Introduction
To Kill a Mockingbird is a significant novel in all aspects. It was set during the Great Depression when the standard of living in the United States plummeted, and many of the population lost their jobs and became severely impoverished (Sastrawijaya, 2021). In addition, in those days, violence, racism, and social inequality were usual phenomena. The young and passionate writer Nelle Harper Lee could not remain silent. Thus, it is essential to provide information about the author and how her life was reflected in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Information about the Author
It is important to note that the main facts of the author’s life are included in the novel. Nelle Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama, on April 28, 1926 (Crespino, 2018). The family was quite prominent on the small-town scale. Nell’s father was an entrepreneur, a lawyer, and editor-in-chief of the local newspaper, The Monroe Journal, and the author’s mother was a homemaker (Crespino, 2018). Despite a rather ordinary and predictable life in a provincial town, Nelle Harper Lee loved it throughout the author’s life. She sought to portray the charm of Monroeville in the stories.
In addition, Nelle Harper’s best friend Truman Garcia Capote, a future writer and an important figure in twentieth-century American literature, contributed to Nell’s passing of time. Together, they played, quarreled, made peace, and composed various stories (Crespino, 2018). One of Truman and Nell’s favorite pastimes was going to court, and scenes from court appeared in To Kill a Mockingbird.
After college, the girl attended the University of Alabama, where Nelle Harper Lee studied law (Crespino, 2018). There, Harper Lee wrote articles for the student newspaper, and inspired by the rise of Truman Capote’s career, Nelle left the university six months before graduation. After arriving in New York in 1949, the woman was a steady writer, but Nelle Harper Lee could not publish papers (Crespino, 2018). Nelle Harper Lee spent several years revising it, and the book became a bestseller after publication.
The Author’s Life in the Book
In To Kill a Mockingbird, the main character, Scout Finch, meets Dill, a spoiled boy and a genius liar, when they are both six years old. It is the same in life: Harper Lee and Truman Capote met when they were six and became best friends forever (Sastrawijaya, 2021). They were always the people who were highly significant to each other. They helped and could always count on each other (Lee, 2010).
Similarly, one of the central characters in the novel, Atticus Finch, by the author, had the traits of a father. Harper’s father, Amasa Coleman Lee, was a lawyer like Atticus Finch, but man was the opposite of Atticus (Sastrawijaya, 2021). Consequently, Harper invented and described the father of whom the woman had dreamed.
Meanwhile, Harper’s mother suffered from depression and was unable to take care of the children, which is why the image of Scarecrow Redley is based on the wife (Lee, 2010). Moreover, Jim, the brother of Scout Finch, was copied entirely from the older brother of Nelle Harper Lee. Thus, the book’s main characters were adapted from the life of Nelle Harper Lee.
Conclusion
Therefore, Nelle Harper Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, in which the main characters had the features of the writer’s family members or friends. It is also worth noting that the woman attempted to give the characters positive characteristics, even if, in real life, they were opposite, like the author’s father. Accordingly, Nelle Harper Lee not only wrote about the Great Depression but also adapted the story of their own life into the novel’s scenes. Thus, it positively impacted the popularity of To Kill a Mockingbird, which became a bestseller.
References
Crespino, J. (2018). Atticus Finch: The Biography. Hachette UK.
Lee, H. (2010). To kill a mockingbird. Random House.
Sastrawijaya, M. D. (2021). The character and moral values in “to Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. INFERENCE: Journal of English Language Teaching, 3(1), 81-87. Web.