In the last century, there have been many books that were released that impacted society, but no book can challenge the impact that Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird has made. At the time the book was released, the country was torn in half due to the Civil Rights Movement, and the book served as a reminder of what the country was fighting for. Through her timeless classic, Harper Lee was able to bring forward the need for social change during a time when racial issues were heightened. But the book did not come easily to Lee; she not only related it to the issues going on in the country at the time, but to her own childhood.
Born on April 28, 1926, in the small town of, Monroeville, Alabama, Nelle Harper Lee was the youngest of her four siblings. Just like the protagonist of her infamous novel, Lee was the daughter of a lawyer and witnessed her father defended many people. At the time of Harper Lee’s childhood, Jim Crow laws had maintained vitality in the south and sanctioned discrimination against the black people of America. But that didn’t stop Lee from befriending Truman Streckfus Persons and letting that friendship blossom into a lifelong bond. Dill, a character into Kill a Mockingbird, was allegedly based on Truman. Although Lee’s childhood seems to mirror to Kill a Mockingbird, the book is not an autobiography, but rather, she borrowed scenes and characters from her own childhood and brought them to life once again in her novel. The case in To Kill a Mockingbird mirrored not only her childhood but paralleled at least three cases that occurred in her small town of Monroeville.
Seven years before she was born a murder case defended by her father, accused two black men of the murder of a white store owner. But, sadly just like her novel both of the men’s lives ended tragically. The next case occurred in March 1931. A group of black and white men got into a fight on a train in Lee’s home state, Alabama. But, while the men were being arrested, two white prostitutes were afraid of being caught and in order to avoid being charged, they accused the black men of raping them. After being arrested they were tried and eight of the men received the death sentence. As time went by the case was now known as the Scottsboro Boys and were fuel to the civil rights movement. Sadly, the men never got the justice they deserved until 2013 when the supreme court exonerated them for their crimes. And lastly, the case of Naomi Lowery. She claimed that Walter Lett, a black man, had raped her. At the time of the case, Lee was an editor at The Monroe Journal and covered the trial. There was speculation that Lett would be lynched, and although there was protest from the town’s citizens, Lett was still sentenced to life in prison. While Lee may not specifically state there is no doubt that she was influenced by these cases. Thanks to her father, she was exposed to the harsh injustice that black America faces and was able to bring light to it.
Thankfully, at one of the lowest points in American history, To Kill a Mockingbird was released. At a time where lack of equality for all races existed meant that life in America as a black man resulted in unfair justice based on the color of your skin. Meaning that there was no understanding between the privileged white man and the “feared” black man. This meant in court if a black man were to be judged, it would not be by the peers of his city but by twelve white men who had grown up with the predisposition that the black man was unique and different- and not for the better.
As Lee was writing her novel, America was in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement. A movement that fought for the social justice during the 1950s and 1960s for African Americans to gain equal rights. Without a doubt, the Civil Rights Movement impacted Lee as she was writing To Kill a Mockingbird. As the book not only, mirrored major events that took place during her childhood, but also events that took place at the time of the book was being written. Events like the beating of Emmet Till and the arrest of Rosa Parks had an impact on the novel, but no other event impacted the novel like the Brown v Board Education Case. At the time Jim Crow Laws, laws that stated the blacks and whites would be separate but equal, were at their height and not only separated bathrooms and restaurants, but schools. This case was able to bring light to the fact that things were not “separate but equal” but unjust and unfair.
At a time where race divided a whole country, To Kill a Mockingbird stood as a friendly reminder that not all hope was lost. Due to her upbringing, Lee gave a voice to the underrepresented crowd. She evoked empathy and understanding for the injustice that black America was living. Not only did she go against the grain of White America she showed a sign of hope for America. Not only was it time to evoke change, but it was time to embrace one another and come together as a nation.
But bringing her book together was no easy feat. For Lee, it was a slow and painful process. At the time Lee was an airline reservationist, therefore Lee would only have time to write during her free time. Lee had only been writing humorous, heartwarming tales that she would only show her closest friends. Thankfully, one of her close friends recommended her to his agents and she was offered to write a novel. But, between her airline job and writing, Lee could not find the time to spare to write a novel. Fortunately, that same friend who recommended her recently had luck and found some spare cash which he gifted to Lee as “a chance to write a life-changing novel”. During her year off Lee was able to write two full manuscripts with the titles, “Go Set a Watchman” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Sadly, the two manuscripts had two different fates. One found its way to a safety deposit box in Monroeville, Alabama, where it sat all but forgotten for over half a century before being published in 2015 and the other was published two years later and shot to fame and eventually became one of the most successful books in the history of America. While it wasn’t an easy journey, Lee was able to persevere and publish one of the greatest books in the history of publishing, but the book not only changed the world of publishing, but it also impacted the people of America in a way Lee could have never predicted.
After the release of To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee’s personal spin on the racial issues in the South placed a relatable story into the hands of every American student. Lee’s depiction of the South and her depiction of Southern women is what shot the novel to fame and made it unique. The way she was able to portray women of the south in a different light as independent is what really set Lee apart from other southern women writers. But why is the book so widely popular today? Because Lee was able to write such an elemental book at a time when racial issues were at their height dared people to speak about a problem that was visible in everyone’s realities. The book gave White America an obligation to see black people and oppress them. Even today, almost fifty years later the book can be related to due to the continuing injustice served to Black America. The book can give insight to those who don’t understand why black people are afraid of the criminal justice system due to the lack of justice. By Lee bringing up the issue she was able to give America the warning, to turn away from their hateful ways and learn to coincide with one another, regardless of the color of your skin. Which is why to Kill a Mockingbird will always remain applicable to the injustice that some Americans endure.
It is evident that To Kill a Mockingbird is a true classic, as it is still and always will be relevant; as she brought forward an issue people were afraid to acknowledge. Everything that has happened in Harper Lee’s life – from the Scottsboro Trials to her friendship with Truman Capote has affected To Kill a Mockingbird. These aspects of her life have manifested themselves either as her unique flair or as events in the book. Few other books rival Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird as a cornerstone in American literature.