Critical Essay on "To kill a Mocking Bird".

Authors Avatar

Critical Essay on “To kill a Mocking Bird”

By Gordon Walker

In the novel “To kill a mocking bird” by Harper Lee, the author has done a wonderful job of emphasising the ever present them of prejudice, using symbolism, and setting to grip the reader’s interest. The novel is set in the time of the great American depression in the nineteen thirties, in a “tired little town” called Maycomb, situated in the American Deep South. In this time period (just after the American civil war) a great deal of prejudice exists. This prejudice exists in many forms including the white communities reluctance to adhere to the equal opportunities policy laid down by the “Yankee” government. Fuelled by their feeling of superiority over those of African-American descent. Prejudice also festers in the form of persecution against anyone against the norm, with this being apparent in the town’s view of “Boo Radley”, and his consequent label of “freak”, given in ignorance by his fellow town members. Maycomb is a very deprived town, badly crippled by the poor economical goings on of the financial market, and damaged by its hierarchical social structure, and sheer ignorance of those in the minority.

The setting itself provides a great deal of fuel to the furnace of prejudice that is a core theme of the novel. With the book being set in this time of heated anger where the rich are poor, and the poor even poorer, and where the gaps in society (both social and economic) are wider than ever before. This in turn with the deeply anti-Yankee policy adopted by the state of Alabama, contributes greatly to the prejudice theme. With the stage being set in such a dramatic way it is the perfect setting for such a hated emotion as prejudice to thrive. The issue of racial prejudice is a core theme in this book and is identified early on in the book, setting is used to great effect, because of the town’s people’s reluctance to accept the “niggers” as equals. Without the setting the racial tension the theme would not be nearly as heated as it is in the novel. This small “tired-old town” creates a hierarchical social status where anyone against the majority suffers.

Join now!

A great amount of prejudice is seen in the form of Mrs Duboose, she is a woman deeply tormented by cancer, and an uncontrollable morphine addiction. The courage that the woman shows throughout her painful experience (heightened by her decision to give up the morphine), shows a great deal of courage living with the pain as she has. With the society being the way it is, her spells of coldness, and sharp tongued anger, fuelled a prejudice unjustified for her immense bravery. The incident when she is sharp tongued to the children shows the amount of pain she is dealing ...

This is a preview of the whole essay