What are the connections between Harper Lee's life and

her novel?
Lee has said that To Kill a Mockingbird is not an autobiography, but rather an example of how an
author "should write about what he knows and write truthfully". Nevertheless, several people and
events from Lee's childhood parallel those of the fictional Scout. Lee's father, Amasa Coleman Lee,
was an attorney, similar to Atticus Finch, and in 1919, he defended two black men accused of murder.
After they were convicted, hanged, and mutilated, he never tried another criminal case. Lee's father
was also the editor and publisher of the Monroeville newspaper. Although more of a proponent of
racial segregation than Atticus, he gradually became more liberal in his later years. Though Scout's
mother died when she was a baby, and Lee was 25 when her mother died, her mother was prone to a
nervous condition that rendered her mentally and emotionally absent. Lee had a brother named
Edwin, who — like the fictional Jem — was four years older than his sister. As in the novel, a black
housekeeper came daily to care for the Lee house and family.
The character of Dill was modeled on Lee's childhood friend, Truman Capote, known then as Truman
Persons. Just as Dill lived next door to Scout during the summer, Capote lived next door to Lee with
his aunts while his mother visited New York City. Like Dill, Capote had an impressive imagination and
a gift for fascinating stories. Both Lee and Capote were atypical children: both loved to read. Lee was
a scrappy tomboy who was quick to fight, but Capote was ridiculed for his advanced vocabulary and
lisp. She and Capote made up and acted out stories they wrote on an old Underwood typewriter Lee's
father gave them. They became good friends when both felt alienated from their peers; Capote called
the two of them "apart people". In 1960, Capote and Lee traveled to Kansas together to investigate the
multiple murders that were the basis for Capote's nonfiction novel In Cold Blood.
Down the street from the Lees lived a family whose house was always boarded up; they served as the
models for the fictional Radleys. The son of the family got into some legal trouble and the father kept
him at home for 24 years out of shame. He was hidden until virtually forgotten and died in 1952.
The origin of Tom Robinson is less clear, though many have speculated that his character was
inspired by several models. When Lee was 10 years old, a white woman near Monroeville accused a
black man named Walter Lett of raping her. The story and the trial were covered by her father's
newspaper, and Lett was convicted and sentenced to death. After a series of letters appeared claiming
Lett had been falsely accused, his sentence was commuted to life in prison. He died there of
tuberculosis in 1937. Scholars believe that the plot may have also been influenced by the notorious
case of the Scottsboro Boys, in which nine black men were convicted of raping two white women on
very poor evidence. However, in 2005 Lee stated that she had in mind something less sensational,
although the Scottsboro case served "the same purpose" to display Southern prejudices. Emmett Till,
a black teenager who was murdered for flirting with a white woman in Mississippi in 1955, and whose
death is credited as a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement, is also considered a model for Tom
Robinson.
• 1 year ago

What
similarities did Harper Lee’s life have with Scouts life?

In Harper Lee’s
story she writes about many things that happened to
her as a child. In the
story Harper is telling the story in the position scout is
in. Lee is actually
telling The story that she lived as a child. Her real life had
various similarities
to Scouts life. In this essay I will explain the similarities
of Harper Lee’s
life to Scouts life.
As Harper lee was growing up she lived in a sleepy
town named
Monroeville, Alabama. In this town she grew up hearing crazy stories
and
rumors which the townspeople would make up. As a child she also heard
a
lot of stories about ghosts, tall tales, and rumors. This reflects in her
story
with all the strange stories about Boo (Arthur) Radley.
At seven
years old she started writing and reading. Even before they
had taught her
these skills in school. She was an intellectual prodigy. She
was bored in
school and was much more intelligent than all the other kids. As
you remember
in the story Scout had learned to read and write way before all
the other
kids and Scout also was bored in school.
In real life Harper Lee was a tomboy.
In the story Scot was also a
Tomboy, she hadn’t even worn a dress until her
first day of school. Also
Harper’s best friend was here cousin Truman Capote.
Who is basically what
Dill (Charles Baker Harris) was in the book. Harper
was a child who for
some reason used rather adult words when she talked. If
you notice in the
book the vocabulary that Scout is using is complicated for
a child of merely
eight years old. She was also known to knock a boy down
and start fighting
with him. In the book Scout fought with a boy in two or
three occasions.
As a child Harper Lee and her cousin witnessed a KKK meeting.
For
Harper it was an experience that showed the evil in her community. This
experience
showed up in her book, where such comments like “Niger Lover”
were displayed
by the characters in her book.
In this essay I have displayed examples of
how The book “To Kill a
Mockingbird” compares to Harper Lee’s own childhood
experiences. I also
explained where some of the characters in the book compare
to people in her
real life.

Harper Lee has always claimed that her novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" was not
autobiographical. However, there are a number of similarities to Lee's life and the life of
Scout and Atticus Finch. Lee's father was a southern lawyer, like Atticus. According to
childhood friends, Lee was a tomboy like Scout. And Lee had a special friend like Dill
because every summer the boy who would become the celebrated author Truman Capote
used to visit. Many believe that Lee was influenced by what influences many writers and
that was her own personal experience. In addition, Lee wanted to say something about
the civil rights movement which was at its height in 1960 when the book was published.
Even though the setting of the book is in the 1930's, the novel has much to say about
the fair treatment of all people, especially African-Americans.Lee addresses prejudice and
tolerance and especially the courage it takes to make societal change. These ideas,
combined with her personal experiences, probably influenced Lee to write her Pulitzer
prize winning novel.

According to several sources, including the most recent autobiography of Harper Lee
entitled Mockingbird, one could argue that there are several models on which the
incidents in To Kill a Mockingbird and the character of Tom Robinson are based. When
Lee was 10 years old, a white woman near Monroeville falsely accused a black man
named Walter Lett of raping her. The story and the trial were covered by her father's
newspaper, and Lett was convicted and sentenced to death. After a series of letters
appeared claiming Lett had been falsely accused, his sentence was commuted to life in
prison. He died in prison of tuberculosis in 1937. The plot of the novel may have also
been influenced by the notorious case of the "Scottsboro Boys" in which nine black men
(many of whom were teenagers at the time) were falsely convicted of raping two white
women on very poor, circumstancial evidence. However, in 2005 Lee stated that she had
in mind something less sensational, although the Scottsboro case served "the same
purpose" as the trial of Tom Robinson did in the novel, which was to expose the long
standing prejudices of the South.

Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird was loosely based on her own life. the Tom Robinson
case was similar to the scottsboro case that went to court in her home town of
Monroeville, ALabama. if you notice in the book,TOm stands before a all white jury . In
the Scottsboro case, all nine men were standing before a all white jury . they were
unfairly convicted.Only one of the nine escaped with only a 1-2 in prison

found it very amazing that Nelly Harper Lee's life was almost used as a base for the book "To
Kill a Mockingbird". Just like Jem, Nelly's brother Edwind was protective and generous. Also, I
noticed that the adventurous Scout was similar in many ways to Harper Lee herself. They are
both tomboys, are close with their brothers, and love reading or writing. I believe that the
character Dill is based off of her companionship with Truman Capote. Just like Dill, Truman is
always by her side, and they are very friendly with each other. During the six minuted and
twenty-two second clip, it had said that Nelly Harper Lee had lived through the Great
Depression. This was a hard time for many people, and this duration of time reminds my of
Maycomb County. This tiny town is a "tired, old town" with sagging roofs, red mud, and grass on
the sidewalks. Having a depressed and worndown town reminded me of what it would be like
during the Great Depression. Next, I found it very interesting that Nelly's first draft of this book
was called "Atticus", Scout's father's name in the book. Although I love how she wanted to
emphasize the father's importance in the book, I like the title "To Kill a Mockingbird" better.
This title is almost like a cliffhanger that makes the reader curious about what this sentence
could mean. Why would you want to kill a mockingbird. Finally, Harper Lee had tranferred to
Oxford College in England for a couple of years. I deem that this is a great idea because it is
helpful to experience different cultures other than what you are used to so you can open up
your eyes and notice the troubles or successes of others. Do you think that "To Kill a
Mockingbird" will be about the feelings Harper Lee had while she was growing up?