Historical Background to the novel

            The novel was set at a time when racial prejudice was dominant in the southern states. Harper Lee’s home state: Alabama was not immune to the racial challenges that existed in these segregated southern states. Blacks were forced to live in the segregated society. These blacks were also forced to use separate facilities from the whites. But the Civil Rights Movement became a reality when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. Parks’ bold rebelliousness led to Martin Luther King’s rise to become the leader of the Civil Rights’ Movement. The central idea in the novel then would be the injustice that comes with inequality and racism in the southern states of America.

            The novel is set in the 1930s and is based on the experiences of Lee as a child. The main character, Scout represents Lee and Dill is perhaps her childhood friend and neighbor, Truman Capote. These events in the novel depicts the historical background of the events that reflect the struggles of the blacks and their rights. To Kill a Mockingbird also seeks to analyze the theme of race relations as Scout matures throughout the novel. These novels that depict the coming-of-age plot are part of the Bildungsroman genre that shows the main characters taking significant steps towards their personal growth. The personal growth is based on the lessons that the child learns or the trauma that the child experiences. Scout strives towards understanding the social problems in her society and the social and racial inequality that exists. In addition, she struggles with the expectations of becoming a “proper Southern lady” because she is the definition of a tomboy. Clearly, Scout must face these challenges as she matures, and the readers find that such challenges shape the way that Scout matures. But Scout resists the efforts to change her behavior because she is comfortable with her tomboy nature.

In the 1930s, there were challenges with gender inequality and Scout defies the common acceptable behaviour that was present at the time that the novel was set. Women were not given equal rights because of the gender inequality. They were expected to be dainty and delicate. But Scout was not enthused with such expectations. Instead, she was more inclined towards adventures and punching the boys in her class. It was difficult for Scout to fit in with the expectations of the society as she was headstrong and believed that her choices were justified. Similarly, Miss Maudie is one of Scout’s role models as Miss Maudie also defies some of the expectations of the society even though she holds to her individuality as a woman of the South. Despite Scout’s defiance of the expectations of the society and of becoming a southern lady, she eventually accepts her role while maintaining her individuality. Lee also alludes to the fact that women in the South were not allowed to serve as a part of the juries as in the case of the court events.

The characters in the novel must examine the society in which they live. This allows them to understand the truth that surrounds the cowardice, bravery and humanity that come to Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. The racial and social divide serve as the framework for the treatment of those who do not fit the mold of the society and it is within this framework that the readers truly understand the challenges that occurred in the south in the 1930s.