How does Harper Lee present some of the problems she saw in American society?
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee presents many issues she saw as a child in the 1930’s Southern states in America. Throughout the story she speaks about the Great Depression which eventually leads to the poverty presented quite heavily through the characters. Harper Lee has also managed to include the racial divide she saw as a child too. The author discusses the racism issues the way she saw them whilst growing up and is brutally honest with the language she is using. The novel is set post slavery, but highlights the tension and discrimination surrounding coloured people.
The main issue that is brought up in the novel is race; Harper Lee demonstrates this problem she saw quite heavily with a sympathetic, yet honest approach. In Chapter 19, on page 201, we see Atticus question Tom Robinson about raping Mayella Ewell in the trial. After explaining his side of the story Tom then says ‘Mr Finch, if you was a nigger like me you’d be scared too.’ This quote alone gives the idea of the inequality of race, how inferior blacks/coloured people were to the whites. The author uses her own experiences of what happened and what she was as a child. The fact that this quote from Tom simply says that he is scared can make the reader feel sympathetic and can even lead to the reader empathising too.
A following point of Racism appears on page 252 when Atticus talks to Jem and Scout about the trial
Harper Lee’s book, To Kill A Mockingbird takes place in the difficult times of the Great Depression in the early 1930’s. The novel surrounds the life of a young girl named Scout Finch, along with her brother Jem, and their friend, Dill. Who are forced at a young age to watch the people of their small town of Maycomb not only receive, but also give prejudice to numerous, harmless people. Whether it be Boo Radley, a shut in who falls victim to the town’s gossip, even though he is constantly showing acts of kindness towards the Finch children. Or it be Tom Robinson an innocent man that Atticus, Scout’s father must defend be accused rape, and be convicted of a crime he did not to just because of the color of his skin. Throughout the novel, the people of Maycomb deal with prejudice in the forms of sexism, intolerance of differences, and in racism.
Racism, Segregation and ill-treatment of coloured is major theme explored in the text by Harper Lee. This problem in the little town of Maycomb is just a tiny reflection in the corner of the mirror, of America at the time. And even the world, with references to Nazi Russia in the novel also bringing to light segregation in other parts of the world. She comes right out to say that the world is a racist world, with this novel and she writes to show others what is happening and that it is actually not right. And she does so in a great way by highlighting one great injustice rather than the many and bringing to a realization how irrational and unfair the entire American Justice system was. But we also see a development in the white characters which a representative of the entire America in a sense (and the world) as thoughts and ideas change and people’s views about coloured people change, not abruptly but slow of course. The black characters in To Kill A Mockingbird contribute to the development of the white characters rather than appearing as individuals in their own right. Racism is learnt, and with this we can see that Racism can
Harper Lee’s coming-of-age story reminds readers how far society has come. In the time period in which the novel is set, society faced many issues involving racism and discrimination. Now in the 2000’s the world doesn't focus on the colour of one’s skin but the person it carries. Harper Lee effectively represents African-American history in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Throughout the novel Lee shows how racism negatively affected Maycomb County’s population by utilizing major themes including racial discrimination and the right to a fair trial. Lee’s novel has a similar story to multiple cases in the early 1900’s as well as showing links to the troubles the town faced with the Great Depression and social standings.
‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee explores several different issues which are still relevant in today’s society. Harper Lee uses conventions within the novel to convey these ideas. The three main issues Lee explores are; Importance of Moral Education, Prejudice and Bravery and Courage.
Prejudice in the 1930’s destroyed many African-Americans chances at a normal life, how does Harper Lee show that in “To Kill a Mockingbird”? Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” is a story depicting a family (Atticus, Scout, and Jem) living in the fictional town of Maycomb county, and a world of racism. Harper Lee shows in To Kill A Mockingbird how biases of skin color won over jurys and policemen, the hard living conditions that the African-Americans had to go through, and the outcomes of whites who were against the prejudice. First of all, the living conditions after African-Americans were freed weren’t the best, houses were often shacks with walls made out of scrap.
‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is a novel written by Harper Lee. It is set during the early 20th Century in the fictional town of Maycomb. Lee has decided to write the novel from a child’s point of view because a child is innocent but as the novel progresses the narrator, Scout, loses her innocence as she deals with the complications of her father being a lawyer. The novel revolves around racism and Scout sees discrimination wherever she goes whether it is racial or social prejudice. The town’s people agree with the idea that whites are superior to blacks. An example of this is when Atticus, Scout’s father, has to defend a black man who is accused of raping Bob Ewell’s daughter.
Atticus explains to Jem that “in our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (Lee 295 ). Atticus explain the justice system’s flaws to Jem, shows readers how racist people were in the 30’s. Therefore the novel does show some of the oppression that people of color were being forced to go through. During the trial, Tom Robinson says he ran from the Ewell house because “[he] was scared [he’d] hafta face up to what [he] didn't do” (Lee 265). Tom’s confession of his worried feelings of court prove how terrible and bias the southern justice system is. Even though Tom’s life before the trial was never mentioned in the novel, readers can still get a glimpse of the racist views in the south through his trial. Also at Tom’s trial, readers can “see the town of Maycomb in its worst light, willing to execute an innocent man for a crime he did not commit rather than question their belief in black inferiority and their social taboos about interracial relationships” (Felty). The trial truly shows the racist beliefs and the horrible lives African Americans were forced to live through with no freedom and fear of each new day. The novel does show some of the daily difficulties that African Americans went through and for that reason it should be looked upon as an example of racism in the south. Overall, the
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that takes place in Alabama during the Great Depression. It is narrated by the main character who is a little girl named Jean Louise Finch aka “Scout”. Scout has a father named Atticus who is a lawyer and an older brother. The Finch’s are a white family and when Atticus goes to defend a black man, the whole town is shocked.This novel has tons of racism. Racism is an issue that is still current. Large amounts of racism are expressed in the novel still happens today through racial profiling, police brutality, and segregation.
In the novel, Harper Lee emphasizes about how difficult for the black people to live in the 1930s when racial discrimination was a normal activity. The problem of racism was rampant and was as strong as ever in southern
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee depicts racism in the 1930’s and shows the characters had to overcome challenges because of it. The 1930’s was a difficult time to live in because of racism against African Americans and the depression, where thousands of people lost their jobs. The idea “an extraordinary challenge can sometimes make an ordinary person into a hero” shows that anyone in To Kill a Mockingbird could have been a hero, even in a time of hardships. Scout Finch, Arthur “Boo” Radley, and Atticus Finch overcame challenges in the story in order to become great heroes.
Decades ago, in the 1930s, people of color were not treated fairly. Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird took place in the 1930s in the fictional place of Macomb County, Alabama. It was narrated through a young girl named Scout Finch. Throughout the novel, Scout, her older brother, Jem, and their good friend Dill discover realities of society. Scout and Jem’s father, Atticus, was appointed to be the attorney of a black man. Because of the time period, the case was almost hopeless, but Atticus fought anyway. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird displays universal themes such as racial intolerance and innocence of youth.
Unfair treatment makes discrimination evident. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird takes place when The Great Depression occurred during the 1930’s in an Alabama small town called “Maycomb”. To Kill a Mockingbird is written in the perspective of a little girl by the name of Jean Louise Finch (Scout finch) who is a stubborn, impulsive and outspoken little girl who throughout the novel gains maturity, becomes more observant, and understanding through life alongside her father. Harper Lee’s award winning novel is focused around the social, gender, and racial discrimination and, the affect it has on the people of Maycomb.
'To Kill a Mockingbird' is a novel that was written in the 1960s, but Harper Lee decided to set the novel in the Depression era of the 1930s in a small town in Alabama. Lee provided her readers with a historical background for the affairs of that time and in doing so she exposed the deeply entrenched history of the civil rights in South America. Like the main characters in this novel, Lee grew up in Alabama; this made it easier for her to relate to the characters in the novel as she would have understood what they would have experienced during the period when racism, discrimination and inequality was on the increase within the American society.
During the 1930’s depression, there was a great divide between black and white America. There were many communities and groups who had been exposed to the same treatment and persecution as the Negroes in To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee has used a small town setting, such as that in To Kill a Mockingbird, to illustrate America’s views on white supremacy and the inferiority of the black race. The author has illustrated view that are expressed world-wide through her characters in Maycomb county.
“To Kill A Mockingbird” is marvelous and unforgettable novel. Not only show how dramatic, sad in and old town – Maycomb be like, but through her unique writings, some big conflicts about politics and critical is going on through this tired old Southern town. Not just in general like education, friendship, neighbors but also pacific in individuals like family and the people’s characteristics themselves. In one book yet can covered with such many problems, Harper Lee must have been experienced a lot and deeply understanding that time. That is why the book lives, becoming literature and get the love from the audiences a lot. One of the problem and mostly run along with the story and interest me is racism between white people and black people