“She is descended from Robert E. Lee, Civil War commander of the Confederate Army” ("Harper Lee." 220). Lee has told critics that the novel is not autobiographical, despite the similarities between herself and the main protagonist of the novel, Scout Finch. Although To Kill A Mockingbird is not autobiographical, many characters were inspired by important people and symbols in Lee’s life. Much like Scout, Lee could be pressured into submission with certain remarks about her being more like a girl. Lee’s Father, Amasa Coleman Lee, was the main inspiration for Scout’s father, Atticus Finch. Like Atticus, A.C. Lee was a lawyer in Alabama, and was appointed to defend African-American men in which the jury “convicted a man whom they had probably deemed guilty before the trial had begun”("To Kill a Mockingbird." 392). Tom Robinson and Boo Radley both symbolize the mockingbird, the symbol of the South. Atticus tells Scout and Jem that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because all they do is make music for them to enjoy. “The children's fear of Boo Radley, based on ignorance rather than knowledge, subtly reflects the prejudice of the town against Tom Robinson” ("To Kill a Mockingbird." 285). Lee chose the Mockingbird to represent the allegiance, kindness, and purity of characters such as Atticus, Tom Robinson, and Boo
“She is descended from Robert E. Lee, Civil War commander of the Confederate Army” ("Harper Lee." 220). Lee has told critics that the novel is not autobiographical, despite the similarities between herself and the main protagonist of the novel, Scout Finch. Although To Kill A Mockingbird is not autobiographical, many characters were inspired by important people and symbols in Lee’s life. Much like Scout, Lee could be pressured into submission with certain remarks about her being more like a girl. Lee’s Father, Amasa Coleman Lee, was the main inspiration for Scout’s father, Atticus Finch. Like Atticus, A.C. Lee was a lawyer in Alabama, and was appointed to defend African-American men in which the jury “convicted a man whom they had probably deemed guilty before the trial had begun”("To Kill a Mockingbird." 392). Tom Robinson and Boo Radley both symbolize the mockingbird, the symbol of the South. Atticus tells Scout and Jem that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because all they do is make music for them to enjoy. “The children's fear of Boo Radley, based on ignorance rather than knowledge, subtly reflects the prejudice of the town against Tom Robinson” ("To Kill a Mockingbird." 285). Lee chose the Mockingbird to represent the allegiance, kindness, and purity of characters such as Atticus, Tom Robinson, and Boo