HistoricalImpactsonLiterature

Whilereadinganythingfrompoetrytoclassicnovels,readersmaynoticepatternsbetweenthe
workanditshistory.Manythingsfactorintoapieceshistory,includingtheauthoranditssettingor
topic.Ifthereaderwantstoanalyzeapiecefromthisangle,heorshemaywanttouseHistorical
Criticism.WhilelookingataworkofliteraturethroughalenseofHistoricalCriticismthereadermust
lookintopastinordertounderstandthenovel.Thereadermustmustunderstandtheinfluenceofthe
historicalcontextinwhichthepiecewaswritten,theinfluenceoftheauthorslifeandbackground,and
theinfluenceofthehistoricalcontextofthenovelitself(Davidson).Byunderstandingthistypeofliterary
theoryHistoricalCriticismcaneasilybeappliedtothenovel
ToKillaMockingbird
byHarperLee
.
After
applyingthistheorytothenovelitbecomesapparentthatHarperLeeslifeaffectedhernovelinmany
waysandthatthetimeperiodofthelate1930sinwhichthenovelwassetinalsohadmanyeffectsonthe
work.
WithoutadoubtLeeslifeinfluencedhernovel.Thisiseasilyseeninherchildhoodandherlater
life.Whilelookingatherearlylifetheconnectionsbetweenitandherworkcanbeseenrightaway.
HarperleewasthetheyoungestchildofAmasaColemanLee,alawyer,andFrancesFinch(Anderson,
par.2).IncomparisonScout,thenarratorof
ToKillaMockingbird
,statesmyfather,AtticusFinch,went
toMontgomerytoreadlaw(Lee4).ThesimilaritiesbetweenthemstandoutwithnotonlyLeesbutalso
Scoutsfatherbothbeinglawyers.OnecannothelpbutnoticethesharedsurnameofAtticusandLees
motherFrances.Otherconnections,suchastheonesbetweenLeesoldersister,oftenreferredtoasa
recluse,andBooRadleycanbeseen.TrumanCapote,afrequentsummervisitortoMonroeville
(Anderson,par.2)whereLeegrewupandadventurousfriend,canbecomparedtoDill,asimilarly
adventurousboyalwaysfullofstories.OntopofallofthisLeewasborninMonroeville,Alabamaon
April28,1926(Anderson,par.2).Bothgrowingupinthesouthandinthetimeofthe1930sexposed
hertotheracialtensionsofthattime,influencingtheviewshecreatesinthenovel.Theseviewsalso

carriedonintoherlaterlife.
LeesLaterlifealsoplayedapartinhernovel.Thenovelwaspublishedduringthecivilrights
era,whichfocusedtheeyesoftheworldonherhomestate(Anderson,par.5).Sheexperiencedallof
thisandthetimebroughtupoldprejudicesingrainedinthesouth.Itcomesthroughinthebookwhen
Scoutsneighbor,Mrs.Dubose,sayswhathasthisworldcometowhenaFinchgoesagainsthisraising?
Yourfathersnobetterthantheniggersandtrashheworksfor(Lee102).Thisisseenmanytimeswhen
theresidentsofMaycombbringAtticussdefenseofTomRobinsonintoquestion.Duringthecivilrights
eramanyprejudicestowardAfricanAmericanswerealsobeingbroughtintoquestion.Thisrevealsitself
inthenovelthroughScoutsinquisitiveviewontheworldsheisgrowingupin.TyinginwithallofLees
lifeistheperiodandeventsofthe1930sitself.
Manysimilaritiescanbeseenwhencomparingthenoveltotheactualeventsofthetimeperiodof
the1930s.ThesesimilaritiescanbeseeninboththeScottsboroTrialsandsentimenttowardsAfrican
Americansinthe1930s.TheScottsboroTrialsstronglyresemblethetrialofTomRobinsonand
definitelyinfluenceLeewhenwritingtheaboutthetrialinhernovel.InthecaseoftheScottsboroTrials
nineyoungAfricanAmericanmenwereputtotrial.Theyweretakentoprisonwhenthedeputysheriff
ofScottsboro,Ala.,chargedtheyoungmenwithrapingtwowhitegirls,wholateradmittedlyingtohide
theirprostitution(Baker,par.3).ThisisreflectedinthetrialofTomRobinsonwhenCalpurniarevealsto
thechildrenthatOldMr.BobEwellaccusedhim[Tom]ofrapinhisgirlanhadhimarrestedanputin
jail(Lee124).ThisisalmostthesametowhathappenedtotheScottsboroboys.Ontopofthat,justlike
howthevictimsoftheScottsboroboystriedtohidetheirshameofbeingwithablackman,Atticusbrings
upMayellaspossibleviewthat...he[Tom]mustberemovedfromherpresence,fromthisworld.She
mustdestroytheevidenceofheroffense(Lee203).However,asconvincingashisargumentis,hewas
notabletosecureTomsfreedomandTomwassentencedtodeath.Thesamethinghappenedtothe
Scottsboroboysastheirtrialsresultedindeathsentencesforallbutoneofthedefendants(Baker,par.

3).
Thepublicsentimentofthe1930salsoinfluenceLeesnovel.Intheearly1900sthesouthwas
romanticized,butastheyearsprogressedtheregionwasnowseenasasiteofilliterateandintolerant
racebaitingrubes(Cox681).Peoplebegantoviewthesouthanditstakeonracismbadlybecauseit
wascreatingaharshenvironmentfortheblackpeoplelivingthere.TheScottsboroTrialswereaseriesof
eventsthatnowserveasachillingreminderofprejudiceandracialhatred(Baker3).Butalthoughthe
trialsmayhaveinfluencedLeeswritingoftheRobinsonTrial,theoverallanimositytowardsblacksin
thesouthatthattimegreatlyimpactedthenovel.ThiscanbeenseenwhenAtticusaddressesthejuryof
theRobinsoncase.Hepointsout...theevilassumptionthat
all
Negroeslie,that
all
Negroesare
basicallyimmoralbeings...thatthejuryandMaycombCountyseemstohave(Lee204).Heiscalling
outthejurorsandmostofMaycombontheirobscenehatredtowardsblacks,muchliketheoneheldby
mostsouthernersinreallifeduringthe1930s.ThisdiscriminationisalsoseeninScoutsfamily.
Althoughshedoesntunderstandit,shefeelsangrywhenFrancissaysIguessitaintyourfaultifUncle
Atticusisaniggerloverbesides,butImheretotellyouitcertainlydoesmortifytherestofthefamily
(Lee83).Shefeelshowitisnotrightforthistohappenjustlikemanydidinthe1930s.
WiththeapplicationoftheliterarytheoryofHistoricalCriticismtothenovel
ToKilla
Mockingbird
byHarperLee,thesimilaritiesandinfluenceoftheauthorslifeandtheeventsinreallifeon
thebookbecomeapparent.Influencesonworksofliteratureareeasilyfoundwhenapplyingthese
theoriestothem.Itallowsthereadertounderstandtheworkmore,suchasthisone,andhopefullylearna
fewthingsabouttheauthororthecontextofthestory.
WorksCited
Anderson,NancyG.HarperLee.
EncyclopediaofAlabama.
AlabamaHumanitiesFoundation.19
March2007.Web.29March2013.
Baker,Debra.TrialsoftheCentury.
ABAJournal
,07470088,Jan1999,Vol.85,Issue1.
Academic

SearchPremier.
Web.29March2013.
Cox,KarenL.TheSouthandMassCulture.
JournalofSouthernHistory,
August2009,677690.
AcademicSearchPremier.
Web.29March2013.
Davidson,Jen.LiteraryTheory.TriCityUnitedHighSchool,Montgomery,MN.10December2012.
Lecture.
Lee,Harper.
ToKillaMockingbird.
NewYork:WarnerBooks,1982.Print.