Historical Context Of To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird took place during the 1930s, a period shortly after the American civil war in Maycomb County, Alabama, the deep south where black people suffered from racism and discrimination. In this book, Tom Robinson was accused of raping a white woman, which was something that he’s never done, even though all the evidence proved that he did not violate that white woman, Tom was judged guilty because he was a black man. Racism is presented throughout the entire book especially when Scout got teased by her family about Atticus taking Tom’s case, and the townspeople's perception about Atticus, as well as during the trial of Tom Robinson.

To Kill A Mockingbird was published in the summer of 1960 and it could be considered one of the greatest novels created. Harper Lee, the author of To Kill A Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman, wrote these novels because of many personal experiences influencing her. One being the Scottsboro Boys case where an African American was falsely accused of raping a white woman where he was sentenced to death. This influenced the racism and prejudice in this novel. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee created a character named Boo Radley to develop a theme in this novel. Boo, a man that was living in the shadows, thought to be a scary and harmful person but actually being very friendly, shy and innocent. In To Kill A Mockingbird,

Because the Ewells are at the bottom of the class structure along with the African Americans, and are constantly sneered and despised by their higher-ranking white peers, Bob Ewell tries to seem better than his current situation of utter poverty by trying to appear as morally superior to Tom Robinson, an African American. In accusing Tom Robinson, he sees what he believes is a way for advancement in society. Not only does he i) clear his daughter of the ‘crime’ she has committed of tempting a black man, he also ii) elevates his societal status. In his mind, the town should think him a hero for saving Maycomb's white

Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird is set in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. Racism is ever present toward blacks and the trial of Tom Robinson, an African American, clearly displays this. Tom Robinson was accused of raping a white woman. The huge detail in this is that it was a white woman. Racial issues are really brought about because of that detail. People during this time would easily take a white man’s word over that of a black man, so nobody would ever trust Tom Robinson, especially since he was a black man being accused of a crime against a white woman. Tom Robinson really can’t do anything to help his case. The only person that can help him is Atticus. While Atticus does not believe that he will win the case, he knows that it is right to do everything he can to help Tom. He knows right from wrong and he will do everything in his power to help people see that, and to help Tom survive this case. Tom Robinson could also be described as a Mockingbird in this story. If proven innocent, he would be

This family member feels ashamed because of Atticus’ choice. He is labeled in his family for doing his job, thus making him a mockingbird. Atticus was also attacked through his children. Bob Ewell attacked Atticus’ children to get back at Atticus for being a lawyer to protect a black man. “Heck, Atticus Finch. Someone’s been after my children” (Lee 263). This tells us that Bob is attacking Atticus’ children, from the anger he has for Atticus. Atticus did nothing to receive this pain, which proves he is an innocent man. As well is Atticus being a victim of unfair violence and judgment, Boo Radley is treated unfair in this same society.

At the end of the novel much light is shed on the fact that one should not ‘judge a book by its cover’ and that no matter what race, or social standing a person has there is room for the opportunity to be good or bad. This can be seen through Atticus’ Finch stating that the family could not stand one day without their black housekeeper, despite the juxtaposing character of his sister’s best efforts to get rid of her. It can also be seen through the Ewell family. They are a white family that have money and a social standing in the town. Bob Ewell is an evil man who drinks away the family’s money. His character is foreshadowed by his son, Burris, and the abhorrent

To Kill A Mockingbird takes place in the 1930’s Alabama during the great depression. From reading the book, we get taken into the roots of human behaviour and find out some of the experiences that people had back in 1930's Alabama. The book centres around the main character Scout Finch, and through her narration, she shows us how people thought, and what racism looks like at that time. The small town of Maycomb is a place where everyone knows each other and expects everyone to act a certain way. When Atticus, a man who is respected by the entire town, decides to defend Tom Robinson, a black man, the whole town turns on him because he did not do what society thought was right. Societal expectations have a major impact on an individual's actions. An example society expects you to do could be as simple as holding the door for someone else or . It’s a social norm, individuals who have to make a decision will tend to do what society thinks is right even if they have to go against what

“To Kill a Mocking Bird” is not only a great book but also a book that portrays a clear and concise message. This book is about the murder, immense persecution, and hatred towards an innocent man, Tom Robinson. This book Written by Harper lee is about a rape case against an African American man during the years of 1932 to 1935 in Maycomb, Alabama. These years were filled with racism, hatred, and segregation. A rape charge against a black man, Tom Robinson, with the victim being a white woman, Mayella Ewell, was ultimately a death sentence during these times no matter the actual truth to the incident or if it even occurred in the first place. This story portrays the truth of racism and the extreme level of tyranny directed towards African Americans. Lee lays out in detail the entirety of Tom Robinson’s case from the

When reading books, readers will occasionally find that some books will have historical influences in them. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee there are three different historical influences. Lee used real life historical events in her book To Kill A Mockingbird to help make her story more Inspirational. The three different historical influences that Lee used were mob mentality, Jim Crow laws, and the Scottsboro trial.

To Kill A Mockingbird , is a fictional novel, written by Harper Lee, that make connections to historical events including her life in the 1930’s and the Civil Rights Movement in the 50’s and 60’s.

To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee's only novel, is a fictional story of racial oppression, set in Maycomb, A.L. in 1925 to 1935, loosely based on the events of the Scottsboro trials. Unlike the story however, the racial discrimination and oppression in the novel very accurately portrays what it was like in the 1920's and 1930's in the south. Tom Robinson, the black man accused of raping a poor low class white girl of 19, never stood a chance of getting a fair trial. This can be supported by giving examples of racially discriminatory and

To Kill A Mockingbird took place in the 1930’s, a time that was enormously charged with racial tension. One example of this is the existence of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Even though the KKK was in a time of decline in the 1930’s, it had been very prominent in the 1920’s and had still not completely died out. The KKK had rallies and

In 2010, the U.S. Sentencing Commission reported that black Americans receive 10% longer sentences than white Americans through the federal system for the same crimes. Published in 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one of the greatest works of fictional writing in American history. Set in the 1930s in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, this story is about a young girl, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, and her family. Her father, Atticus Finch, is an attorney who has been assigned the job of defending a black man, Tom Robinson, in a trial. Although Tom is innocent, it is hard to get off the hook as a black man in 1930s Alabama. Tom is found guilty after a long and grueling trial. This leaves Scout and her brother, Jem perplexed. They don’t understand how the jury could find an innocent man guilty just because he is a different race. Throughout the book, Scout and Jem have to learn about the racism problem in America, and why it is dividing the country. To Kill a Mockingbird shows that racism has the power to negatively affect a community because it makes good people do bad things, creates hypocrisy, and it creates hatred.

Bob Ewell is Mayella’s father and is known to be the a part of a family that “had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations” (Lee, 30). “They were people, but they lived like animals.” (Lee, 31). Although he lived behind the dump where a majority of the black community lived, he had a strong hatred for them that was only intensified later on in the story. After the trial where Tom Robinson was declared guilty, Bob Ewell held a strong grudge against every person who had ties to the case as it had shredded every piece of credibility the Ewell family held. A few days after the trial, Mr. Ewell had gone up to Atticus and threatened him by saying he’ll kill him “..., Atticus was leaving the post office

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has become a mainstay in American high-schools. This is a classic novel that has inspired many people of all ages. It had a big impact on how people viewed and treated each other. This is a story that teaches everyone about the value of honesty, love, friendship and trust. Every word written in this book has a truly deep meaning to it. The time period that the book was written in was during the Great Depression in the 1930’s. This setting was in a small town in Maycomb, Alabama with people who did not get along. During this time there was a lot of segregation within America and different races. To Kill a Mockingbird is about a family who believes in doing the right thing and being honest. There was a