Theme Of Racism In To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird has many themes that can affect and relate to any readers. Although the novel is around sixty years old, its important messages still impact readers today. The novel is based on the childhood memories of Harper Lee, the author, during the times of the Civil Rights. In To Kill a Mockingbird the main characters Scout, Jem, and Atticus are greatly affected by the racism going on around them and it shapes them to go against society 's norm, while also informing and inspiring all readers in a variety of ways.

First, To Kill a Mockingbird is an informational novel, that could not had been so accurately written if the author, Harper Lee have not lived through those times herself. For example, “The 1929 stock market crash set into motion a series of events that plunged America into its greatest economic depression. By 1933, the country’s gross national product had been nearly cut in half, and 16 million Americans were unemployed”(Source 5). In other words, the passage is an example of how the Great Depression drastically affected families. Lee came from a white family that was not poor, but she was still affected. Though, she watched the people around her and in her community struggle. The main character Scout had many children in her class that were living in poverty and she could clearly see how those children’s appearance and actions were different than families who had money. “Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama…Her father