Historical Context To Kill A Mockingbird

Ever since Harper Lee published her book To Kill A Mockingbird in 1960, millions of readers have sought out this story. But why? It could be that Lee is one of the only authors that directly addresses adolescence and coming-of-age at its finest. Or it could be that it perfectly portrays racism in the real world through the historical context of the story. Whatever the case, Lee makes a point out of both of these themes through specific examples.

Before this essay dives into the details of how these main themes are shown, it is important to understand the historical context of the era this book was placed in. A main way Lee hits racism and maturation with one stone is through setting the story during the period of the Great Depression. This

There are many points throughout the story where Atticus and his family experience discrimination to the extreme. In chapter nine, Francis Hancock tells Scout that Atticus is “nothin’ but a n****-lover” and that he is “ruinin’ the family” because of it. (Lee 9.85) But this is when one of the strongest themes of the book is established. "Scout," said Atticus, "n*****-lover is just one of those terms that don't mean anything—like snot-nose. It's hard to explain—ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody's favoring N****es over and above themselves. It's slipped into usage with some people like ourselves, when they want a common, ugly term to label somebody." "You aren't really a n*****-lover, then, are you?" "I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody... I'm hard put, sometimes—baby, it's never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it doesn't hurt you." (Lee 11.107-109) This quote is exceedingly important because it states racism as it is, and how everyone, everywhere should handle it. Clearly, one of the main themes of To Kill A Mockingbird is

This is precisely how Lee identifies the innocence of a child, the coming-of-age moments, and the final result of Scout transforming into a woman. When a huge mob of many of the townspeople were gathered around Scout’s father, she unintentionally disarmed them with her youth and innocence in the way that she talked to Mr. Cunningham as an equal, as a friend. She didn’t understand that all the men surrounding Atticus were intending to hurt him. The way Scout tried to strike up an honest conversation with Mr, Cunningham must have reminded him that they were neighbors and friends. This innocent action on Scout’s part single-handedly saved both Atticus and Tom Robinson from the wrath of the mob. But this quote shows how Scout matured: “One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough" (Lee 30.321). After all of the events in the book, Scout has come to realize that you shouldn’t and can’t judge people by what they do because you can never understand the full reason why. As you can see, another main theme of To Kill A Mockingbird is maturity and