Harper was the youngest in a family of four and was born in April 1926. She was one of the famous novelists in America, well known for her 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird novel. Harper’s book won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and became a modern American literature classic (Fine, 2019). The characters of her novel are based on her observations of her family, neighbors, and an event that occurred near her hometown when she was 10. Lee developed an interest in venturing into the field of literature inspired by Watson, who became her mentor. Harper was not only a novelist. Her work also extended to writing a newspaper and a humor magazine for the University of Alabama (Hegedus & Mcguire, 2018). The work of Harper in writing is exemplary.
Harper, in her spare time, did numerous writings and worked as an agent in the reservation at an airline. At one point, she served as a bookstore attendant in New York. In 1959, Harper finished the manuscript for To Kill a Mockingbird soon after she helped Truman Capote compose an article for the New Yorker (Fine, 2019). In 2015, she published her second novel, Set a Watchman. To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, talks of a young girl named Scout Finch who lives with her father, Atticus Finch, and a brother called Jeremy Finch. The story is of the 1930s and also has an Alabama setup. Black Americans were considered inferior to whites. It led to racial discrimination (Fine, 2019). The inspiration reflected in her writing resulted from the environment in which she grew up.
The plot to kill a mockingbird is based on a trial where her father, a lawyer, served as a defender for two African men accused of murdering a white storekeeper. Scout Finch is the narrator of the novel. The narrator and Harper Lee grew up in the time of the great depression with little money to do extra things; they relied on their imaginations to entertain them. Harper Lee’s first novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, reflects life in Maycomb, a small town where life is chaotic (Hegedus, 2018). Scout, a girl, narrates a story about happenings, including a case where an old Scout, a girl narrates a story about happenings, including a case.
From Scout’s perspective, many people in Maycomb lived a double life to fit in society; each person’s life is different, but they are all connected and become individually significant. From Scout’s perspective, many people in Maycomb lived double lives to fit into society. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout changes her view about Arthur because of curiosity; Jem and Scout try to drag Arthur out of his house to the outside world (Hegedus, 2018). Most people in this town used labels that, at some point, hurt others. Labels were also used to develop and plot stories concerning other individuals.
Hurt is shown when everybody thought Arthur was wrong and nobody wanted to be associated with him. It shows how one can judge others based on almost anything, including skin color and the people one associates with. There is a relationship between Harper Lee’s life and that of the narrator, Scout. They lived in Alabama, and both of their fathers were lawyers. Harper was present when Black men were tried for assaulting White women. Scout witnessed a Black man being defended in a case of assault. The black man has assaulted a White woman. Even though To Kill a Mockingbird is not telling about Harper Lee’s childhood, the story is a pure reflection of the author’s life.
References
Fine, L. (2019). Harper Lee | Biography, Books, & Facts. In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Harper-Lee
Hegedus, B., & Mcguire, E. (2018). Alabama Spitfire: The Story Of Harper Lee And To Kill A Mockingbird. Balzer + Bray, An Imprint Of Harpercollins Publishers.
Potyk, D., & White, C. W. (2020). Another Lesson from the Mockingbird: Institutional Racism in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. The American Journal of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2020.07.008
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