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Harper Lee Was Born And Raised In A Small Town In Alabama

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Harper Lee was born and raised in a small town in Alabama called Monroeville. She is very passionate about southern traditions and issues. She was so passionate about this topic that she decided to write a novel about it. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is set in Maycomb (Modern day Monroeville), Alabama. The time period of the novel is the early 1930s. During this era, the Jim Crow laws which promoted segregation were in effect. Atticus Finch, one of the main characters, is a white lawyer with two young children Jean Louise “Scout” Finch and Jeremy Atticus “Jem” Finch. Atticus was selected by the town Judge to defend a black man named Tom Robinson. Prejudice is a common practice among the residents of Maycomb. Some of Maycomb’s…show more content…
Atticus continues to speak of true courage, the ability to use your head in a mental battle, rather than using your fists in a physical battle. In chapter 15, Atticus hurries to the local jail to protect Tom Robinson from an incoming mob. When Jem sees Atticus depart, he follows even though he does not understand where Atticus is going. When Jem realizes, he courageously stays to support his father and Tom, and sees how Atticus does so without physically fighting the mob. This example shows the courage that Atticus values.
Furthermore, Atticus displayed integrity while defending Tom Robinson. Atticus made decisions based on his own conscience and not that of others. Lee writes, “Before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience. (105) Atticus is a man with morals, and therefore defends Tom Robinson in front of a racist jury to give him his right to a fair trial. Even though he knows he has a slim chance of winning the case, Atticus continues to do his best. Atticus asks the white jurors to consider the case on its merits and not take into consideration the race of the defendant, Tom Robinson. Atticus’s neighbor Miss Maudie, further describes his integrity by stating, “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets.” (46) Miss Maudie is saying that Atticus does not have anything to hide and does not try
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