To kill a Mocking Bird
Harper Lee wrote the novel To kill a Mocking Bird during the beginning of the Civil Rights campaign, and around the time of the bus boycott. Alabama was at the centre of racial tension. In the early 1960’s, Ku Klux Klan outrages were reported in Montgomery and Meridian, Mississippi Dills home town. Therefore Harper Lee when she was writing the book To kill a Mocking Bird she most of been influenced by some racial issues. However Harper Lee writes about a time when the Civil rights campaign had barely started rather than the strong movement tin the 1960’s. Harper Lee sets the story in the town Maycomb. Maycomb, as created by Harper Lee, is a tired old town where little happens, despite this the idea of dangerous prejudices and tensions are always there. In the town many of the people are strict Baptists or Methodists. Most of the characters think they are good according to their own standards, but the standards at which they set them self are narrow. In the town gossip is common and so is prejudice. Not only the blacks are subjected to racial prejudice but anyone how fails to conform for example Dolphus Raymond, we know he isn’t prejudice as he says “Hell white people give coloured folks”. A big factor in the town is the fact that things change very slowly for example what was important in 1861 is still important is still important in 1933. The Black community in Maycomb lives with the rules that they are allowed. They appear to be very happy with their way of life even though they are meant to be lower than white people. Despite this they are respectful, tolerant and welcoming of white people. The narrative style in which the book is written is very important as Scouts awareness of events guides us through the story with an innocent child’s view on life.
There are many similarities and differences in the way that black characters are portrayed in the book and film version of To Kill a Mockingbird. This is because of the way that the book has been adapted. Some bits of the book that could be seen as influential in how people perceive the black characters have been omitted completely from the film.
A part that was omitted from the film is the part of Dolphus Raymond. Dolphus Raymond in the book offers the children a drink, but they have been told that all he drinks is alcohol but he reveals that he is actually drinking coke and that he isn’t continuously drunk all day. He tells them that he pretends to be drunk because the people in the town wouldn’t accept him if there wasn’t a reason for him marrying a black we know this because he says “Raymonds in the clutches of whisky….He can’t help himself that’s why he lives the way he does”, also we know that he is pretending to be an alcoholic so people accept him as he said “It aint honest but its mighty helpful for folks”. I think that it shouldn’t have been omitted from the film as it is a quite important part in the portrayal of black characters. Dolphus Raymond is important to the story To Kill a Mockingbird as he shows that there are people around that are open minded and are willing to change there ways, and therefore will accept black people. Also and like Atticus, Dolphus Raymond represents the tolerant southerner and is the only representative in the story that shows truly that white people can live with black people in harmony. The whole encounter the children have with Dolphus Raymond is important to the portrayal of black characters in the book as it shows that people won’t accept it if a white marries a black, and that they think if a white person marries a black person there must obviously be something wrong with them. Without this encounter with Dolphus Raymond in the film it will appear that the black characters are completely separated from white people and that there isn’t anything to suggest that it might change. A reason that the part of Dolphus Raymond might have been omitted is because of the racial issue that he is married to a black lady also the fact he is a pretend drunkard.
