How influential is the setting of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ to the novel’s plot characters and themes?
‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is set in Maycomb, Alabama in the Southern states of America in the 1930s. The community of Maycomb is close knit, everybody knows everything about everybody else and most people have the same beliefs and values. A common belief in Maycomb is that the black community are not equal to the white. Racism was common in the Southern states at this time. It came about because Negroes who had been working as slaves carried on living in America after slavery was abolished. White people still regarded the black people as servants and resented their freedom. The Wall Street crash of 1929 sent the country in to an economic depression. The effects of the Depression are clear in the novel, there are many examples of poverty. The ideas of the stereotypical male and female were around at this time. Several characters in the book refusing to conform to the stereotype are put under pressure by members of the community to do so.
Racism is an important theme in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. Even those who are not racist accept racism as part of everyday life. ‘Everybody says Nigger.’ This shows that scout has heard the word used at school and assumed that because other people use it, it is not wrong. This demonstrates how racism can be spread across generations. People with racist ideas might not realise that their beliefs are offensive because it is what they have been brought up with. The most obvious example of racism in the book is the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white girl. After hearing the evidence from both sides it is quite obvious that Tom Robinson is not guilty of the rape. The jury however find him guilty. The people of Maycomb are not prepared to consider the evidence fairly to come to their own conclusions. The minds of the jury are made up before they even enter the courtroom. The trial is a waste of time because everybody knows the verdict before it is announced. The racism of Maycomb’s white community blocks their judgement. The way Atticus’s friends and family react to him defending Tom Robinson reveals the racist members of the community. ‘He’s ruinin’ the family.’ This quotation from Alexandra, Atticus’s sister shows that she is ashamed to have black people linked with her family. ‘I guess it ain’t your fault your Uncle Atticus is a nigger lover.’ Alexandra does not hide her feelings about Atticus from her son. She is passing on her racism to Francis. The way she explains the situation to her son suggests that she believes Atticus has changed from being ‘Uncle Atticus’ to being a ‘nigger lover’. Later on in the book Aunt Alexandra comes to live with the Finches in Maycomb because she thinks they need a feminine influence. Alexandra suggests to Atticus that he doesn’t need Calpurnia, his black cook and should get rid of her. Alexandria isn’t racist in her explanation of why she thinks Calpurnia should leave but I think she senses that Jem and Scout are attached to her and she doesn’t want them to grow up accepting black people as equal. Looking at the relationship between Atticus and Alexandra it is not clear whether or not they were brought up by racist parents. Another racist character of Maycomb is Nathan Radley, when he suspected there had been intruders in his garden his racism appeared. ‘I’ll shoot them whether it’s a dog or a nigger.’ This shows that he sees Negroes on the same level as dogs. He immediately suspects that it is a black person who invaded his garden. Mrs Dubose, an old lady who shouts her opinions about Atticus defending Tom Robinson at Jem and Scout as they walk past her house, is also racist. She has a black servant called Jesse who nurses Mrs Dubose as she becomes ill, they seem to get on very well. This shows how illogical her racism is. She can’t justify why she detests black people so much. A more unexpected example of racism comes when Atticus is sitting outside Maycomb jail to protect Tom Robinson who is inside. A lynch mob arrives with the intention of shooting Tom Robinson. The members of the lynch mob are friends and neighbours of Atticus and are surprised and embarrassed to find him outside the jail. They become even more embarrassed when Scout arrives to see Atticus and not understanding the situation and makes conversation with members of the mob that she recognises as if she had met them in the street. ‘ Tell Walter I said “Hey” won’t you Mr Cunningham.’ The situation demonstrates how racism can change people unexpectedly. There are several examples of segregation in the novel. Only white children attend Jem and Scout’s school, there is a separate one for black children. Jem and Scout go with Calpurnia to her church, which is for black people and receive some disapproving comments from several members of the congregation. In the courtroom, white people sit on the lower level and black people sit above in the upper level. Racism is described in the book as ‘Maycomb’s usual disease’ Perhaps it is described as a disease because it spreads and people can’t help catching it.
