Instantly successful, widely read in middle and high schools in the United States, it has become a classic of modern American literature, winning the Pulitzer Prize.
He is a lawyer who appears to support racial equality and is appointed to represent Tom Robinson, a black man who has been accused of raping a young white woman, Mayella Ewell.
At the beginning of the book, Scout is confused by some of the words and names she hears people directing toward her father, such as "black man-lover".
Scout is the only one of the novel's primary three children (Dill, Jem, and herself) to see and speak to Boo Radley during the course of the novel and realize that he is harmless, despite her initial fear of him.
When she finds Dill, he tells both Scout and Atticus that he was chained to a wall in his father's basement; later, he confesses he actually ran away because he felt he was being replaced by his stepfather.
This is especially evidenced by a tea party when Scout is horrified by the racism displayed, and her aunt and Miss Maudie help her deal with her feelings.
Atticus is assigned to defend him and stands up to a lynch mob intent on exacting their own justice against him before the trial begins.
Atticus uses this fact as the cornerstone of his defense strategy, pointing out that the nature of Mayella's facial injuries strongly suggests a left-handed assailant.
Tom testifies that he had frequently helped Mayella with household chores because he felt sorry for her and the family's difficult life - a statement that shocks the all-white, male jury.
He then menaces Helen, the poor widow of Tom Robinson and later attempts to murder Jem and Scout Finch with a knife to complete his revenge.
Heck Tate, the sheriff, puts in the official report that Bob Ewell fell on his own knife and died after lying under a tree for 45 minutes.
Before the trial, Mayella is noted for growing red geraniums outside her otherwise filthy and rundown shack to try and bring some beauty into her life.
Due to her family's living situation, Mayella has no opportunity for human contact or love, and it is strongly implied that her father has been sexually abusing her for years.
Miss Maude "Maudie" Atkinson, a widow of about 40, lives across the road from the Finches, and she is one of the few adults that Jem and Scout hold in high regard and respect.
She is not prejudiced, though she talks caustically to Miss Stephanie Crawford, unlike many of her Southern neighbors, and teaches Scout important lessons about racism and human nature.
It is important to note that Miss Maudie fully explains that "it is a sin to kill a mockingbird", whereas Atticus Finch initially brings up the subject but doesn't go into depth.
However, Scout later explains the full story and charitably persuades her uncle not to punish Francis about it, but to let Atticus think they had been fighting about something else.
A virulent racist, she calls Atticus a "nigger-lover" to his children's faces, and Jem flies into a rage and ravages Mrs. Dubose's camellia bushes.
Shortly after Mrs. Dubose lets Jem go at the end of this extra week, Atticus brings word that she has died after a long and painful illness.
He also demonstrates some humanity when he publishes a scathing editorial comparing the killing of Tom Robinson (a cripple) to "the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children."
Dolphus pretends he is an alcoholic so that the people of Maycomb will have an excuse for his behavior, but in fact, he only drinks Coca-Cola out of a paper bag to try to hide it.
She attempts to teach the first-grade class using a new method that she took from a college course that Jem mistakenly refers to as the way library books are classified: the Dewey Decimal Classification.
After discovering that Boo has been leaving small items in a tree knothole for Jem and Scout to find, he seals the hole with cement.
She doesn't like the idea of Calpurnia bringing Atticus Finch's children, Jem and Scout, with her to church and tells her so but is overruled by the other congregants.
He appears only twice, once at the beginning of the story when he pays off his debt to Atticus (Cunningham Sr. had been a client) by giving him firewood, vegetables, and other supplies.
Only when Scout talks to him about how she knows Walter Jr, and how much he personally owes Atticus for what the lawyer has done for him does he reconsider, disbands the lynch mob and sends the participants home.
Little Chuck could be even more intelligent than originally meets the eye, as he easily could have been bluffing about the aforementioned implied knife to scare Burris into retreating.
Her dual nature of hating Hitler and his prejudice while simultaneously being prejudiced against African Americans in her own community illustrates the hypocrisy present in Maycomb.
Atticus is forced to shoot Tim Johnson, preventing him from infecting anyone, and revealing his excellent marksmanship (his nickname used to be One-Shot Finch).
After taking the teenagers to court, Mr. Conner accused them of "disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, assault, and battery, and using abusive and profane language in the presence and hearing of a female."