Introduction
American author Harper Lee is best known for her immensely praised book “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which has received a lot of positive reviews. On April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama, where she spent the majority of her childhood, she was given the name Nelle Harper Lee. Lee was the youngest of four children and was raised in a small, segregated Southern town (Johnson, 2018). The novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” was significantly affected by Lee’s experiences growing up in the racially segregated South. The 1960 book chronicles the 1930s lives of a little girl named Scout and her brother Jem in a small Southern community (Johnson, 2018). Harper Lee’s life experiences growing up in a racially divided Southern town are reflected in her novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” through the characters, themes, and setting, making it a poignant and powerful exploration of racism and social inequality in America.
Discussion
The Jim Crow South serves as the setting for the book, which addresses topics of racism, socioeconomic inequity, and the passing of youth. The character of Scout, who is a reflection of Lee herself, is one way that Lee’s life is portrayed in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Lee, like Scout, was a tomboy who preferred playing with guys than playing with girls (Johnson, 2018). Lee also grew up in a small Southern town. Lee’s own experiences of growing up in a racially segregated culture are reflected in Scout’s perceptions of the racial injustice and inequity in her town in the book.
Lee’s father, Amasa Coleman Lee, was also a significant influence on her writing. He was a lawyer and had defended African American clients, including two black men accused of murdering a white storekeeper. These cases had a profound impact on Lee, who was deeply disturbed by the racism and prejudice she witnessed in the courtroom (Sari et al., 2018). In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Lee’s father is the inspiration for the character of Atticus Finch, a lawyer who defends an African American man falsely accused of rape. The character of Boo Radley in “To Kill a Mockingbird” is also thought to be based on a real person in Lee’s life. Truman Capote, a childhood friend of Lee’s, was the inspiration for the character of Dill in the novel. Capote and Lee grew up together in Monroeville, and Lee helped Capote research his book “In Cold Blood”.
Conclusion
To sum up, Harper Lee was a gifted writer who drew from her own life experiences to create the timeless book “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The characters, topics, and setting of the book are all heavily impacted by the author’s childhood experiences growing up in a segregated Southern town. One of the greatest pieces of American literature, the book has grown to become a treasured classic. In addition to depicting the racism and unfairness of the South, “To Kill a Mockingbird” also conveys a message of progress and hope. Generations of readers have been motivated to defend what is right by Lee’s example of moral courage and integrity through the figure of Atticus Finch. The novel is praised for its vivid and distinct characters, richly detailed environment, and evocative language in addition to its universal themes. Notwithstanding the success and praise that “To Kill a Mockingbird” has earned, Harper Lee has always been a shy and reclusive person.
References
Johnson, C. D. (2018). Reading Harper Lee: Understanding To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman. ABC-CLIO.
Sari, A. N., Hafsah, S., & Wahyuni, W. (2019). The Portrait of Political Discrimination Against Black People in America in 1960s as Reflected in the Novel Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee. Prologue: Journal on Language and Literature, 5(1), 44-64.