To Kill A Mockingbird Comparative Essay

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a seminal work that illustrates the racially divided society of Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s. The novel centers around Atticus Finch, a lawyer defending Tom Robinson, a Black man wrongly accused of a crime. In contrast, Alice Walker's The Flowers is set in the rural South during the period of Jim Crows laws. The story centers on Myop, a young African American girl, who embarks on a seemingly innocent journey through a peaceful field. However, her discovery of a lynched black man shatters her innocent worldview and confronts her with the harsh realities of racial violence and discrimination. By comparing these two works, various dimensions of the struggle for justice and equality are depicted by Lee

She shares a significant parallel with the protagonist Myop. Born to sharecroppers Willie Lee and Minnie Tallulah (Grant) Walker, Walker grew up in a rural setting marked by racial segregation and economic hardship. Her personal experiences and observations of systemic oppression are evident in the honest depiction of racial violence and the fight for justice in The Flowers. Both Lee and Walker's works showcase the ongoing struggle for justice and equality in the face of systemic oppression and discrimination. The shared background of these two authors allows them to offer authentic perspectives on the struggle for justice and equality, resonating with readers as they navigate the complexities of societal

"It's a sin to kill a mockingbird", the mockingbird represents innocence and harmlessness, as it “doesn’t eat up people’s gardens, doesn’t nest in corncribs, and it doesn’t do one thing but sing its hearts out for people” (Lee 98). This symbol directly connects to the unjust treatment of characters like Tom Robinson, a Black man falsely accused of rape. Tom is a metaphorical mockingbird, an innocent victim of racial prejudice. “Somethin’ not fittin’ to say – not fittin’ for these folks’n chillun to hear –” (Lee 206). Even though he is falsely accused, he still thinks about the rumors that might bring to the young girl and does not want her to be awkward during court, indicating his kindness. Yet before the court begins, people start to comment on him and his defense lawyer, Atticus, with biased assumptions “ ‘lemme tell you somethin’ now, Billy,’ a third said, ‘You know the court appointed him to defend this nigger.’ ‘Yeah, but Atticus aims to defend him. That’s what I don’t like about it.’” (Lee 173). They have already chosen to believe in their inner prejudices. The symbol of the mockingbird is reinforced through these prejudiced comments, as Tom becomes a victim of assumptions and discrimination before his case is even presented in court. Though Atticus presents a strong case in Tom’s defense, the all-white jury still finds him guilty. Ironically, Bob