The Influence of Setting on Themes and Events in To Kill A Mockingbird Vs. A Time to Kill
A setting is used in literature to highlight the major themes and also shape the events of the narration. Though set in different time periods, the settings of To Kill a Mockingbird by Lee Harper and A Time to Kill by Joel Schumacher serves to reinforce various themes that highlight various aspects of American history. Racial segregation and issues associated with it such as the lifestyle of the Southern state are some of the historical aspects of the American society have captured in both the novel and the film. In To Kill a Mockingbird, an African-American man is convicted because of racial prejudice while in A Time to Kill an African-American man
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Similarly, in the film A Time to Kill, the setting is in Mississippi at a time when Confederate states influenced much of the supremacist ideals and lifestyles of the Southern people. The film starts with Ray Cobb and Pete Willard driving a truck which displays the Confederate flag (A Time to Kill). This scene serves to highlight the lifestyle that existed at the time which upheld slavery and segregation as symbolized by this flag. Both the novel and the film, therefore, feature aspects of lifestyle in the Southern states during the segregation era.
Furthermore, the setting associated with Southern American states in both the novel and the film highlight the theme of racial intolerance especially against the African-Americans. The African-Americans suffered at the hands of the White through unfair treatment. In To Kill a Mockingbird, it is proven beyond doubt that Tom Robinson did not commit the crime as he is physically incapable of causing bodily harm as evident from Scout’s narration, “his left arm was fully twelve inches shorter than his right and hung dead at his side. It ended in a small, shriveled hand and from as far away as the balcony I could see that it was no use to him” (Lee 248). This implies that Tom Robinson is physically damaged and could not have harmed Mayella Ewell. The fact that he is black denies him a fair trial alluding to the existing racial intolerance that exists. On the other hand, his lawyer Atticus Finch is aware of this intolerance when
All in all, the Jim Crow laws, mob mentality, and the Scottsboro Trials were three historical concepts Harper Lee used frequently in her story. In To Kill a Mockingbird, she uses these concept to influence, enrich, and ultimately determine the plot. Ultimately, it was with these critical connections that this American classic has been able to have the profound effect it has had on its readers over the years.
“Remember, it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird,” (Lee 119). In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, this is the quote that Atticus, one of the main characters, says to his kids. Atticus is a lawyer who takes on a tough case in his town, Maycomb. His kids are Scout, and Jem. Throughout the book, they grow and mature. They don’t mess around with their neighbor, Boo, as much as they used to. But, luckily because of him, they live to see the next day. In To Kill a Mockingbird, it shows that because of prejudice, innocent people can be harmed. This is shown through Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Jem.
"To Kill a Mockingbird", is a story that focuses on saving the innocent. Also, it presents poverty and racial tensions within the
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a multi-faceted novel which explores the principles and morals of people in the South during the 1930s. Mockingbirds are symbolic of the people that society abuse. Lee narrates the events of the novel using Scout’s voice and uses this technique to add emotional context and develop themes. Themes of racial and classist prejudice are developed by Lee to challenge the reader. These techniques are all powerful ways to alter the views of the reader.
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee shows the racism and prejudice that occurs in America during the Jim Crow era. The story is told by Scout who grows up noticing how unfair the world can be. It takes place in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s, when blacks were commonly discriminated against. Throughout this book the reader is reminded of how a little courage goes a long way. The theme for To Kill A Mockingbird is courage because Jem, Atticus, and Ms Dubose demonstrate courageous acts throughout the novel.
The novel, to kill a mockingbird, was a better representation of characters, setting and plot due to missing or changed information that took away
Authors can utilize the novel genre to bring attention to historical injustices, adapting its generic conventions to captivate and emotionally position readers, thereby prompting them to critically reflect on the stereotypes imposed upon society. To Kill a Mockingbird (TKAMB) by Harper Lee is set in the 1930s, reflects the deep-seated racial prejudices and stereotypes prevalent in the American South during that era. The novel, published in 1960, provides a critical look at the social norms and expectations that enforced racial segregation and inequality. It portrays the Jim Crow laws, which mandated segregation in public facilities and disenfranchised African Americans. The story is told through the eyes of Scout Finch, a young girl who observes the hypocrisy and bigotry in her
One of the biggest themes in To Kill A Mockingbird is racism. The story takes place during 1963 in Maycomb, Alabama. At that time slavery was legal and many people in the South had slaves and treated them badly. The theme of racism is very significant to the story because Scout is a kid and doesn’t really understand why people are racist, she thinks everyone should be treated the same. The trial scene was very important because it was one of the first times Scout experienced major racism especially when they took a white man’s word over a black man just because he is white, there was undeniable evidence proving that Tom was innocent, and how it took the jury 5 hours to come to a consensus.
Throughout the history of humans, racism has always been an issue. Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird and Joel Schumacher’s film A Time to Kill both explore the idea of racism. Multiple scenes in the novel and film use various themes to help convey this idea of racism. Both of these texts explore this idea with differences and similarities. Character’s lives and situations play an important role in conveying this main theme of racism.
A Time to Kill and To Kill a Mockingbird both have a number of similarities to be compared and contrasted. Both stories can be compared in their themes about justice and racial prejudice. However, this is where the similarities end. The themes and ideas in both novels are vastly different in shape and scope. In A Time to Kill justice is the main theme and most of the ideas are focused on justice and the gray in between the lines of black and white set by the law, racial prejudice is also touched upon very frequently in the comparisons between Jake Brigance and Carl Lee Hailey and how he wouldn't even have had to face trial if he was a white man. In To Kill a Mockingbird justice is a theme which is not expanded upon or explained in nearly
To Kill A Mockingbird is set in the early 1930s, the years of the Great Depression when poverty and unemployment were widespread in the United States. During this time, segregation was a large problem in American society. Atticus taking the case for Tom Robinson and actually trying to defend him was very
The theme that plays the strongest role in creating the setting of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is society. Maycomb County is an old, small town in Alabama during the Great Depression. All of its citizens have lived there, for almost their entire lives. Throughout the years the townspeople create a reputation, some are good and some are bad. Since Maycomb is such a small town they have nothing else to do but gossip. “Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself.” because they are expected to be perfect and if they are not, the town will go against them. Another example is Maycomb County created stereotypes. If someone did not fit in with the rest of Maycomb’s citizens they were viewed as odd, even
Feature films have served as depictions of our society. They have been mirrors reflecting upon us what we are, what we would like to be, and how we view ourselves. “To Kill a Mockingbird” is in fact a classic film that does just that. Directed by Robert Mulligan, this film was based on Harper Lee’s novel of the same title. The screenplay by Horton Foote, “To Kill a Mockingbird is both a coming of age story of three young children, told from the perspective of Scout as she reflects upon an important court case involving her father when she was only six years of age (Pakula & Mulligan, 1962). It is a commentary on racism in the 1930’s south, its affects upon a small town, and the minority-liberal Whites. As an American/historical drama, its characteristics are clear. There is a perspective on life, a sense of humor, political view and moral values established early in the film. The setting is also important to the film, as it draws a theme and structure for the audience. This analysis will view “To Kill a Mockingbird” through the lens of the genre theory as it applies to the contextual information, story/plot, aesthetic choices, and social impact that helped form the theme and created an Oscar award winning and nominated film classic, again proving that great cinema serves as commentary on society, for better or for worse. It forces us to see ourselves and question who we are and who we want to be.
A movie that shares a lineage with "To Kill a Mockingbird" is "A Time to Kill," based on the novel by John Grisham. Instead of the African American man falsely accused of raping a white woman, this movie tells the story of an African American man who seeks vengeance for the rape and brutalization of his young daughter by two white men who get off under a technicality. The story takes a hard turn when the Ku Klux Klan show up in town wanting the neck of the father after his act of vengeance and target the attorneys
Both the text and the film are set in the southern states of America, “To Kill a Mockingbird” in Maycomb Alabama in the 1930’s and “A Time to Kill” in Mississippi in the 1990’s. This was intended by Harper Lee and Joel Schumacher due to racial discrimination being a prominent issue in these eras as well as the southern states being known for their belief in white supremacy. In both towns in the text and the film there were definite segregations between white and black people. This allowed both Lee and Schumacher to easily portray the idea of racism to their intended audience. In the text “To Kill a Mockingbird” Lee utilises a variety of language techniques to convey the idea of racism to his readers. Whereas in the film “A Time to Kill” the director, Schumacher, uses language features as well as a range of stylistic devices to effectively present racism as a key idea.