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To Kill A Mockingbird Research Paper

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The Autobiographical Nature of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird
Literature does not exist in a vacuum—the author brings to each story personal experiences and knowledge which shape the overall work. Such is the case with writer Harper Lee, who grew up during the Great Depression and lived in the racially segregated South. Lee’s one and only novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, reflects the impact of this childhood environment. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee utilizes an autobiographical protagonist to comment on the importance of personal integrity in a world of social injustice.
Knowing something about Harper Lee’s life will help readers better understand how it influenced her novel. Born Nelle Harper Lee on April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama …show more content…

Active in her church and community, she usually avoids anything to do with her still popular novel (“Harper Lee Biography” 2). Whether or not Harper Lee adds to her body of published work, her contribution to American literature is an important one: “To Kill a Mockingbird, a regional novel with a universal message” (Altman 6), combines popular appeal and literary excellence, ensuring Harper Lee's place amongst America’s greatest writers. Works Cited
Altman, Dorothy Jewell. “Harper Lee: April 28, 1926-.” DLB. 1980 ed. Vol. 6: American
Novelists Since World War II, Second Series, 180-183. Print.
“Biography of Harper Lee.” True Biography. A&E. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2013
.
Felty, Darren. “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Exploring Novels. Literature Resource Center. Gale,
1998. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.
“Harper Lee Biography.” Web. 27 Feb. 2012 .
Horner, Lynnette. “Harper Lee.” Southern Utah University. 2013. Web. 1 Marc. 2013
.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Harper and Row Publishers, Inc., 2009.
May, Jill.In Defense of To Kill a Mockingbird, Censored Books: Critical Viewpoints. Eds.
Nicholas J. Karolides, et al. New York: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1993. Print.
“Monroeville: Truman Capote and Harper Lee. Encyclopedia of Alabama. 2010. Southern
Literary Trail. Web. 1 Mar. 2013

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