Which novel features Atticus Finch?
Quick answer
Atticus Finch is the principled lawyer at the heart of To Kill a Mockingbird, the 1960 novel by Harper Lee. Set in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama, in the 1930s, it’s narrated by his young daughter Scout. Atticus defends Tom Robinson, a Black man falsely accused of a crime. The book won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize.
Key facts
- Author
- Harper Lee (1926–2016)
- Published
- July 11, 1960
- Award
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, 1961
- Setting
- Maycomb, Alabama, 1933–1935
The main characters
| Character | Who they are |
|---|---|
| Scout Finch | The narrator, a curious, outspoken young girl |
| Atticus Finch | Her father, a widowed lawyer |
| Jem Finch | Scout’s older brother |
| Tom Robinson | A Black man wrongly accused |
| Boo Radley | A mysterious, reclusive neighbor |
| Calpurnia | The family’s cook and housekeeper |
What the title means
Atticus tells his children that it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird, because mockingbirds do nothing but sing for others’ enjoyment. The bird symbolizes innocent people harmed by cruelty, such as Tom Robinson and Boo Radley.
Drawn from real life
Harper Lee grew up in Monroeville, Alabama, which inspired Maycomb. Her father was a lawyer, and her childhood friend Truman Capote, later author of In Cold Blood, inspired the character Dill.
The film
The 1962 film starred Gregory Peck as Atticus, a role that won him the Oscar for Best Actor. In 2003, the American Film Institute named Atticus Finch the greatest hero in American film history.
Go Set a Watchman
In 2015, a second novel, Go Set a Watchman, was published. Written before Mockingbird, it shows an older Scout returning home and discovering that Atticus holds racist views, which shocked many readers. Lee died in 2016.
Why it still matters
To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most widely taught novels in American schools. Its themes of racial injustice, courage and empathy remain powerful, though some critics argue it centers white characters’ perspectives. For the era of civil rights that followed, see who signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. For another American classic, see who wrote The Great Gatsby.
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