Shayan Nejadian
January 29, 2013
To Kill A Mockingbird
““Come here, Scout,” said Atticus. I crawled into his lap and tucked my head under his chin. He put his
arms around me and rocked me gently.” (p. 101)
By: Shayan M. Nejadian
Nejadian 1
Abstract
I am a student at Los Angeles Valley College, interested in the mechanics of the
story To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird was published
in 1960 and contains elements directly attached to the biographical history of Harper Lee.
Additionally, To Kill a Mockingbird emphasizes the critical time period in American
history associated with The Great Depression, and the main characters share ideal
psychological characteristics as the result of the economy in Alabama during 1933.
Therefore, in analyzing To Kill a Mockingbird, I applied a traditional, Marxist, and
psychoanalytic approach.
The Finch family appears as the few residents in Maycomb committed to equality
of race, and therefore the Finch function as the novel’s “mockingbirds” (protagonists).
Similar to mockingbirds, finches are a type of small bird, whose unique innocent
appearance separates them from most birds. To Kill a Mockingbird means: to kill
innocence. Unfortunately, one of the mockingbirds- Tom Robinson is killed from the
aftermath of a court trial by the antagonist- Bob Ewell, because Tom Robinson is a black
man innocently accused for raping a white woman. To Kill a Mockingbird has always
been a story attached to the American culture and I hope my analysis on the story
withstands the test of time.
Nejadian 2
To Kill a Mockingbird
When enough years had gone by, Maycomb, Alabama succumbed to the Great
Depression in 1933. Although the Great Depression devastated lives of several families
in Maycomb, Alabama, the narrator of the story, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, remains
humble in pursuing truth in the community. Scout’s brother, Jem, appears as Scout’s
closest companion throughout the entire story. Scout’s father, Atticus Finch, is a noble
lawyer whose wife passed away several years ago, when Scout was two years old. Atticus
Finch emphasizes morality and justice to his children. Atticus appears as the few
residents of Maycomb committed to equality of race. Therefore, Atticus functions as one
of the novel’s “mockingbirds” (protagonist). Therefore, “to kill a mockingbird” means to
kill innocence. Throughout the story, Scout experiences two significant coming of agepsychological realities. First, Scout learns to put herself in other people’s shoes. Second,
Scout learns the critical concept of perseverance when: you know you are going to lose.
In a world full of misconception, empathy overcomes evil in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Scout Finch lives with her brother, Jem, and their widowed father, Atticus, in the
sleepy Alabama town of Maycomb. Maycomb is suffering through the Great Depression,
but Atticus is a prominent lawyer. To the consternation of Maycomb’s racist white
community, Atticus agrees to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, who has been
accused of raping a white woman. Atticus provides clear evidence that the accusers,
Mayella Ewell and her father, Bob, are lying. The innocent Tom later tries to escape from
prison and is shot to death. Scout embraces her father’s advice to practice sympathy and
understanding and demonstrates that her experiences with hatred and prejudice will not
sully her faith in human goodness. (HarperLee.com)
Interestingly, similarities exist between the author’s personal life and the novel.
Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama. Monroeville, Alabama,
comatose from the Great Depression, experienced class conflicts among the community
in many ways like Maycomb. Additionally, Lee’s father was a notable lawyer, like
Atticus Finch. When Harper Lee was five years old, nine black men were accused of
raping two white women near Scottsboro, Alabama. After continuous trials, five of the
nine men were sentenced to a lengthy imprisonment. (HarperLee.com) Harper Lee
believed the sentences were merely motivated by racial prejudice rather than factual
evidence. The women claiming rape by the men of color were suspected for lying after a
series of trials. Therefore, the Scottsboro Case served the seed that becomes the hearth of
Lee’s novel.
During a critical time period in American economic history, all citizens of
Alabama used different methods for making a living. Obvious class distinctions were
noted. According to Karl Marx, “The bourgeoisie cannot exist without constantly
revolutionizing the instruments of production, and thereby the relations of production,
and with them the whole relations of society. The need of a constantly expanding market
for its products chases the bourgeoisie over the entire surface of the globe. It must nestle
everywhere, settle everywhere, and establish conations everywhere.” (Communist
Manifesto)
Karl Marx believes the roots of human misery lay in the class distinctions. Everyone
works for eating or reasons for survival. Typically, humans are not motivated by
grandeur ideas that revolutionize ways of life; rather people work for the necessity to
live. For instance, exploitation of workers is caused from people who run the means of
production. Furthermore, social changes, in the form of the overthrow of the capitalists
by the workers (proletariats), are inevitable from Marx’s perspective. (Sociology p.12)
A main theme in To Kill a Mockingbird revolves around class distinctions between
the townspeople of Maycomb. Class distinctions are directly attached to monetary
value. The Cunningham’s monetary value is simply paying people with bushels of
potatoes. However, for families that are wealthier like the Finch, monetary value involves
physical money. Marxist theory applies
Nejadian 4
To Kill a Mockingbird because Maycomb distinguishes social status of families by
wealth, rather than
morals and ideals.
In 1933, the United States economy was in substantial turmoil. The Great Depression began with a
catastrophic collapse of the
Stock Market in the
New York Stock Exchange on
October 1929. (Great
Depression history) The
deconstruct of
investors preceded the
decline in the value of assets.
Therefore, banks in the
United States and many
financial institutions
who invested in the stock
market using the
citizen’s savings lost
everything. The failure
of banks, combined with
significant loss of confidence in the nation and the world, led to a downward spiral in the
United States economy. The result of the United States economic collapse struck the
Cunningham with severe unemployment. The Cunningham family had no monetary
savings for subsistence.
Scout’s father, Atticus, is a lawyer whose judicious demeanor allows his family to
live better than most families in Maycomb despite the economy during 1933. The
Cunningham family is less fortunate than the Finch. Therefore, class distinctions between
the townspeople cause differences in character psyche. The reasons why each character
behaves in a typical manner, stems from their economic standing. For example, the Finch
has a more comfortable lifestyle than all the Maycomb inhabitants. Scout Finch has the
luxury to learn many valuable lessons regarding life in general, because of the
opportunity her father provides her.
Arthur “Boo” Radley is viewed as one of the story’s antagonists from early on.
The Radley family is situated down the street from the Finch residence. Arthur Radley
was once arrested as a teen, for a disorderly conduct he committed. As a result, Arthur
Radley’s father punished him by forcing him to remain inside their home practically
all his life. Throughout the story, Scout, Jem and a good friend Dill construct evil images
representing Arthur Radlely. Thus, Arthur Radley acquires the nickname “Boo”, because
his image represents the lifestyle of ghosts. However, as time goes on, Scout learns
Arthur Radley is actually a very good or kind person. According to Scout, “The
Abbottsville fire truck began pumping water on our house; a man on the
roof pointed to places that needed it most.... as I stood there, Jem tried to
keep me warm, but his arm was not enough. I pulled free of it and clutched
my shoulders.... As we drank our cocoa I noticed Atticus looking at me, first
with curiosity, then with sterness. “Whose blanket is that?”(To Kill a
Mockingbird, p. 94- 95) One night when a random home in the Maycomb residence
burns, Boo Radley places a blanket over Scout. Scout begins to gradually believe Boo is
a nice person and not the monster she and the entire town suspected. Atticus Finch
explains to Scout, “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.” Scout learns as
a result of coming to age, to always put herself in other people’s shoes before judging
them. In my perspective, the important key word of this quote is ‘skin’ because during
1933, many citizens were extremely racist against
people of different colored skin. Atticus
understands the color of people does not reflect
anything negative in terms of which they are.
Instead, the color of people, are the natural
livelihood they are born with. Additionally, the
negativity attached to people of color, serves only
as a product of society.
After watching Atticus Finch defend the
black and hopeless Tom Robinson from persecution, Scout learns the importance of
perseverance. When you know you will lose; you must remain trying hard to reach your
goals. Scout learns life is complete with obstacles, and in order to overcome obstacles
you must keep trying hard to overcome
them. Atticus knew he would ultimately lose, because of white jurors. However, Atticus
did not give up working hard to save Tom Robinson from persecution.
Conclusion
Differences in social status are explored largely through the social hierarchy of
Maycomb. The wealthier Finches are in the top of the social hierarchy, and most
townspeople are beneath them. Ignorant country farmers like the Cunninghams live far
beneath the social elite, and below even the city’s white trash residents.
The black community in Maycomb, despite its abundance of admirable qualities,
squats below even the Ewells. Therefore, in society whose inhabitants are racist, Bob
Ewell enabled to make up for his own lack of importance, by persecuting Tom Robinson.
Although most of the inhabitants of Maycomb do not realize the social class
distinctions they have made, Scout realizes the importance of putting herself in other
people’s shoes. Therefore, Scout does not judge Tom Robinson simply for his skin color.
“One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk
around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.” (Scout)
Works Cited
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2013.
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Print.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York, NY: Warner, 1982. Print.
"The Making of the West, Combined Volume." Bedford/St. Martin's: Third Edition by
Lynn Hunt; Thomas R. Martin; Barbara H. Rosenwein; R. Po-chia Hsia; Bonnie
G. Smith. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2013.
Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto. Harmondsworth: Penguin,
1967. Print.
Monte, Anita. Racism. New York: Pocket, 1972. Print.
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