The Literary Context Of To Kill A Mockingbird

Why does he pay you like that, Scout asked. Because that is the only way he can pay me. He has no money”( 27). Atticus states which families have it the hardest on them and the Cunninghams were one of those families. The Great Depression created a vast economical difference that led to people treating others

The book “To Kill A Mockingbird” was written by Harper lee. Throughout the book Lee uses a story to get a deeper meaning out to her audience and the world. During the where the story was set there were inequality issues and very prejudice opinions. Intertwined in the book she addresses the controversial topics like race and different forms of prejudice. There were several different forms of prejudice in this book.

The whole town is in a very bad time, from the Great Depression and a great racial tension. The town of Maycomb is a disaster that the kids don't have a clue of. Maycomb got hit hard by the Great Depression because lots of occupations there were farmers, and they got hit the hardest. They also have a great number of black people in their town, and they are prejudiced against them. They really don’t like them and they discriminate against them and are really racist.

The poet, Lascelles Abercrombie once said, “There is only one thing which can master the perplexed stuff of epic material into unity; and that is, an ability to see in particular human experience some significant symbolism of man 's general destiny.”. He talked about how powerful of a tool symbolism is and how it is the only thing that can truly define a highly complex ‘destiny’ or series of events. Symbolism is something that is found throughout Harper Lee’s book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee shows the reader that racism is a product of society,she portrays the matter through her symbolism of the mad dog, the birds and the bugs.

The “hain’t” of the Radley house will never get a chance to change his position in society; because of the gossip Maycomb spreads about him, he will always be seen as bad and will never be able to break out of that role. The fact that even the youngest members of the town of Maycomb commonly know the Radleys as villains shows that Maycomb has a way of confining people to a single story and keeping them on one level of importance. But the social standings of the town are not only based on genetics-they also depend on skin color. Black people in Maycomb are seen as unimportant. In the courtroom, Mr. Gilmer proves this to be true by confronting Tom Robinson, saying, “‘Had your eye on her a long time, hadn’t you, boy?’

What is a very apparent concept in the story is the inequality and prejudice that exist in the small town. In Maycomb, the wealth of an individual is a way that consistently divided the social status of the townspeople. For example, The Finchers and other middle class people have more prestige and social status over the lower class townspeople, such as the Cunninghams and the Ewells. The most common and discriminatory inequality in the town is that the race of an individual would unjustly determine their social status. For example, the blacks, despite having more amiable qualities than the Ewells, still remain at the bottom of the social hierarchy for the only reason being their race.

Mother Teresa, a cherished humanitarian who sacrificed her life for the poor once said, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples” (qtd. in World Quotes n. page.) To many the world is a dark and unforgiving place where hope and the possibility of social change has all but disappeared, however rays of light, like ripples, can provide wide reaching potential for equality as well as inspire others to stand up as well, forever changing the surface of the world. Rays of light can help brighten the darkness of the human condition and promote progress in a stagnant society. Rays of light bring joy and progress to the human condition.

Especially poorer whites feared that, following Claudia Johnson argumentation, the “breakdown of the class and, especially racial boundaries” (Threatening Boundaries 4) would deteriorate their standard of living, which is the case in Maycomb’s society as especially the family of the victim is considered “white trash” (Lee 33). 3.1.1 Social Coexistence in Maycomb Maycomb in To Kill a Mockingbird is segregate in its diverse class stratification and reflects the social, economic and political atmosphere in the United States at that time. The wealth belongs to a small white upper class, the rest is divided into different classes and increments, but poor whites feel they are in competition with blacks for a decent living and the whites-only advantage was their skin color. Generally, there is the idea that segregation results in discrimination, but Deborah Kenn argues that “indeed, discrimination is one of the most powerful enforces for segregation” (2). This discrimination starts with the low income of blacks, followed by housing prizes and segregated education.

From descriptions throughout the book, it is clear many families fail to provide for themselves, and have little to no food or resources. Some, like the Cunninghams, adapt new and innovative ways to pay off their debts and provide for themselves. But others, as Lee shows through the Ewell’s, resort to shoplifting and illegal forms of getting food on the table. The Great Depression also brought about a sense of hard work and perseverance to the people of Maycomb. “In Defense of a Loaded Word”: The main idea of this article is that there are many names that are inappropriate to use: an example would be calling your parents by their first name.

The novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, was written by american novelist, Harper Lee. This Pulitzer Prize-winning best seller was known as Harper Lee’s own literary success story making her book prosperous. The novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, portrays many different themes, symbols, and imagery throughout Lee’s writing. Constant themes throughout the entirety of the story is family, racism, and the Southern life in the 1930’s. One of many symbols that are represented in To Kill A Mockingbird are of course, Mockingbirds.

“To Kill a Mockingbird” written by Harper Lee is an award winning novel published in the 1960’s it explores the main theme of racial differences in the early 1930’s and the many struggles, acceptance challenges and problems that black people faced during this time period. Set in the country town of Maycomb County, Southern Alabama it follows the story of a family, a lawyer named Atticus Finch and his two children Scout and Jem. As the two children, Scout and Jem grow up their father teaches them life lessons which in that time and in their community were said to be different and unlike everyones else’s ideas which were therefore redeemed as un normal. Proceeding through the story it uncovers the harsh ways of growing up and being introduced

This again, shows us what the stereotype father does in Maycomb County. They went “hunting” or “played poker” while atticus “sat in the living-room and read”. This shows the theme of social prejudice because it shows how in Maycomb, all the fathers had to do those activities however, Atticus does not and is viewed negatively by

The theme of this novel is "Not everything is the way you predict it is". I believe this thematic statement suits the story because throughout the book there are lots of surprises, and most situations don't go the way people predict they will. For example, Aunt Alexandra was first seen as mean, according to her attitude towards Scout. At the end of the book Aunt Alexandra hands Scout her overalls, as mentioned in the story, "the garments she most despised." Because she always wanted Scout to be a lady and wear dresses.

Some characters in the book had a nice shelter and had a food supply, but others didn’t know when they would eat again. Also, many of the kids didn’t have a decent home and were not able to bathe often. Their parents didn’t have jobs except a few families. In Maycomb there was racial segregation, not as bad as other places, but blacks were not completely welcome in the south. Maycomb didn’t experience the Dust Bowl as bad as other places but not all the farms there were producing.

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is an exceptional book portraying prejudice in the 1930’s. This book shares about the life of a kid named Scout and her adventures in Maycomb County. Throughout the book we see prejudice in the eyes of a child and how it affects Scout’s life. In the book a black man is accused of raping a white woman and Scout’s dad, Atticus, is appointed to defend the black man. Scout soon learns the public perception on this trial.