The Role Of Setting In To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee first describes Maycomb as an “old town” in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Jean Louise Finch (or Scout) is the protagonist of Maycomb. Her innocent childhood is disrupted by her father Atticus’s unsuccessful defense of a black man accused of rape. This tale of justice and equality is a story about the importance of setting. The setting allows the Finch kids to grow and learn from their trial.

Mockingbird’s settings help shape the book’s status as a Bildungsroman. This is a piece that follows a character from childhood through adulthood. Scout’s childhood was happy, despite economic hardship. Jem and Scout go to school, have fun, and sip lemonade outside. Tom Robinson’s trial is the only thing that interrupts their peaceful childhood. However, the experiences of children who lived in other parts were very different. People in large cities couldn’t make ends meet due to the Great Depression. Sometimes children were taken to live with relatives after their parents became unable to support them. Due to dust storms and debt, prairie families were forced to move to the roads from their farms. Atticus is not a Finch, so he and his family are quite wealthy. Scout and Jem have a lot to be proud of, and Tom Robinson’s trial can play a significant role in their lives. Mockingbird reflects many aspects in the life of the author. Scout was also born in Alabama and raised by Lee. Atticus and her dad were both black lawyers. Setting Mockingbird in Maycomb makes the trial a clear turning point in the characters’ lives, and makes it more believable, as it is directly inspired by Lee’s own childhood.Mockingbird’s setting also influences the overall mood and atmosphere. The book is classified by the American subgenre as Southern Gothic Gothic. Gothic literature is defined by horror, grotesque, and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein are the most defining works. Southern Gothic has two distinct differences. These works are set in South America, and are often more realistic and discuss social issues. Maycomb’s Southern Gothic style is decaying and disturbing. “In rainy conditions the streets became red slop; grass grew along the sidewalks, and the courthouse sagged on the square.” The Ewells are the epitome grotesque. They live in an abandoned house. Their home is filthy, greasy and patched with what they can. Vermin can’t get in through their house if cheesecloth is used. Maycomb’s haunting qualities create a mood for this dark tale. The setting refers to the time period within which the story is set. Mockingbird uses historical context as a way to explain Maycomb citizens’ minds. The 1930’s are the start of a transitional period in social justice. Despite the fact that slavery had been abolished in 1865, blacks were not treated equally to whites. Maycomb’s black community houses and churches are segregated from all the other buildings. This is because many residents hold racist views towards African Americans. One woman believes that black and white people shouldn’t marry. Things are slowly changing. The Harlem Renaissance movement was established in the tenth decade. Jazz, an African-American music style, gained immense popularity. Black people started to express themselves through art. Slowly, they began to be accepted by society. Mockingbird is a testament to this transformation in the support for Tom Robinson from the townspeople. Jem asked Miss Maudie who was responsible for helping Tom and she replied “… people similar to us. Judge Taylor is one example of this type of person. People like Judge Taylor. The guilty verdict is decided by the jury taking longer than normal, which indicates that people have changed their mindsets. This was also the time when feminism began to take root. 1920 was the first year that women were allowed to vote. Some women started to party, smoke, and engage in other masculine behaviors in large cities. Scout, a Mockingbird character who prefers pants to dresses and likes to play with boys, is attempting to escape traditional female roles. Miss Maudie, on the other hand, is a single woman who plants flowers despite being told by “foot-washers that it is unholy.” These people, she says, are wrong. But they were still restricted and restricted in society. Despite the discomfort, Aunt Alexandra, a conservative aunt continues to wear her corset. Calpurnia, Scout’s cook, prefers Scout to wear pants. However, she makes Scout change into a frilly pink dress for the trip to the black church. People of Maycomb’s opinions show how social justice was viewed at this time. Progressive ideas began to emerge. Mockingbird has a central part to its success because of its location and its time. Although many people praise the novel’s characters and its thought-provoking topics of race, class and gender, the setting is just equally fascinating and pertinent. To Kill a Mockingbird is incomplete without 1930’s Maycomb.