Harper Lee Essays

Since its release in 1960, Harper Lee’s iconic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, has experienced tremendous success. It was chosen as a Literary Guild Selection Choice and a Book Society Choice, and it received the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 (Johnson 8). By 1982, over 15 million copies of the book had been sold. In a […]

Have you ever seen someone get mistreated or treated cruelly? Like when people you think are fair and kind convict an innocent man just because he was African American. Experiences like these can lead to people realizing the world is far from perfect. This is called losing your innocence. In one book 3 children experience […]

Harper Lee intentionally created Atticus Finch to be an influential and vital character in the novel, serving as a respected figure within Maycomb’s community. In addition to being Scout and Jem’s parent, Atticus is also their role model and source of support throughout their upbringing. Through Atticus’ specific traits, such as his views on prejudice […]

The goal for a novel’s structure is to make it captivating and pertinent to the plot, drawing in potential readers while also providing clues about what will unfold. “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee attracts potential readers because of its effective use of title and symbolism, leading to its success. The male parent and […]

This essay explores how Harper Lee effectively utilizes minor characters in To Kill a Mockingbird to address key themes in the novel such as racism, prejudice and courage. Throughout the text, Lee employs minor characters to exemplify these concerns. The main points of this essay concern various character traits and events portrayed in the novel, […]

Although George Eliot and Harper Lee lived a century apart, growing up in different communities, with their minds informed by different experiences and intellectual training, their works, ‘Silas Marner’ and ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ are strikingly similar in their thematic concerns. Both novels address topics of fundamental importance even in our own society. It is […]

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird (TKAM) was published in 1960, addressing the key tension in this story, the issue of “race” against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement in America. Race relations in America were wrought with injustice in the 1930s, especially between “white” and “black” Americans. It highlights the realities of rampant […]

Harper Lee grew up in Alabama in the 1930s, and witnessed a great deal of racism around her as she grew up. ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is also set in 1930, and contains a child narrator, in the form of Scout, and therefore the racial divisions and conflict Harper Lee witnessed may be directly represented […]

How does Harper Lee develop the theme of education in Part 1 of ‘To kill a Mockingbird’ This essay is about how Harper Lee transmits education in Part 1 of ‘To kill a Mockingbird’. Education to me is a process or activities that impart knowledge or skill. I think it is facts, skills and ideas […]

Innocence is a term used to indicate a lack of guilt, with respect to any kind of crime, sin, or wrongdoing. In a legal context, innocence refers to the lack of legal guilt of an individual, with respect to a crime. (Wikipedia-Innocence) Innocence, that is the main theme in the book To Kill A Mockingbird. […]

The novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee imparts insightful life lessons on themes like prejudice, maturity, and friendship through skillful employment of language techniques. Narrated by Scout Finch, a young girl, the book effectively shapes the reader’s character and offers valuable insights about our world. These themes will be derived from chapter 23 […]

The prominent Alexander Pope once asserted, “Difficulties are the things which reveal the genuine nature of men.” His assertion implies that life’s challenges reveal the authenticity of people’s character. This notion not only holds true but is backed up by various literary masterpieces. Two works of literature that advocate this concept presented by Alexander Pope […]

‘Silas Marner’ and ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ were written at different times but both were written at the height of great change in the world. Eliot wrote ‘Silas Marner’ in 1861, but set it at the earlier time of the 1820s, during the Industrial Revolution, and similarly, Harper Lee wrote ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ at […]

The fact that Maycomb County is described as a microcosm, or in other words, a “miniature representation”, immediately shows the reader that it is a quaint, closely structured town with a small population. Harper lee shows this by having family and social groupings such as, the Cunningham’s, Ewell’s, Radley’s and Finches. The book has been […]

“… As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it – whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes […]

The dictionary defines “Courage” as bravery or boldness, to nerve oneself to a venture. This concept is portrayed in both The Colour Purple and To Kill A Mockingbird, albeit in similar and distinct manners. In The Colour Purple, courage is demonstrated by standing up against specific individuals, while in To Kill A Mockingbird, it revolves […]

Harper Lee’s book ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ has many themes but a very large one of these is prejudice. Her book is focused around America in the 1930’s and what people’s attitudes were back then. Her book is written to influence people about the ways of prejudice, especially in the time it was written. She […]

There are lots of examples of characters having courage and integrity in the book, a sign that Harper Lee believes these values to be important. A main technique that she uses to get the reader to see the messages in the book is using Scout’s viewpoint. An effect of using Scout’s viewpoint is that she […]

Throughout the novel, Boo remains confined to his house, never venturing outside. Consequently, both Scout and the children are left to speculate about his appearance, envisioning him as a monstrous figure with a deep-seated animosity towards others. This perception prompts the children to engage in playful dares, challenging one another to approach the Radley residence’s […]

All throughout history, prejudice has been a part of society. Discrimination and intolerance are built into human nature. Less than 100 years ago, Blacks were still in the bonds of slavery. However, Blacks were not the only ethnical group that was ever mistreated. During the First World War, Germans in the United States were looked […]

Throughout the novel, the children experience significant events and relationships, allowing them to grow and mature. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee explores adult attitudes towards race and class in the Deep South in the thirties. The characters Gem, Scout, and Boo display notable growth. Gem develops a sense of fairness, forms friendships, and […]

In To Kill A Mockingbird Scout’s coming of age experience develops throughout the novel. In the final chapter Scout finally understands what her father’s advice meaner because she’s able to Walk a mile’ in Boo Raddled skin. From his front porch she learns that Boo Raddled has offered both love and protection to her and […]