To Kill A Mockingbird Background Information and Historical

To Kill A Mockingbird Background Information and Historical Contexts

Harper Lee onset with the child actor cast to play Scout in the film adaptation. Born April 28, 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama. Her father, A. C. Lee, practiced law. He once defended two black men accused of murdering a white storekeeper. Both of the defendants were found guilty and hanged. Growing up, there was an unusual man in her neighborhood who would hide objects in a nearby tree for Lee and her childhood friends to discover. (“To Kill A Mockingbird”)

“As a child, Harper Lee was an unruly tomboy. She fought on the playground. She talked back to teachers. She was bored with school and resisted any sort of conformity. The character of Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird would have liked her” (“To Kill A Mockingbird”). “To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960 to highly favorable reviews and quickly climbed the bestseller lists, where it remained for 88 weeks. In 1961, the novel won the Pulitzer Prize” (“To Kill A Mockingbird”). The caricature of Harper Lee above highlights her tomboyish nature while simultaneously graphically depicting some of the major symbols/themes within her novel.

The character of Dill, the goofy neighbor kid from To Kill A Mockingbird , is based upon Lee’s childhood friend and fellow author Truman Capote is mostly known for his amazing non-fiction work In Cold Blood , describing a ghastly 1959 murder in Kansas. Lee is credited for performing “secretarial work” on Capote’s project. In 2005, Truman Capote’s experience of writing In Cold Blood was turned into a major motion picture starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman (a role that earned him an Leading Actor Oscar). (“To Kill A Mockingbird”)

“Though fans of the book waited for a second novel, it never came. According to biographer Charles J. Shields, Lee was unprepared for the amount of personal attention associated with writing a bestseller. Ever since, she has led a quiet and guardedly private life” (“To Kill A Mockingbird”). "Writing is a process of self-discipline you must learn before you can call yourself a writer. There are people who write, but I think they're quite different from people who must write. " —Harper Lee from a 1964 interview

To Kill a Mockingbird – Southern Gothic Literature With its “haunted” ramshackle Radley place and the mysterious spectre “Boo”, with mixed elements of warring fire and ice, sunshine and shade, Harper Lee’s novel definitely has its place in the Southern Gothic subgenre of American literature. Using supernatural and macabre elements and features, the tale encompasses a sharp social critique of antebellum Southern prejudice.

In 1962, a highly successful film adaptation was created of Lee’s novel. The movie starred Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, a role for which he earned a Lead Actor Oscar. The film also won the Oscar that year for Best Adapted Screenplay. The American Film Institute placed the adaptation in the 25 th spot on their list of greatest American movies. The organization additionally named Atticus Finch as the greatest American hero in film during the 20 th century. (“To Kill A Mockingbird”)

Historical Contexts – The Great Depression Several important historical contexts deeply shape the backdrop of this small-town tale, including the economic hardship and deep-rooted racism in the South of the United States during the 1930’s. The Great Depression took a heavy toll on the Southern States. Signaled by the Stock Market Crash of 1929, worsened by the Dust Bowl phenomenon, the Depression weighed heavily on America during the 30’s. Contemporary photographers such as Dorothea Lange captured many stark images of migrants trying to survive in this new, harsh American landscape. (“To Kill A Mockingbird”) In Lange’s image above, Migrant Mother (1936), the woman’s sense of anxiety and weariness is almost palpable.

These images of dustbowl migrants are equally haunting – each face seems to hold some similar sense of rugged apprehension.

Other contemporary photos demonstrate the extreme forces of nature that Americans in the South had to contend with in order to survive. Images of the “black blizzards” still continue to startle modern viewers.

The Dust Bowl ravaged much of the farming land of the South, leaving many families adrift in a sea of refugees. Poverty seemed to spread like wildfire.

Sudden and unpredictable, these dust storms plagued the middle lands of the southern portion of our nation. These sand clouds left mostly wreckage behind – destroyed agrarian landscapes and wrecked human lives.

Historical Contexts – The Jim Crow Laws Another important piece of information to consider when reading To Kill A Mockingbird is the myth of “separate but equal” imposed upon the South under the Jim Crow Laws. From 1876 to 1965, the Jim Crow laws maintained the illusion of separate spheres of existence for blacks and whites. This notion of segregation extended to public schools, modes of transportation, and such simple public facilities as restrooms and restaurants. (“To Kill A Mockingbird”)

Historical Contexts – The Tulsa Race Riot In 1921, a once-thriving African American community in Tulsa, Oklahoma known as “Black Wall Street” was completely decimated in the worst race riot in United States history. Through the orchestrated use of machine guns, airplanes, and flamebombs, the white citizens murdered, robbed, and detained African American citizens. Despite a cover-up culture of silence and misinformation, official reports estimate the official victim death toll in the three hundreds and eyewitness reports suggest the existence of at least one unaccounted mass grave. Spurred by a reported assault of a white woman by a black man, the racial tension in Tulsa ignited into a terrible contagion fed by the fuel of economic envy (Parrish).

Historical Contexts – The Scottsboro Boys From 1931 - 1937, the Scottsboro Boys trial captivated and agitated the nation. These trials examined the accused rape of two white women (Victoria Price and Ruby Bates) by nine teenage African Americans ( Haywood Patterson, Roy Wright, Clarence Norris, Andy Wright, Willie Roberson, Charles Weems, Ozzie Powell, Olen Montgomery, and Eugene Williams). Though the white accusers had weak evidence and fluid testimonies, the defendants were continually in danger of being lynched by angry onlookers, repeatedly found guilty, and sentenced to death by all-white juries. Due to appeals and the international attention the case garnered, all men were eventually pardoned (the last man released after 20 years of wrongful imprisonment). (Lindner)

The image on the left is a startling political cartoon depicting the bloodthirsty attitudes of the contemporary courts. The image on the right shows an angry mob waiting for the verdict in a racially-charged trial, and perhaps for their chance to administer their own version of justice.

Historical Contexts – The Civil Rights Movement in the late 1950’s and 1960’s Lee wrote her novel during the mid to late 1950’s, heavily influenced by the political civil landmarks of the times such as the nonviolent boycotts, passive resistance, and Martin Luther King’s rise to national influence. Both the novel and subsequent film emerged in the 1960’s, bolstered by the rising tide of the Civil Rights Movement. (“To Kill A Mockingbird”)

To Kill A Mockingbird 50 th Anniversary The simple, understated cover for the first edition fits the novel well. It is a subtle but lasting tale rich with symbolism that every Southerner should read. With a wealth of complex archetypes, this story can teach you how to be heroically human. “It may be turning 50, but To Kill a Mockingbird has been called a timeless classic - and for a generation of readers, their favorite book” (“To Kill A Mockingbird Turns 50”). “And To Kill a Mockingbird is required reading in schools across the country. . . a book, teachers say, students actually like to read!” (“To Kill A Mockingbird Turns 50”). “But perhaps Harper Lee's greatest triumph is her searing portrayal of the ugliness of racism and injustice. James Mc. Bride, author of The Color of Water, says that was a courageous act. ‘What other writer during that time was willing to take on this subject with the kind of honesty and integrity that she did? What other white writer? ’ he asked” (“To Kill A Mockingbird Turns 50”).

Major Resources Lindner, Douglas. "The Trials of The Scottsboro Boys. " Famous American Trials. 1999. University of Missouri/Kansas City School of Law, Web. 21 Sep 2009. <http: //www. law. umkc. edu>. Parrish, Mary E. Jones. Events of the Tulsa disaster. Lisboa: s. n. , 1922. Print. "To Kill A Mockingbird. " The Big Read. National Endowment for the Arts, Web. 21 Sep 2009. <http: //www. neabigread. org>. "To Kill A Mockingbird turns 50. "CBS News 11 July 2010: n. pag. Web. 22 2010. <http: //www. cbsnews. com>. Sep