To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee: A Literary Analysis

The book "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a story of life in an Alabama town in the 30's. The narrator, Jean Louise Finch, or Scout, is writing of a time when she was young, and the book is in part the record of a childhood, believed to be Harper Lee’s, the author of the book..

Harper Lee is best known for writing the Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller To Kill a Mockingbird. The novel takes place during the depression in Alabama with the main character, Scout, viewing her lawyer father, Atticus, defending a wrongly accused black man of rape. The reader gets to understand Scout’s childhood view of this controversial situation. Scout’s character in to Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is really the author’s own life playing out in the novel, which is most likely why this novel is thought to be one of the best American Novels of the 20th century.

Jem and Scout, throughout “To Kill A Mockingbird,” learn to consider things from other people’s perspectives. Atticus, Jem and Scout’s father, says “you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around in” (Lee 39). They learn this through experiences with their neighbor Boo Radley as they mature beyond their years. At the beginning of the novel, Jem and Scout make fun of Boo and assume that all of the rumors going around about him are true. However, later on in the story the children grow an admiration for Boo and learn to understand him. As they matured, Jem and Scout naturally learned many life lessons of appreciation, respect, and courage

The mentality of the town can wear off on the children. After learning that Scout’s father, Atticus is defending a black man, Cecil Jacobs gets annoyed. While at school Cecil Jacobs says to Scout “My folks said your daddy was a disgrace an’ that nigger oughta hang from the water tank” (Lee 102). This show how one of Scout’s classmates verbally attacked her. This quote gives you a look at how racist Maycomb is that even children portray it. Scout would not have gotten all this hate if the person her father defended was something other than black. Although it may look one sided both sides have racial views against each other.

Yet Perry’s childhood bliss was taken from him, somehow creating his current disposition, the true purpose is the falling of unity from inside the people of Holcomb, therefore; pinning every person against another. A dark curtain that falls over the children, parents, farmhands, hunting regulars, and police officials. A curtain that keeps them apart from one another because they are lost in the infinite blackness that surrounds them, an evil they let seep into their minds and imaginations.

Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” is set in a small Southern United States community called Maycomb during the Great Depression era. The whole book primarily revolves around segregation and racism and how it relates to Maycomb’s history. It eventually leads to the trial of Tom Robinson where he is accused of beating up and raping Mayella Ewell. Even though it was clear that Tom Robinson did not do anything wrong he was convicted by an all white jury simply because he was black. The trial of Tom Robinson and its verdict shows an example of how segregation in the court system prevents fair trials from occurring.

redujice is not something we are born with; it is something that we grow to learn from who and what surrounds us, things that help to form our identity. Prejudice is an integral theme in Harper Lee’s, To Kill A Mockingbird. Prejudice is evident throughout the novel, not just in the appalling racism but also through, prejudice against different sexual orientations, gender constructs and feminism. Society had certain constructs that had to be met. Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird, Lee breaks the bounds to overcome barriers, and challenge social constructs.

An almost equally important prejudice in creating the caste system in Maycomb is that of class. The divisions by this prejudice are also clear. People like the Finches are at the top of the social hierarchy, and far below them are people like the Cunninghams, who are respectable, but poor. Jem explains to Scout that even further below the Cunninghams are the Ewells, and further below the Ewells are the ?colored folks? whom the Ewells despise. Jem assess that everyone but the blacks have someone to look down upon.

​In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout Finch, and her brother Jem, learn the importance of seeing things through other people's eyes. At the beginning of the story, the people living in Maycomb County, can be considered "mockingbirds" because they are innocent. Their father, Atticus, leads as a strong example while defending Tom Robinson, a black man convicted for rape. The residents of Maycomb (besides the Finches) fail to see situations through other people's eyes. For example, when the trial takes place, most people do not have empathy toward Tom Robinson, resulting in some of those "mockingbirds" becoming killed. Trying to see situations through other people's eyes can keep someone from hurting somebody who is innocent.

The concept of courage is more philosophical rather than something that is real. Its a fact that can’t be substantiated, courage is a non tangible feeling that lies within one's heart and psyche. It isn’t something that you're born with, it's something you work for as you grow older. When the day comes when you have to battle the inner demons that make your life discontented you’ll need to conquer in order to overcome it once and for all.After you overcome the thing that's pains you the most you’ll have the face of courage. The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, it revolves around the idea of courage but to the farthest extremity. The characters are more than just literary entities that inhabit the book, they are individuals

During chapter 12 of the story, Scout and Jem go to an African American church for the first time with their maid Calpurnia. Calpurnia lives with the Finch family at home and often acts as an influence for Scout and Jem to be more open-minded as they become more exposed to racism. When they leave the church later that day, Scout asks Calpurnia why she acts so polite around whites but talks in “her nigger-talk” when she is around other colored people. Calpurnia explains to them that often times, racism inhibits black people from expressing their true emotions:

Scout and Jem live in a time of race. Jem and scout get a different perspective on race when it is directed toward them. To give an example, “Lula stopped, but she said “you ain't got no business bringin’ white chillun here- they got their church, we got our n” (Lee 136). This shows that Scout and Jem experience racism

Charles, I can relate to your post. I too still remember books that were read to me in elementary and high school. In high school, "To Kill a Mockingbird" was the chapter book that I read and it still sticks with me today. Teaching from a balanced perspective was the approach that I suggested as well. I have worked with youth for six years. I started working at a daycare in college as an undergraduate student. Later, I went on to volunteer at a community college and the local boys and girls club as an AmeriCorps Volunteer. Through volunteering, my perceptions changed. The students that I interacted with came from broken homes, poorly maintained and violent neighborhoods. As a result, their learning process was effected. This is why it is important

Critical Review of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird To Kill a Mockingbird is set during the 1930's in a small, isolated

Scout Jem and Dill all have very innocent views of racism as the novel begins, but as they mature and grow older they begin to see the harsh reality of racism in Maycomb County. In the novel Scout will see how racism affects every little thing. One day Calpurnia decides to take the two children to church. While they are there scout realizes that Calpurnia talks different than she does at home with them. As they return home, Scout asks Calpurnia about why she talks differently at a her church than at home. Calpurnia tries to explain and then Scout says "but Cal, you know better". I think this is a major point at which scout realizes how much racism affects every little thing. After this Scout understands that even though Calpurnia knew better she had to act like she didn't, because she would get made fun of if she didn’t. Jem, has a little more understanding about racism. Scout makes a comment about that “ if we came out in the Old Testament it's too long ago to matter”. "That's what i thought ,said jem, but around here once you have a drop of Negro blood that makes you all black." Jem says this when they are trying to explain to