Good Racism And Is Prevalence In Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” Research Paper Example

Perhaps one of the most profoundly written novels in modern American history, is the literary acclaimed work of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Set in the context of a highly racialized and segregated Deep South, the work is based upon the recollections of Lee during the 1930s of her childhood. One scholarly journal pertaining to the improvement and encouragement of young readers, observes that children and youth enjoy reading about the lives and real-world experiences of authors and other famous figures. In it Barbara Ward and Terrell Young advocate that adolescent readers read Harper Lee’s biography – in a sort of, author-behind-the-scenes fashion, to offer valuable insight into the best-selling writer’s world. Lee’s biography is valuable, state Ward and Young in the journal, because it gives youth a chance to gaze “into the writer as a girl growing up in Monroeville, Alabama, from where she drew literary inspiration,” including her personal “friendship with Truman Capote,” amid struggles to succeed as a writer (291). Oddly enough, Harper Lee never wrote anything else after Mockingbird.
Why has this novel stood the test of time as such as compelling pictorial of racism, in particularly, the Deep South? “To Kill a Mockingbird” has risen to such enduring importance that the novel is required reading across many educational institutions, and demonstrated at many levels: middle school, high schools, and most certainly university literature course materials. One thing that has perhaps puzzled many students is the title of the novel. Why name it, “To Kill a Mockingbird?” Literary devices are often used in relating coded messages of import to readers, as well as to depict moods and qualities the author wishes to convey, such as irony. What then, are some of the accompanying characteristics of the little mockingbirds in nature? One scholar points out that mockingbirds’ vocal apparatus is exceedingly variable in quality. In other words, they have a wide range of evoking different sounds and melodies from a wide gamut, that can elicit (or mimic) deep emotional responses of human. According to the expert Benjamin Taylor, mockingbirds in nature – as other birds – can create musical sounds that sometimes are considered “peculiar,” and can deliver high or low tones (156). The most amazing aspect of the mockingbird in nature, is its ability of being a ventriloquist of sorts – exactly imitating other animal cries, and extremely good at deceiving. You can see where the analysis is going, before delving into the specifics of the novel.
So, perhaps Harper Lee’s idea in the title was to indeed ‘kill’ a mockingbird that juxtaposes to represent the contrast between the two societies within America – one white, one black – and neither of them being equal to the other. In a way it must have been somewhat traumatizing for Lee as a little girl to witness much of the goings on in the South at that time. For example, it is common knowledge that bloody lynching of black people were routine occurrences, leaving bodies to rot on trees. Undoubtedly, young Harper Lee witnessed firsthand some of the talk surrounding the violence and hatred, perhaps catching an insalubrious glance of gleeful white adults surveying a trophy – maybe a torn ear, kept proudly yet secreted in a box. In any case, the story involves the famous protagonist and lawyer, Atticus Finch, later portrayed by the statuesque and handsome Gregory Peck in the movie.
Tensions were high in the Depression years of the mid-1930s. When resources clench down on folks, the child figure in the story, Scout, is part of a trio of siblings she enjoys, and they make friend with Dill – a summertime companion. Scout’s father is the widowed Atticus Finch. Lee writes beautifully about the place where they lived in Alabama, and describes it such that Maycomb, “a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square” (5). If you know anything about the Deep South in the United States, like Mississippi or Alabama, the dirt and natural clay of the ground is a vivid reddish-brown. Much more red than brown, the soil is loose and very fertile, yet draws pests like vicious red ants to nest therein. When it rains, this ground becomes the most gooey, sticky mess you ever saw – which perhaps explains Lee’s characterization of as ‘slop.’ Also the double entendre in her literary device, refers to a hog’s pen or pig’s food, which is often referred to as slop. The controversy or dramatic impact of the story revolves around the factor when a black man is accused of raping a white female. The keen scholarship of Ephraim Hardcastle summarized the racism that develops a rubric for exposure, explaining the “the white liberal lawyer Atticus Finch” is set to defend the black guy and “alleged rapist,” and that the celebrated novel by Harper Lee is widely “featured on school syllabuses” (19). As the story develops the kids in the story, Scout’s peers begin to strongly and vocally disapprove of her family’s ties to helping defend the black man in court proceedings.
Taunted by the ugly phrase of ‘nigger-lover’ the children become distressed and confused and don’t really understand why they are being verbally, and emotionally assaulted. Obviously, since their mother is dead they turn to their father for answers. In the book, Lee writes about the scene in which Atticus Finch responds to his children’s inquiries of why the name-calling was persisting and what it meant. The book quotes how the father explains the situation by saying, “Nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don’t mean anything—like snot-nose. It’s hard to explain—ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody’s favoring Negroes over and above themselves. Its’ slipped into usage with some people like ourselves, when they want a common ugly term, to label somebody” (111). Harper Lee’s literary skill utilizes such realism, compassion, and sensitivity that it is easy to see why “To Kill a Mockingbird” has such telling aspects about race and social issues, in their historical context. The personal qualities of Atticus Finch amid a very difficult economic time, also entrenched in having to deal with the pressure from members of his own white community is portrayed with courage.
In the humble opinion of this observer, Harper Lee had to show a great amount of bravery in writing the novel to begin with. As a white woman in the South, living in those early days just a few years before the Civil Rights movement in small village of the Deep, Deep South must have been an extraordinary experience for her personally. Obviously, as a literary craftsperson the writer as artist needs to draw on the realism – including hurts, and disgracefulness in human beings’ inhumanity towards each other. But, Harper Lee dealt head on with a subject matter that is a sorely sensitive spot for Americans to discuss, even to this day. The fact also remains, the 1930s era is still resting upon the cusp of living memory. In other words, the times and circumstances historically depicted are not reflective of ancient history. In all probability there are still those kinds of towns, small ones, in the Deep American South, which have white citizens who harbor violently hateful feelings and resentments towards black people, or any other kind of brown or Asian-looking kind of persons.
The book is a triumph because it speaks so honestly about the situation in a format that is much easier to digest. What is that format? Story, of course, forms the profoundly oldest human form of conveying wisdom and entertainment. The story form has stayed with humankind throughout the ages and will continue to do so. Even with the onslaught of the massive digital media of movies, and video-film stories, people will always appreciate curling up with a good book to read, like Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” There are some things that the silver screen just simply cannot capture. And while it may be true that great books can often produce good films, they most certainly cannot take the place of literary enjoyment. In other words, there is no substitute. One other extraordinary reality that has occurred from time to time, is the banning or censorship of books. It may be hard to believe, but even in this day and age the banning of reading material – such as Pulitzer Prize winning-level novels – goes on in the United States.
It almost seems ironic and ridiculous that anything and everything is uncensored on television, no matter how vile and disgusting or stupid it is. Yet, “To Kill a Mockingbird” was in fact banned according to the scholarly sources from Marshall University Libraries. Harper Lee’s novel was banned in several recent years. They report that it was censored in 2012, and challenged for “offensive language and racism,” and just two years prior in 2010 on the grounds of “because a parent objected to language used in the novel” (“Banned Book Week, To Kill a Mockingbird”). Maybe there are several reasons in the minds of those who object to Lee’s book, why the novel was banned. Perhaps the parents or those who rose against its being read, had never read it themselves or were frightened by the subject matter. Also, it could be that parents are trying to protect their children from being upset by unpleasantness that occurs in the world. However, it does seem a bit strange that people are exposed to all kinds of inglorious and vile situations on television and the Internet, and yet are unwilling to face the genius of a literary artist simply because it makes them feel uncomfortable.
Yet, Harper Lee also captures the warmness of family and lazy summer walks in her novel, managing to incorporate much of life’s beauty as well. One such moment occurs showing the relationship Scout has with her brother, Lee writes “I wondered what he was thinking. He’d tell me when he wanted to, probably when we got home” (263). Harper Lee was a genius.

Works Cited

“Banned Book Week – To Kill a Mockingbird.” Marshall.edu. Marshall University Libraries,
Ephraim, Hardcastle. “HARPER Lee's celebrated 1960 novel [].”Daily Mail 11 Aug. 2009: 19. Regional Business News Plus. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1960. Print.
Taylor, Benjamin F. “Vocal Apparatus of Birds; the Mocking Bird; Ventriloquism; the Voice
As Indicative of Feeling or Emotion; Various Illustrations; Laughing; Whispering;
Sighing;” Attractions of language, or a popular view of natural language, in all its varied displays, in the animate and the inanimate world; and as corresponding with instinct, intelligence and reason; a physiological description of the organs of voice; an account of the origin of artificial, spoken language; and a brief analysis of alphabetical sounds. 155-172. Hamilton, NY, US: J & D Atwood, 1842. PsycBOOKS. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.
Ward, Barbara A., and Terrell A. Young. “Biography for Children Has Never Been Better.”
Reading Horizons 48.4 (2008): 283-294. Education Source. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.