The banning of books has been one of the most common forms of censorship in history.
Books are generally banned because certain people disagree with or are offended by its content.
As a result of this, many novels that attempt to make commentary on social issues will be subject
to censorship at some point in time. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird revolves around a
young girl named Scout Finch who must confront the reality of racism as she grows up. Her father,
Atticus, is a lawyer defending a black man who has been wrongly accused of rape. To Kill a
Mockingbird was written in order to make a statement about the wrongs of racism, a topic that was
still relevant when the book was published in 1960. The novel’s historically sensitive subjects have
generated controversy throughout the years. To Kill a Mockingbird has been banned and subject
to censorship due to the racial tension in the time it was published, movements for political
correctness in later decades, and material that many deemed explicit for younger readers.
The first wave of controversy involving Harper Lee’s novel arose from angry conservatives
in the 1960s. The period of time between the 1950s and the 1960s defined the height of the
twentieth century civil rights movement for racial equality (Gale Encyclopedia of US History:
Gov. and Politics paragraph 1) An increasing amount of civil rights leaders were making an effort
to end racial segregation and fight for equal treatment between black and white. Conditions were
particularly tense in the South, where racism had historically been the most prominent in the
country (Gale Encyclopedia of US History: Gov. and Politics paragraph 2). Lee’s novel is set in
1930s Alabama, a key state for the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. Since To Kill a
Mockingbird was initially published in the year 1960, it was an incredibly controversial time for a
book with a racial theme to be released. In the years following, the book was moved into middle
and high school libraries and classes, most likely due to the narrator Scout’s young age (May
paragraph 1). However, this new addition to libraries led to the first controversy against the novel.
“Once discovered by southern parents, the book's solid place became shaky indeed. Sporadic
lawsuits arose. In most cases the complaint against the book was by conservatives who disliked
the portrayal of whites” (May paragraph 2). Specifically, Harper Lee tries to emphasize the racial
climate of the 1930s by expressing most of her white characters as static racist stereotypes. This is
especially important after the death of Tom Robinson, a black man who was arrested after an unfair
trial. While reflecting on the trial and Tom’s death, Scout thinks to herself, “To Maycomb, Tom’s
death was Typical…. to have no plan, no thought for the future, just run blind first chance he saw…
you know how they are. Easy come, easy go” (Lee pages 275-276) Scout’s comments on Tom
Robinson’s death convey the general views of the people of Maycomb and how they feel in regard
to race. Based on the content of her novel, it was clear to all which group Harper Lee sided with.
Her opinions of blacks and Southerners were incredibly unpopular in the decade, which led to
immediate criticism from the opposing side. The uproar that arose from To Kill a Mockingbird led
to the novel becoming one of the most criticized by private groups (May paragraph 3). Lee’s
opinions on race were quite controversial at the time of her novel’s publishing, which was a major
cause of its censorship in that decade.
Another segment of To Kill a Mockingbird’s censorship occurred in the seventies in
defense of religious beliefs and the novel’s “appropriateness” for younger readers. With censorship
being an issue since books came into existence, religious authorities have been the enactors of
many large-scale book bans throughout history (Gale Student Resources in Context paragraph 2)
Some books that strict religious officials might find fault with include those that might criticize or
disagree with a specific religion’s beliefs. Even books that simply fail to precisely align with a
religion’s beliefs are at risk (Gale Student Resources in Context paragraph 3) Some topics a
religious group might disagree with are those that might be considered profane or unsuitable for
reading (Gale Student Resources in Context paragraph 3) This was the case with To Kill a
Mockingbird, which received serious criticism for certain topics as soon as it found its way onto
young adult bookshelves. Many found fault with the book because it dealt with the sensitive topic
of rape. A key event in the novel is the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man who has been accused
of raping a young white woman (Lee page 140). Although no rape actually occurs in the plot, the
“raping and beating” of Mayella Ewell is discussed in detail throughout the trial (Lee page 190).
Contrary to popular belief, Harper Lee never meant for her novel to be one for adolescents, so in
its initial release there wasn’t much mention of its language or potentially explicit content (May
paragraph 1). However, once schools began teaching the book, this suddenly became an issue.
Once profanity became a topic of debate, many private groups quickly removed the novel from
school libraries (May paragraph 4). Writer Jill May describes one extreme case where “In Vernon,
New York, Reverend Carl Hadley threatened to establish a private Christian school because public
school libraries contained such "filthy, trashy sex novels" as A Separate Peace and To Kill a
Mockingbird” (May paragraph 4). In this time, many experienced difficulty teaching the novel to
their students because rape was a central part of its plot, and for these reasons, many schools made
efforts to ban the novel altogether.
From the 1980s through the present day, To Kill a Mockingbird has received criticism for
being racially offensive towards blacks. Along with receiving comments on profanity, the 1980s
saw the novel’s racial perspective swing “from the conservative right to the liberal left” (May
paragraph 4). For many, the 1980s and years leading up to Reagan’s presidency represented a
significant halt in the progression of civil rights (DISCovering US History paragraph 1). During
his presidency, Reagan expressed opposition to civil rights activism and efforts to maintain
equality, while many of his supporters believed that civil change had occurred much too quickly
(DISCovering US History paragraph 1). In experiencing Reagan’s presidency “black leaders
realized that, for the first time in many years, they had no real allies in the White House”
(DISCovering US History paragraph 1). As a result, movement to maintain equality between the
races increased, and those in the movement did not back down. Because this time period seemed
to be such a setback, supporters of civil rights progression were generally very sensitive to potential
opposition. The main argument against Lee’s novel in the 1980s was against its language and
characters deemed offensive to blacks. Although these components were historically accurate, they
were viewed as a damage to the “positive integration process” when the novel was studied in
schools (May paragraph 4). In the present day, the novel’s place in schools is still debated for this
very reason. Many argue that the reading of material with offensive language encourages children
to use such words. In a newspaper article written by Christina Beck, a mother of a biracial high
school student claims, “This is great literature. But there (are so many) racial slurs in there and
offensive wording that you can't get past that” (qtd. in Beck paragraph 7). Beck’s article, which
was published recently, demonstrates that even in the twentieth century, there are many complaints
about the teaching of To Kill a Mockingbird in schools. Many schools throughout the country have
banned this book as well as other books, such as Huck Finn, deemed to be “racist.” Even today,
the ongoing movement for political correctness creates many issues with To Kill a Mockingbird’s
language and stereotypes.
To Kill a Mockingbird is considered a literature classic, yet it has received a large amount
of negativity throughout the decades. When it was initially published, conservatives were upset
about their portrayal as cruel racists. However, as time passed, the book gained criticism from
religious sects and liberals who disagreed with the novel’s subjects. Despite its profound writing
and important morals, To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that has proved to be controversial to many
groups of all beliefs.