Map of Maycomb County:

“Maycomb, some twenty miles east of Finch's Landing, was the county seat of Maycomb County”

Assignment: A thorough reading of To Kill a Mockingbird will give an appreciation of the author’s attention to detail in presenting the setting of her tale. While reading you should attempt to visualize what the town looks like. 50 Points.

To help you visualize the town, your job is to create a detailed visual of the immediate surroundings of the main street on which the Finch family lives and the relative buildings. Use this activity to summarize the events and characters of the book thus far!

  • Hint: While there is some room for creativity and interpretation, some aspects of the years, houses, and neighborhoods are clearly stated. For example, it is mentioned in the text that Miss Maudie’s house is two stories with a tin roof and front porch, and that it is across the street from the Finch’s house. This is clearly stated. But is the Finch house on the North, South, East, or West side of the main street? Fortunately, Harper Lee has included a very important clue in the setting:“We leaped over the low wall that separated Miss Rachel’s yard from our driveway. . . .[Jem] pointed to the east. A gigantic moon was rising behind Miss Maudie’s pecan trees” (Chapter 6). From this information we can deduce that since Miss Maudie lives across the street from the Finch residence, Miss Rachel lives next door to Atticus Finch, there is a low wall separating the houses and that Miss Maudie’s house is on the eastern side of the street and the Finch residence is on the western side of the street.

Places to include: (if you add more to you map than what is listed below, you’ll be happy with the outcome)

  • Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose's house, two doors to the north …
  • … the Radley Place three doors to the south.
  • Jem and I heard something next door in Miss Rachel Haverford's collard patch.
  • Routine contentment was improving our treehouse that rested between giant twin chinaberry trees in the back yard, fussing running through our list of dramas
  • The Radley place jutted into a sharp curve beyond our house. Walking south, one faced its front porch; the sidewalk turned and ran beside the lot.
  • The Maycomb school grounds adjoined the back of the Radley lot.
  • From the Radley chickenyard, tall pecan trees shook their fruits into the schoolyard.
  • Two live oaks stood at the end of the Radley lot.
  • Cecil Jacobs, who lived at the far end of our street next door to the post office, walked a total of one mile per school day to avoid the Radley place and old Mrs. Lafayette Dubose.
  • We had strolled to the front yard, where Dill stood looking down the street at the dreary face of the Radley Place.
  • The tire bumped on the gravel and skeered across the road to the Radley's place.
  • Every Christmas Uncle Jack yelled across the street to Miss Maudie to come marry him.
  • “The Maycomb county courthouse was faintly reminiscent of Arlington in one respect: the concrete pillars supporting its south roof were too heavy for their light burden. […] To reach the courtroom, on the second floor, one passed sundry sunless county cubbyholes […]”
  • “Maycomb’s Ewells lived behind the town garbage dump in what was once a cabin
  • ...Jem and I edged down the sidewalk parallel to the side of the house.
  • We leaped over the wall that separated Miss Rachel's yard from our driveway.
  • Mr. Avery boarded across the street from Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose's house.
  • There he was returning to me. His white shirt bobbed over the back fence.
  • Jem and I slid across the street. Miss Maudie was staring at the smoking in her yard.
  • Mrs. Dubose lived alone, two doors up the street from us in a house with steep front and a dog-trot hall. Map of Maycomb County

Students who put time and effort into this assignment will be rewarded with extra points! The nicer you make YOUR assignment look, the more points you should expect. If you simply fill this out, don’t expect full points.