"To Kill A Mockingbird": Historical, Cultural and Author's Background

1. Why is it necessary to understand the historical and cultural context of the novel?

With the historical background and cultural context being set, we will then be able to better comprehend the characters' behaviour; why the characters act the way they say the things they say, and do the things they do.

In this novel "To Kill a Mockingbird", when we know the historical / cultural context, we can understand why Tom Robinson was being ostracised by society and was charged with a crime he did not commit. This was because of his black skin colour, and during the age they lived in, blacks had a lower social standard and were therefore prejudiced by the whites, resulting in the unfair judgement being passed.

2. How does it help to understand the author's background? Is it necessary to learn about the author's background?

By knowing the author's background, we can then understand why the novel is being written in a particular style, and perspective. In the case of "To Kill A Mockingbird", some words such as "chiffarobe" (closet-like furniture) are rarely, if not used at all in today's context.

Different authors have different purposes for which the story was written. Therefore, by understanding the author's background (for example, in which era the novel was written), we can truly achieve the author's aim of writing this novel, and grasp the true meaning of what the author was trying to bring across.

We can also understand why the story unfolded in the way it did. For instance, an optimistic one would always close the story with "light at the end of a tunnel", which we can only anticipate beforehand if we are aware of the author's character. On the contrary, a pessimistic author would probably have a sad unfolding of the story.

Lastly, we can comprehend and relate to the author's beliefs and point-of-view on social issues that were rampant during the era.

With the aforementioned points, it can be concluded that knowing more about the author's background will definitely benefit the reader.

3. Is it possible to appreciate the text without pre-reading about the historical and cultural context of the novel / background of the novel?

Without the understanding of the historical and cultural context of the novel, we would not know why certain character(s) treat others or are being treated in a particular way. It would, too, be extremely difficult for the reader to understand why, during that time, some particular cultures and customs are being practised or performed, thereby making the comprehending of events a tedious task.