To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee in 1960, is a classic American novel that explores the trials, tribulations and prejudice suffered by the marginalised. Set in the 1930s during The Great Depression in Maycomb, a country town in the southern part of The United States, the text explores the issue of racism through the eyes of a six year old, white girl, Scout Finch, struggling to understand the racist behaviours of the society in which she lives. The author cleverly positions the audience to empathise with the indignities suffered by African Americans. Written during the context of the civil rights era in The United States when African American’s were fighting for their rights amongst segregationists, To Kill a Mockingbird was immensely relevant in highlighting the struggles faced by this marginalised social group and challenges dominant prescribed white views of black inferiority. The text has a strong moral didactic, allowing the reader to understand the perspective of those who are marginalised in society and thus critiques the accepted preconceptions of race during the context of production. This is achieved through the exploration of their stories using a variety of cleverly used narrative techniques such as symbolism, motifs, emotive language, narrator point of view and dialogue. While the texts function was especially important during the context of production due to the dominant white ideologies regarding the black population which imposed restrictions and inequities on groups due to their creed and colour, it’s relevance still remains as in a wider context, the text uses the voice of African American’s for all those who are marginalised within society and thus the reader questions their treatment of minorities. The engaging factor of the text remains the new perspectives explored that allow readers to view their behaviours in a new light. The main mechanisms through which the novel explores the voices and struggles of African American’s is