To Kill A Mockingbird Impact On Society

There are two stories told in To Kill a Mockingbird. One, a story of discrimination because of the color of a man’s skin, and the second, the story of a little girl telling how she grew up in a small Alabama town. But why has To Kill a Mockingbird left such an impact on its readers? How did Harper Lee intertwine these stories in such a way that they are still taught in classrooms fifty years later?

The most obvious reason that To Kill a Mockingbird has left such an impact on America is because of its realistic views of racism and discrimination. Especially concerning the recent events concerning race in America, the topic of racial injustice still proves its relevancy in modern society. The readers see the world through the innocent mind of

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” Atticus tells Scout this morsel of advice that paves the way for her character development throughout the rest of the book. Scout, as young children often do, tends to not guard her speech or live with sympathy. As the novel progresses she takes Atticus’s words and applies them to the people around her. She begins to see the world as Boo Radley would see it, while on the steps of his front porch. Boo embodies the metaphor of a mockingbird, both innocent, pure creatures, marred by the elements around them. Scout learns not to immediately judge people, and once she learns this lesson, concludes, “‘When they finally saw him, why, he hadn’t done any of those things… Atticus, he was real nice.’ His hands were under my chin, pulling up the cover, tucking it around me. ‘Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.”’ In modern times, it is too easy to assume things of someone you have never met or even known, and the results can oftentimes be hurtful. What seems like such a simple principle can be forgotten, and To Kill a Mockingbird reinforces this lesson in a powerful, yet slightly subtle way that even now has impacted our society.

America may have evolved in many different aspects, but the founding principles of To Kill a Mockingbird remain the same, no matter what era in which it will be read. Racism will probably never go away, but that does not mean that people cannot stand up for the “mockingbirds” in their country today. Whether they are defending black people, white people, their religion, or their friends, it does not matter when they are doing the right