Background+&+History

Background & History //To Kill// a //Mockingbird// is a story which centres on the trial of a black man accused of the rape of a white woman. The action takes place in the town of Maycomb, a southern state of the US in the 1930s. The main characters in the story are the Finch family: Atticus, a lawyer~ his daughter Jean Louise (known as Scout) and her older brother, Jem.  While Atticus is educated and a professional man, many of the other inhabitants of Maycomb lead very hard lives. Ill-educated and poor, they still see themselves as superior to the black community in the town. Some white people regard the blacks with suspicion or hatred owing to their prejudice and ignorance. Atticus is more liberal than his friends and neighbours and believes in the principles of equality and fairness. He is the lawyer called upon to defend Tom Robinson against the rape charge.