To kill a Mockingbird

p TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

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To Kill A Mockingbird was written in the 1950s by Harper Lee . It 's central theme revolves around the issues of prejudice and discrimination . The novel is powerful and well read and in a research pool of 5000 people were asked to list the top three books that made a difference , To Kill A Mockingbird was second only to the Bible . The allure of the novel is the way the story is told . The story gradually

unravels through the eyes of one of the youngest characters in the novel , Jean Louise Finch or Scout . She is a nine year old tomboy growing up in 1930s Alabama . These messages and lessons about racism are interspersed in between childhood endeavors and personal conflicts This offers a very soft handed approach to the subject of racism which was an imminent political and social problem during the 1950s . Scout 's father , Atticus is a lawyer and a good man . He believes in education equality , and his actions support his beliefs . However , the Finch family lives in a relatively poor and low education area in Alabama where prejudice is almost ingrained in their community 's social structure

The majority of the story is told in a flashback which means a very grown up and successful Jean Louise is recounting her childhood years with intelligent wit . This is an interesting literary device employed by Harper Lee . While the story appears to be from a juvenile perspective it is often injected with wisdom far beyond the years of the nine year old story teller

The first part of the novel is a very lighthearted and sentimental look at growing up in the south in the 1930s . Of course growing up in southern Alabama during this time was not all smiles . One of the most important elements of fiction is the setting . This is certainly true in To Kill A Mockingbird . Harper Lee breathes life into the setting and it becomes a living companion to all the action in the novel . The plot is set in Alabama during the 30s . The 1930 's was a plague of poverty massive unemployment , and the Great Depression

Franklin Roosevelt had just become president and the nation looked to him to restore America 's potential . People are starving , and hard working men are losing their land . White collar workers offer services in exchange for produce . It is important to make clear that this novel takes place in southern Alabama . Northern Alabama is growing at this time , full of industry and education at the state college . Southern Alabama had not been so lucky . The region is full disappointment still over losing the Civil War , the antebellum movement , and the decreasing market for cotton growers . All these things led to racism and suspicions of outsiders

The second part of To Kill A Mockingbird is strikingly different from the first . It makes good use of the setting and tells the story of Tom...