Background to the Story
Harper Lee set the story in the region of which she was born in and spent her childhood in. The area of southern Alabama was where Lee was born and bred, and she based upon her hometown Monroeville in the south of the state on the fictional place of Maycomb County in the story. She also created a fictional character, young Scout (Jean Louise), who was practically identical to her in real life as a child, living parallel lives in their youth. Here she throughout her childhood took a distinct interest in the social structure of her town, which was quite considerably typical of the social structure of the Deep South. She noticed the ordinary lives of people in the local community, the type of issues that the common people face with each other, especially any prejudice and conflict due to racism.
Lee was interested in the workings of the social structure and the so called caste system in her region, of which was clearly defined by certain regulations and laws, particularly between white and coloured folk. But the caste system is also partly defined by the local community. There are those certain ‘stereotypes’ among the people of Maycomb County, meaning that for those of who were a bit different to the general status of others in the community, either by race, class, and even what sort of clothes they would wear, they would get a supposedly bad reputation and would often be considered an outsider from the community in those sorts of circumstances.
Clearly, there was major social and racial prejudice, great conflict and controversy in Alabama and the Deep South, more so than anywhere in the United States, being one of the most significant issues that people in the world at the time faced – all centred in that region. Naturally, some people of whom lived their lives amongst all this great controversy, like Harper Lee, would reflect on it all and it would cause them to consider the circumstances and sort of position everybody was in as part of the general society of the Southern States.
The story is set during the Depression Era in the United States, where there was a desperate financial state and poverty dominating the welfare of society and economy. Lee was growing up in during the times of the Depression, and certain events were a feature of her childhood, like the problem of racism and types of injustice in social terms (i.e. The Jim Crow Laws).
To learn more about the Historical Context of the novel, click on the button to watch a video clip
Lee was interested in the workings of the social structure and the so called caste system in her region, of which was clearly defined by certain regulations and laws, particularly between white and coloured folk. But the caste system is also partly defined by the local community. There are those certain ‘stereotypes’ among the people of Maycomb County, meaning that for those of who were a bit different to the general status of others in the community, either by race, class, and even what sort of clothes they would wear, they would get a supposedly bad reputation and would often be considered an outsider from the community in those sorts of circumstances.
Clearly, there was major social and racial prejudice, great conflict and controversy in Alabama and the Deep South, more so than anywhere in the United States, being one of the most significant issues that people in the world at the time faced – all centred in that region. Naturally, some people of whom lived their lives amongst all this great controversy, like Harper Lee, would reflect on it all and it would cause them to consider the circumstances and sort of position everybody was in as part of the general society of the Southern States.
The story is set during the Depression Era in the United States, where there was a desperate financial state and poverty dominating the welfare of society and economy. Lee was growing up in during the times of the Depression, and certain events were a feature of her childhood, like the problem of racism and types of injustice in social terms (i.e. The Jim Crow Laws).
To learn more about the Historical Context of the novel, click on the button to watch a video clip