The Relationship between History and Literature

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The Relationship between History and Literature

To kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee ties in much with the Scottsboro boy’s trial in many aspects. Harper Lee, the author of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ was a young girl during the Scottsboro trial. She brought in all aspects of the Scottsboro trial of 1931 in the trial of Tom Robinson in her novel. Scottsboro boy’s trial was the backdrop of Harper Lee’s childhood and the Mocking Bird is the impression that was left of the Scottsboro case. Harper wrote the novel with portraying many similarities of her child life with the setting of both cases depicting a major similarity. The setting is a major similarity, but we cannot conclude that it is as important as the racism expressed against Tom and Scottsboro Boys. She disputes the cases by saying “Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don’t pretend to understand” (Lee and Harold, 10). The quote means that the author did not quit understand racism and reasons why some people go make a big deal about things involving African Americans. The novel reveals why the author does not understand segregation and racism run peoples lives and perspectives in the society. The main similarities therefore are based on the geographic settings, the portrayal of racism, and the specifics of the court cases.

The geographical settings in both cases are in Alabama. The Scottsboro trials first took place in Scottsboro, Alabama and Tom Robinson’s trials also took place in Alabama but in Macomb. The cases were handled and reported during the Great Depression in the 1930s. The cases are all built on false premises against African Americans during the 1930’s. The cases were also all charged by Caucasians who were lower members of society (Sorensen, 35). No other trial in America History produced as many trials, convictions, reversals, and retrials as that depicted in the two cases. They were based on an alleged gang rape of two white girls by nine black teenagers on a Southern railroad freight run.

The novel by Harper Lee reveals instances of courage and heroism in a small Alabama town. The town was a depiction of social life that was riddled with the poverty and racial tensions characteristic of 1935 in the southern states. Lee focuses on the Finch family over and what took place over two years. She highlights the plea of a lawyer, father Atticus Finch, Jem a ten-year-old son and Jean Louise a six-year-old daughter who was also known as Scout (Lee and Harold, 10). Scout in the novel was the narrator of the book. Her narration was based on memories of the past events and during her.............