To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, narrates the life of Scout Finch, a six-year-old girl who lives in Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s. Over her summer, she and her older brother Jem make friends with Dill, and the party takes an interest in Boo (Arthur) Radley, a man rumored to be locked up in the Radley house by his older brother. They play games about him but are soon confronted by Scout and Jem's father, Atticus, to respect him as they do others. Later, the Finch family is mocked because Atticus, a lawyer, was defending a black man, Tom Robinson, in law. Even though he loses because of the prejudiced views of people in Maycomb, Atticus has hopes that they will overcome their prejudice because a jury member, one of the Cunninghams, hesitates for a good while before declaring Tom guilty. Later, Scout and Jem realize that just like Boo Radley, Tom can also be seen as an innocent mockingbird, who did nothing but good yet get rejected by society.
Throughout the novel, racial discrimination and segregation continuously appear and pose as problems for the people of Maycomb. The major conflict of the story, Tom Robinson’s trial, is primarily created and motivated by the strong racial discrimination in the story that affects how other people, in this case, the jury, see the situation and their perspective. When Tom Robinson is framed by Mayella and Bob Ewell, the jury and the white audience attending the court all think Tom is guilty. Even though Atticus, Tom’s lawyer, gave obvious and strong evidence hinting that Tom was innocent, the others only thought him to be a criminal because of his race. Atticus tells Jem that most cases like these are known to be an inevitable verdict, where the trial is already declared by the prejudices of the people there: “That was the one thing that made me think, well, this may be the shadow of a beginning. That jury took a few hours. An inevitable verdict, maybe, but usually it takes ‘em just a few minutes. This time—” (Lee 23). On the other hand, even though Mayella is shown to try and want to tell the truth to everyone, she can’t, because then, everyone would know how she broke the social code and harassed a black man as a white woman. Racism is also seen is minor conflicts and problems throughout the novel. For instance, Aunt Alexandria had always wanted to fire Calpurnia even though she performed her job well and mostly took care of the children, just because she was black. Similarly, when Calpurnia took Scout and Jem to a black church, many people opposed them because of social codes and segregation. In Maycomb, people are prejudiced to believe that the other race is worse than theirs, and so most white and black people dislike each other.
The Great Depression greatly affected Maycomb and its residents and strengthened its social boundaries and prejudices. The Great Depression was a major time in history when many people over the world were affected by high economic prices and low wages. During this period, not only poor people but also the rich were majorly affected by society's economic downfalls. In addition, the group of people affected the most were African Americans during the Great Depression, where their little opportunities were again worsened and minimized: “The problems of the Great Depression affected virtually every group of Americans. No group was harder hit than African Americans, however. By 1932, approximately half of African Americans were out of work.” (Library of Congress 1). This caused people in multiple communities and societies to have stronger prejudices against others; the Great Depression caused stronger social boundaries and levels within most societies. Maycomb is affected similarly, where many people not only lose their jobs and are having trouble to make a living, but prejudices are worsened during the period. The Finches are one of the least affected peoples in Maycomb, as they were related to the original Maycomb settlers. Scout observes, "There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy, and no money to buy it with.” (Lee 27). However, the others were as majorly affected by anyone else in the world; the Cunninghams were farmers and had trouble with entailments and other law-related business; the Ewells were just as disgraced and hated as before; and the Robinsons, as African Americans, were not only having trouble to make a living but also hated by the white society. The Great Depression not only put most people into great poverty but also strengthened the social boundaries in many communities.
Over the course of multiple events in the novel, both Jem and Scout are shown to gradually grow mature and come of age. For instance, while Jem and Scout were prejudiced against Boo Arthur Radley at the start of the novel, where they are motivated by Dill's wild imagination to play offensive and silly games about the Radleys, they soon grow mature and realize that Arthur was only a shy yet generous person who didn’t like going outside. His social anxiety makes people think about him in a prejudiced way and spread absurd rumors about him. Although the children were still young and childish at one point, they quickly became more mature after experiencing many situations regarding racism and social discrimination. Their quick maturity and coming of age is also affected by their family and neighbors, such as their father, Atticus, an impartial lawyer and righteous father who taught Jem and Scout to never judge people on the outside and without clear evidence. He always explained everything clearly to the children instead of dodging or canceling questions concerning more mature or adult-related situations. Moreover, their Aunt Alexandria was a loving and caring mother figure, and Uncle Jack was a helpful and humorous man who would meet the children every now and then. Neighbors such as Mrs. Dubose and Miss Maudia are also good idols and role models for Jem and Scout: Mrs. Dubose is a woman of her word and bravely tries to get rid of her morphine addiction before she dies, as much as it pains her to do so. Miss Maudie has a sense of morality and a fair opinion of everyone, similar to Atticus. She believes everyone should be treated with respect and dignity and motivates the children to do so as well. The children’s major development is greatly emphasized and highlighted throughout their interactions and their different opinions on other people in Maycomb.
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, centers on the life of Scout Finch and the many happenings in Maycomb. In the novel, racial discrimination and segregation pose a large problem for the African Americans in Maycomb, since they have trouble with social boundaries and living their own lives. For instance, Tom Robinson is only declared guilty because of the prejudiced opinions of the jury, who thought he was a criminal just because he was black. Even though the evidence given by Atticus clearly indicates Tom’s innocence, the racist perspective of the people in Maycomb takes them nowhere. The strong social boundaries are also motivated by the Great Depression, a period in history where there was a major economic downfall that affected everyone all over the world. This caused a large gap between the different social levels in multiple communities, including Maycomb, and forced more prejudice and social discrimination. Throughout the novel, Jem and Scout are also seent to show more maturity and coming of age. Not only are the children motivated by their experiences with society, but also influenced by the righteous and virtuous characteristics of their family members and neighbors.
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