To Kill a Mockingbird

The events of To Kill a Mockingbird span from 1933 to 1935, encompassing two notable eras of American history: the Great Depression, and the post-Civil War era in which Jim Crow laws marginalized African Americans. Although the novel’s setting of Maycomb, Alabama, is fictional, it’s typical of a small town in the 1930s American South. Lee’s depiction of the town hints at economic struggles and the effects of The Great Depression. She emphasizes the poverty of country folk, like the Cunninghams and Ewells, in contrast with the relative comfort of the townsfolk. Lee also acknowledges the effects of The Great Depression in her characters’ dialogue; for example, after receiving gifts of food from the Black community, Atticus comments that “Times are too hard” (213).

The historical backdrop of the Jim Crow era also features prominently in the novel’s themes. Although Lee set the novel in the 1930s, she published it in 1960. Despite the 30-year gap, Jim Crow laws still segregated the South while Lee was writing the novel. Scout’s criticism of the town’s attitude towards the black community expresses Lee’s own criticism of the segregation laws and prejudice that typified the South. Lee uses the justice system as a backdrop to showcase the unequal and unfair treatment of African-Americans, and she depicts segregation in the courthouse and in churches.