"The impact of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' extends far beyond the book's pages, with one expert prediciting the power of hte novel 'will be with us for decades to come,'" (Shapiro). In many ways Lee was extremely brave for publishing her book when she did; the Civil Rights movement was at it's height and fear of the unknown was everywhere. Julia Eichelberger who is a professor of Southern Literature at the College of Charleston believes that Lee's depictions of the South, southern women, and telling the story through the eyes of Scout is what made the story unique (Shapiro). "'A lot of people, particularly in Harper Lee's lifetime, didn't really understand the South and looked down upon it, and thought of it as very backwards...Her novel gives us a particular point of view,'" (Shapiro).
To Kill a Mockingbird's effect on print culture is bold. For Lee dared to do what few before her had. To tell a story about a sleepy southern town and show the good, the bad, and the ugly when it came to telling her story. She dares to tell a story about a white lawyer defending a black man and point blank saying that Tom Robinson was convicted simply because of his skin color. As Atticus tells his children "Simply becuase we were licked a 100 years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win."
Source
(A. Ranndall, Interview Highlights: Why "To Kill a Mockingbird" has remained relevant, July 17, 2015).
Shapiro, E. (2016 February 19). Harper Lee: The Impact of 'To Kill a Mockingbird.' Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/US/harper-lee-impact-kill-mockingbird/story?id=37055512
To Kill a Mockingbird's effect on print culture is bold. For Lee dared to do what few before her had. To tell a story about a sleepy southern town and show the good, the bad, and the ugly when it came to telling her story. She dares to tell a story about a white lawyer defending a black man and point blank saying that Tom Robinson was convicted simply because of his skin color. As Atticus tells his children "Simply becuase we were licked a 100 years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win."
Source
(A. Ranndall, Interview Highlights: Why "To Kill a Mockingbird" has remained relevant, July 17, 2015).
Shapiro, E. (2016 February 19). Harper Lee: The Impact of 'To Kill a Mockingbird.' Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/US/harper-lee-impact-kill-mockingbird/story?id=37055512