Verdoorn 1
Mollie Verdoorn
Shaw
English 2, Period 3
5 November 2014
To Kill A Mockingbird Essay
Society shapes and influences people whether its from the past or present. When society
changes you, it can be for the greater good such as taking in the world differently, or it can
change you in a negative way, and turn you into someone that you wish you weren't. Harper
Lee is a great example of how society can change you, and so is her novel, To Kill A
Mockingbird, and the characters in it. After reading this novel, it can leave a big impact on
your life and influence you similar to the way society does. Society shaped and influenced
Harper Lee to write her novel, the characters in her novel go through changes society inflicts
on them. When your reading and when you're done reading the novel it changes you. At the
time the novel took place, it was hard on blacks because they were discriminated against and
thought less of. This inspired Lee to write To Kill A Mockingbird.
Individuals or their acts influence and shape many people. The people in Harper Lee's life
compelled her to write To Kill A Mockingbird. To illustrate a certain theme in Scout's home life,
Lee used her own life as an example. For instance "While the two friends were very different,
they both shared in having difficult home lives" (biography.com). In other words Lee and
Capote were very different in personality, but they both had a hard time at home. From this
we can infer that Harper Lee's experiences in life helped her understand the struggles of her
characters and how she wrote them to be who they are. Society can also shape someone by
the acts of others. For...