Settings in to Kill a Mockingbird - 757 Words

‘Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself’. This statement made by Scout at the beginning of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird shows that Maycomb is a town in which the fear of change is rife. Lee’s choice of Maycomb as a setting, developed through narrative point of view and characterisation was vital to the text as it helped to develop the theme of prejudice and the consequences which result from the fixed attitudes of an insular town. One of the ways in which Lee presents Maycomb is through the fluctuating narrative point of view between he mature adult Scout and the naà ¯ve child narrator. The narration of Scout as an adult is objective and is suggestive of the opinions of the people who live†¦show more content†¦Beautiful things floated round in his dreamy head.’ The choice of a small insular town in which to set a novel about racial prejudice helped Lee to develop the idea that ‘Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced.’ At first, the prejudices displayed by the citizens of Maycomb seem benign and irrelevant. However, in this small community these prejudices soon culminate into something much more serious: racial prejudice. This prejudice is displayed in the trail of Tom Robinson in which the defence lawyer refers to Tom as ‘boy’, while politely questioning white witnesses. This causes Dill to start crying at the unfairness and injustice that is created by racism saying, ‘it was just him I couldn’t stand’. Maycomb also serves in showing how the persecution of innocent ‘mockingbirds’ can result from racial prejudice. Maycomb’s highly defined social class system, in which blacks are considered to be lesser equals, is the reason for the persecution of Tom Robinson. Robinson’s persecution came not only because he was black, but because he broke one of Maycomb’s social mores by feeling sorry for and helping Mayella Ewell – ‘You felt sorry for her? You felt sorry’. The notion that a black could be in a position to feel sympathy for a white was abhorrent for Maycomb’s citizens and this is why they allowed and indeed endorsed the persecution of an innocent man. Tom Robinson’s death highlights the failings ofShow MoreRelatedThe Setting Of Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1354 Words   |  6 PagesLiterary Analysis Name: Amy Lyons Title: To Kill a Mockingbird Author: Harper Lee Setting: The setting of To Kill a Mockingbird is a small town in south Alabama called Maycomb County in the early 1930s. 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The author of To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, was a young girl during the Scottsboro trial and based the trial of Tom RobinsonRead MoreAnalysis Of Harper Lee s Kill A Mockingbird 1491 Words   |  6 PagesHarper Lee’s ​ To Kill a Mockingbird ​ is a critically acclaimed, Pulitzer Prize winning novel that instantly attained its position as one of the greatest literary classics (Editors).The story of Scout Finch’s childhood has become one of the most notable narratives that addresses controversial issues present in the early 20th century. Lee’s novel depicts themes of race, justice, and innocence throughout the novel. Although ​ To Kill a Mockingbird​ is regarded as a literary masterpiece in American