Analysis of to Kill a Mocking Bird

Southern Gothic texts encase readers in the horrors of realistic fears. In To Kill a Mocking Bird, Harper Lee challenges racism as she iconoclastically defies the common beliefs of society in the 1930s. She depicts unpleasant aspects of society and draws out the "grotesque" in her illustrations of the town and in the portrayal of deeply flawed characters, claustrophobic settings, and sinister events. Of particular interest, Lee utilizes the southern gothic elements, sense of place and the concept of outsiders, to portray a small southern town and juxtapose the norm of society with the mentality of the outsiders.

Harper Lee depicts the "tired old town" (5), Maycomb, both physically and socially. By doing this, the reader is able to get a feel of a small southern town and enter the mindset of the people. "...you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it." (30)

Lee sets the scene in her description of the town. "In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square..." The reader is summoned into a rural and simpler era. At that time, roads were mostly constructed in cities and more populous towns, so when Lee explains how the roads were not paved, she paints a picture in the readers' mind of what a rural southern town was like in the 1930s.

She additionally depicts Maycomb in terms of its social aspects. In the town "There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with..." (5). Illustrated here is the poverty that was brought about by the depression. Lee divulges the situation of the people and shows how they are stagnant within this dilapidated town. Lee additionally depicts the customs of Maycomb's citizens. "... Sunday was the day for formal afternoon visiting: ladies wore corsets, men wore coats, children wore shoes" (9). In her description, Lee shows the prominence of the establishment of religion with all of its affectations. This allows the readers to understand the people's true values. In Lee's portrayal of Maycomb, the reader is able to not only visualize the town, but also understand the customs and behaviors of the people within it.

Harper Lee narrates To Kill a Mockingbird through the main character, Jean Louise Finch (Scout). The novel is written in the first person narrative and is therefore limited to Scout's perspective; it is further limited by her age and knowledge. In this way, the reader assumes the innocence that Scout possesses and learns, as she does, of the rules of society and the nature of people.

Scout has not yet adopted the beliefs of the society as she is