The 3-Act Paradigm at Work: To Kill A Mockingbird

written by Horton Foote


To Kill A Mockingbird is a coming-of-age story set in the Depression south. The daughter and son of a lawyer learn important lessons about racism and prejudice, about when to act and when to forget and forgive. The story is narrated as memory by Scout, the daughter.

Structural Analysis

  1. Hook (6 min.)
    • Scout and Jem, children of the widowed lawyer Atticus, catch a glimpse of their scary neighbor, "the meanest man who ever took a breath of life."
  2. Complication (13-5 min.)
    • Atticus is appointed to defend a black man accused of raping a white woman.
  3. Call to Action (21 min.)
    • Despite the unpopularity of his choice, Atticus vows to make sure the black man gets a fair trial.
  4. Act One Plot Point (31 min.)
    • Scout starts school - and has to wear a dress. Her Tomboy days are beginning to change.
  5. Midpoint Plot Point (49-51, 62 min.)
    • Scout hears her father called "a nigger lover" and wonders what it means. He tries to explain, and he tells her not to fight at school, no matter what kids say about him or her. Later Scout's friendly demeanor disarms men gathered as a lynch mob at the jail (62 min.).
  6. Act Two Plot Point (98-102 min.)
    • The jury finds the black man guilty. Later he tries to escape and is shot and killed.
  7. Climax and Resolution (113-24 min.)
    • The children are attacked at night and then mysteriously rescued. The man who rescued them is the same scary neighbor who frightened them so much, and they learn a lesson about judging people without knowing them.


    MODULE 4: SCREENWRIGHT: the craft of screenwriting

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