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Life During The 1930s To Kill A Mockingbird

Decent Essays

We can use the characters, the setting, and the relationships between characters in To Kill a Mockingbird to understand how the past affects the future. When Lee’s novel takes place, it is during the prime of racism and discrimination in America, specifically Alabama. Caucasians are incredibly rude to African-Americans solely because of skin color. Many cities and states are segregated during this terrible time period. To Kill a Mockingbird accurately illustrates how life during the 1930s was when it came to racism, the Great Depression, and false rape accusations.
To Kill a Mockingbird clearly reflects the false rape accusations that took place during the 1930s. Regarding one court case during March of 1931, author Daniel S. Levy says, “In order to avoid being charged with consorting with blacks, the women accused the men of rape” (Levy, par.5). Mayella Ewell falsely accuses Tom Robinson of raping her, similarly to the other white, young women in the 1930s. Women decided to accuse these black men of rape to avoid society’s judgement and criticism. Also, in the book, Mayella says, “-he chunked me on the floor an’ choked me ‘n took advantage of me” (Lee 180). These women that created stories had very elaborate and planned accounts to really …show more content…

Scout mentions, “[Walter] had probably never seen three quarters together at the same time in his life” (Lee 20). Money during the Great Depression was hard to come by for many people, especially farmers. The Cunningham family was in the farming business, leading them to become impoverished. Another example of life during the Great Depression is, “As factories closed doors, one in four Americans lost their jobs” (Kubic, par.6). The Great Depression specifically affected Alabama because it had copious amounts of crops, agriculture, and farming jobs. Many residents of Maycomb County were associated with farming and agriculture, causing Maycomb to become

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