To Kill a Mockingbird Great Depression

Influences of Society

Growing up during a time of racial tension and injustices of society is difficult and can leave a profound impact on ones’ life. Harper Lee’s experience during this time period influenced her to write To Kill a Mockingbird. This novel tells a story about a family living during the Great Depression who had different views and morals from the rest of the prejudice families in Alabama. Harper Lee uses these characters, including the main character Scout, in the novel to portray what her and her family went through during this time. Harper Lee’s life influenced her novel, the creation of the character Scout, and my perspective of injustices in society.

Harper Lee grew up in a small southern town of Monroeville, Alabama. She lived in a society with lots of racial tension and was immensely affected by it. Many events during her childhood took place, such as the Scottsboro Trial of 1931, that greatly influenced her to write the book To Kill a Mockingbird. In the book, Atticus, Scout’s father, was the defense attorney for Tom Robinson who was an innocent black man accused of rape, which was inspired by the Scottsboro Trial of 1931. Her life experiences heavily influenced her writings and the character Scout.

Scout Finch was a tomboy who, in the beginning of the novel, had trouble seeing things from others’ perspectives and would often get in fights with her classmates. Because she was so young, she never really understood the injustices and racial issues going on in her hometown of

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Maycomb, Alabama. However, the trial of Tom Robinson opened up her eyes to how unjust and cruel the world can be. Scout began to see things from others’ perspectives and displayed sympathy for those around her. Witnessing this trail, taught her a valuable life lesson and raised her awareness of the injustices of society.

“You never really un. The significance of this quote is to never be too quick to judge others and to consider seeing things from their perspective. When I first saw the book, I did not want to read it thinking it was going to be some boring story about killing mockingbirds. However, I was wrong, because it was about how growing up in a society with racial issues and injustices during the Great Depression can greatly impact the person one can become. This book inspired me because not only did it open up my eyes to all the injustices of society, but it also showed me the importance of seeing things from others’s perspectives. Even though I thought this book was going to be boring, it actually was one of the most influential books I have read.

To Kill a Mockingbird demonstrates how society can influence or shape a person. It provides a different perspective on race relations and the injustices of the world. Harper Lee’s purpose of writing this novel was to portray the difficulties she endured during her life through the main character Scout. Her life not only influenced the novel, but also the characters, and my view towards racial issues.

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