 2010), p 115</ref>. His reputation and that of his family are in tatters, after the case. One night he sees Jem and Scout and in a fury, he attacks them with a knife. During the attack, the arm of Jem is broken, then the children are saved by an unlikely hero, that is Boo Radley. He fights with Ewell and manages to take his knife from him and kills him. Sheriff Heck Tate arrives, and he decides that it was a case of self-defense and declares that the attacker had killed himself when he tripped and fell on his own knife. This was done to protect the privacy of Boo and to ensure that he did not get into legal trouble. The novel ends with Scout watching Boo, who returns to his house and is never seen again <ref>Lee, Harper, p. 220</ref>.