Harper Lee’s Background
American author Harper Lee, well known for her iconic book To Kill a Mockingbird, drew heavily from her own experiences growing up in the South of the country. Born in Monroeville, Alabama, on April 28, 1926, Nelle Harper Lee grew up in an era where racial segregation was ingrained in society, and the Civil War’s effects could still be felt (Lee, 2014). The honorable legal protagonist of To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch, was modeled after Lee’s father, Amasa Coleman Lee. A.C. Lee was also appointed to the Alabama State Legislature and was a man of integrity, much like Atticus.
The familial circumstances in her own home, in addition to her father’s job, affected her growth as a writer. Her mother, Frances Cunningham Finch Lee, had mental health concerns. Many people believe that Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird figure, Scout Finch, is semi-autobiographical and represents Lee’s own youth as a tomboyish youngster who loved to read and write.
The Relation of the Writer’s Life to the Novel To Kill a Mockingbird
The fictional Maycomb, Alabama, that serves as the backdrop for To Kill a Mockingbird is modeled after Monroeville, where Lee spent her early years witnessing the racial and socioeconomic injustices that were typical of the South. A significant plot point in the book, the prosecution of Tom Robinson, is reminiscent of the Scottsboro Boys and other instances of this that Lee would have known about, in which African American men were falsely accused of crimes they did not commit and frequently found guilty (Lee, 2014). The book adds to the conversation about civil rights at the time by addressing the problematic moral and racial concerns in a way that readers can understand and find incredibly moving (Pineda, 2021). Writing To Kill a Mockingbird was greatly affected by Lee’s experiences with racial prejudice in Alabama as well as her father’s legal career, which included defending two black men convicted of murder.
Harper Lee’s sole published work for a long time was awarded the 1961 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and has since grown to become a classic of contemporary American literature, studied and discussed in classrooms all over the world. Through her depiction of the Finch family’s lives, the moral dilemmas they encounter, and the social dynamics of Maycomb, Lee explores the attitudes and preconceptions typical of the American South (Maurinta, 2020). Before To Kill a Mockingbird was released, Lee sent a manuscript to publishers, which was eventually published as “Go Set a Watchman” in 2015. Though it did not get the same critical praise as her first book, this book, which is set two decades after To Kill a Mockingbird and has many of the same people, presents an alternative viewpoint on the Finch family and Maycomb.
Following the release of To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee led a somewhat reclusive existence, giving few interviews and appearing in public. She spent most of her final years in Monroeville, where she was well-known for her reclusiveness. For those who cherished her writing and its contribution to American literature, her passing on February 19, 2016, signaled the end of an era.
All things considered, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is more than just a skillfully written novel; it is a mirror of her own views, experiences, and moral convictions. She established a legacy that continues to inspire and educate people, and she challenged readers to face the complex realities of racism and injustice via her evocative writing.
References
Lee, H. (2014). To kill a mockingbird. Harper Collins.
Maurinta, L. (2020). The value of family education in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird: A hermeneutic study. Social Science Research Network. Web.
Pineda, E. R. (2021). Seeing like an activist: Civil disobedience and the civil rights movement. Oxford University Press, USA.