Alienation In To Kill A Mockingbird

World War 1 began to influence the movement into a time period known now as modernism. This time period is when everything we knew about literature so far began to change. The authors of this period wanted to do something completely different than those of the past. Unlike the past, writers did not focus on nature and existence but instead “the Modernist sees decay and a growing alienation of the individual (Rahn).” Many stories in this era were seen to be self-reflective, whereas others had an overpowering sense of alienation. Readers may even notice the writers experimenting with gender roles along with introducing racial issues (Godin). O’ Connor, Faulkner, and Lee are some of the many who are well known for writing that stands out to readers

Truman Capote, another well-known author, was also one of her closest childhood friends who also played an important role in her novel. Though the two friends were very different, their difficult home lives were one thing similarity they shared. It was during her high school years that Lee developed a love for English literature. After deciding to drop out of law school, Lee then moved to New York City to pursue a career in writing. While in New York, Harper did many little side jobs to get by for a few years. During this time she made friends with a Broadway play director who later would support her while she pursued her interest in writing while also helping her find an agent. In July 1960, Lee finished and published her prize winning novel

Even from an early age O’Connor enjoyed reading and was seen to her classmates and teachers as very intelligent. It is even said by a former teacher that she seemed to have the ability to talk with adults as if she were on the same level or mindset as them. It’s believed that her cartooning for the school paper had an effect on her writing style, influencing it to become a bizarre style in which she would start and continue to display throughout her writing career (Reuben). She moved to New York City to pursue her writing after receiving her Master’s degree in Fine Arts. She then meet the Fitzgerald’s, who would later allow her to move into their home where she would spend her time working on novels and discussing literature with the couple. After becoming seriously ill, O’Connor was unable to live on her own and began to support herself along with her mother by her writing. She won many awards for her excellent writing skills. Most of her writing was centered on God and the human spirt, along with mixing together things that really did not seem to belong together, making her work a great example of modernist writing