Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
¶ … Kill a Mockingbird
Introduction to the novel. Some writers explain that To Kill a Mockingbird is about growing up in the South during the Jim Crow days. Others explain that the story is about racial injustice in the South. Actually, To Kill a Mockingbird is both a story about growing up in the South and about racial bigotry in Alabama in the 1930s, and it goes deeply into the issue of justice and fairness within the big picture of what it was like to be in the South during that era. The story takes place over a period of three years, and it is made interesting by the author Harper Lee because the main characters evolve quite a bit and the social scene at the time is well depicted. It is easy to look back at American history through this novel and condemn the South, and Alabama, for the racism, but it isn't always a fair way to appraise social situations.
Details about the book's setting: Life in Maycomb County, Alabama, in the 1930s, was not easy for a lot of people. The Great Depression was holding many people back from progress in financial, social,...
Maycomb itself was a very small town, it was very hot and muggy in the summertime, and no matter how boiling hot it was, men worked all day and women stayed at home and cooked, cleaned, and cared for young children. The Finch family in history had owned slaves, typical of the old southern traditional families who had deep roots in the community. The separation of races was totally accepted as a way of life -- there were drinking fountains just for blacks and some just for whites -- and black folks lived in one particular part of town (that was run down) while the white folks lived in a better side of town. Blacks attended churches just for black folks and whites had their own churches too, and blacks worked at really bad jobs that didn't pay very much while whites had better jobs.
Main characters in the book. The main characters were Scout, Jeremy Atticus (Jem), and Atticus Finch. Scout is an outspoken young girl with a desire to learn and a temper that sometimes exploded. Scout (around 6 years of age during the novel) is very real and…
Works Cited
Lee, Harper. 1993. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: HarperCollins.
Kill a Mockingbird The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by author Harper Lee tells the story of a southern American family living in a rural community during the Great Depression. Atticus Finch is the single, widowed father of Jeremy, nicknamed Jem, and Jean Louise, nicknamed Scout. Many people of the town of Maycomb, Alabama dislike the Finches because Atticus is educated, because of the way that Atticus is raising his
Horton Foote and "To Kill a Mockingbird" Horton Foote Some aspects of a literary work are often revealed through the author's biography. Horton Foote is no exception, as his biography reveals a thoughtful Southern writer who could brilliantly capture life's conflicts, triumphs and defeats. Both honored and criticized, Foote remained a considerate chronicler of humanity whose work is still admired decades after publication and whose life is an inspiration. Horton Foote (March 14,
kill a Mocking Bird's Aticus Finch Defined as one of the best novel of the 20th Century, and selling more than "30 million copies around the world" having it's translation in more than 40 languages (Flood), the book "To Kill a Mocking Bird" has been considered as a true reflction of the American society in 1936. The story revolves around the story of the racial differences that exist in the
By allowing his children to address him by hist first name, Atticus is dismantling one of the many traditions that serve to reinforce and perpetuate traditions that ultimately only serve to delegitimize the experience and perspective of certain people. This forces the viewer to take Scout's recollections and narration more seriously, because although they are the memories of a relatively young child, the viewer cannot help but treat them
Aunt Alexandra does not say "please" or "thank you," just a simple command forcing Cal into subservience. Cal has symbolized strength and authority throughout Scout's childhood, by acting as a mother figure in the Finch household. Scout has never seen Cal in such a low and submissive position Equality is not approved, segregation is traditional, and hate is accepted. Maycomb citizens believe that Tom Robinson is not, and should not be
The book has had a huge impact on society, helping the post 1950s world deal more clearly with the subject of civil rights, racial injustice, and the eradication of childhood innocence. "In the 20th century, To Kill a Mockingbird is probably the most widely read book dealing with race in America, and its protagonist, Atticus Finch, the most enduring fictional image of racial heroism" (Crespino, 2000, 9). There are numerous