The Setting of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

How influential is the setting of To Kill a Mockingbird to the

novel's plot characters and themes?

'To Kill a Mockingbird' is set in Maycomb, Alabama in the Southern

states of America in the 1930s. The community of Maycomb is close

knit, everybody knows everything about everybody else and most people

have the same beliefs and values. A common belief in Maycomb is that

the black community are not equal to the white. Racism was common in

the Southern states at this time. It came about because Negroes who

had been working as slaves carried on living in America after slavery

was abolished. White people still regarded the black people as

servants and resented their freedom. The Wall Street crash of 1929

sent the country in to an economic depression. The effects of the

Depression are clear in the novel, there are many examples of poverty.

The ideas of the stereotypical male and female were around at this

time. Several characters in the book refusing to conform to the

stereotype are put under pressure by members of the community to do

so.

Racism is an important theme in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. Even those

who are not racist accept racism as part of everyday life. 'Everybody

says Nigger.' This shows that scout has heard the word used at school

and assumed that because other people use it, it is not wrong. This

demonstrates how racism can be spread across generations. People with

racist ideas might not realise that their beliefs are offensive

because it is what they have been brought up with. The most obvious

example of racism in the book is the trial of Tom Robinson, a black

man accused of raping a white girl. After hearing the evidence from

both sides it is quite obvious that Tom Robinson is not guilty of th...

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...all. Maycomb is a much safer place to live than

Southampton. Living in Southampton Jem and Scout might not be so

trusting in people and curious about places they don't know. The plot

of Boo Radley would also be different if it was taking place in

Southampton in the year 2001. The rumours about him would not be so

widely spread and would seem less important because the characters

would have a lot of other thing to occupy their minds.

Most of the Plots, characters and themes of the book are dependent on

the setting but is there anything that would be the same if the book

was set in Southampton in the year 2001. I think that the character of

Atticus would be the same. Atticus is not racist. He forms his own

opinions instead of agreeing with what everybody else thinks. Because

he has an open mind I think his character would be the same whatever

the setting.