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To Kill A Mockingbird Influences

Decent Essays

An author finds their character’s struggles and successes in the people from every generation. Inspirations from lifelong events create not only great works of literature, but also books that become highly notable works of art. The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is told by young girl, Scout, along with her brother, Jem, and friend, Dill. The novel tells the story of Atticus Finch, a white lawyer, and Tom Robinson, a black worker, accused of raping a white woman. Finch defends Robinson, however, the judge and jury believe the woman’s story and allowed Robinson to be killed. Harper Lee had influences in her life which affected her writing. These influences included growing up in a small town in Alabama, the people in her life, and the hardship of living during the time of the Great Depression. One influence on Harper Lee’s life …show more content…

This also impacted Lee’s writing. “In 1960, when To Kill a Mockingbird was published, much of white America viewed the coming together of the races as immoral, dangerous, even ungodly” (Levy). The novel took place during the Great Depression, where unemployment was common, families were poor, and black people were always accused of being guilty even when they were not. One example of how black people were always guilty was the trial of Tom Robinson. “A white woman would never admit to doing what the Mockingbird character Mayella Ewell does, breaking a “time-honored code” by kissing Tom Robinson, a black man. And after being caught, she seeks to save herself from the scorn of society by accusing Robinson of raping her” (Levy). This example shows how even if a white woman lies about a black man raping her, the colored men will only be punished and the whites will get off easy. Racial discrimination was very troublesome during this time, and that is why Harper Lee included the trial of Tom Robinson in To Kill a

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