Author Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and Director Gary Ross’ ‘Pleasantville’ both explore the ideas of racism and prejudice in order to appeal and make meaning for the reader/audience. Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ set in 1930’s Maycomb, Alabama, and Ross’ ‘Pleasantville’ set in the fictional 1950’s town use characterisation, setting and symbolism to highlight the depth of racism and prejudice that is embedded and its consequences.
Characterisation is used in Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and Ross’ ‘Pleasantville’ for the audience to develop a deeper understanding of ‘Good Vs Evil’. Scout Finch, the narrator and a main protagonist in Lee’s novel is seen as the innocent child and a mockingbird herself with the quote “…I was slowly drying …show more content…
Lee sets the novel in the town of Maycomb which is suffering through The Great Depression, being described as a ‘tired old town’ which foreshadows a town reluctant to change and set in the past, identical to Pleasantville; a ‘pleasant’, fictional 1950’s town in which nothing goes amiss. The towns are both stuck in a loop, until certain events unhinge the towns foundation and prompt change. Ross used juxtaposition contrast the setting of David and Jennifer’s 1990’s suburbia compared to the typical 1950’s neighbourhood, puts emphasis on how evolution is inescapable. Meanwhile Atticus, Jem and Scout Finch lived in the early 1930’s and knew the townspeople and where everyone stood in regards to social status. The courthouse, a key setting to both Lee’s novel and Ross’ film, were similar in nature. In ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and ‘Pleasantville’, the balcony view was reserved and populated by ‘coloured’ folks which represented segregation and their non-discriminative point-of-view, inviting the audience to see the truth. The balcony, a common setting in Lee’s novel and Ross’ film, both emphasised the idea of segregation and the point of view, metaphorically and physically. David and Bill Johnson were fixated on the ground floor, identical to Atticus and Tom Robinson. The ‘coloured people’ whom populated the balcony and were persecuted for being …show more content…
The Mockingbird and Snowman were key symbols in Lee’s novel while Ross’ film concentrated on Betty Parker’s Makeup and the Rose. These symbols in both conveyed components of racism and prejudice indirectly and stimulated thinking among the audience. In Lee’s novel, the Mockingbird, a symbol of innocence, was shown in the characters of Scout & Jem Finch and Tom Robinson and elaborated on the true nature of being victimised and the snowman which represented black oppression and how black folks were ‘covered’ by the white people both symbolised the novel’s theme but also presented the idea of injustice within objects, showing to the audience that racism is so inbred into the community; it becomes the community. However, in ‘Pleasantville’, the newly-coloured rose symbolised the blossoming change to come while Betty Parker’s makeup dripped with the need to conform, the shame of being different weighing heavily in such an intolerant town. The symbols used in Ross’ film and Lee’s novel, both help the audience understand complex themes such as racism and
Characterisation is used in Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and Ross’ ‘Pleasantville’ for the audience to develop a deeper understanding of ‘Good Vs Evil’. Scout Finch, the narrator and a main protagonist in Lee’s novel is seen as the innocent child and a mockingbird herself with the quote “…I was slowly drying …show more content…
Lee sets the novel in the town of Maycomb which is suffering through The Great Depression, being described as a ‘tired old town’ which foreshadows a town reluctant to change and set in the past, identical to Pleasantville; a ‘pleasant’, fictional 1950’s town in which nothing goes amiss. The towns are both stuck in a loop, until certain events unhinge the towns foundation and prompt change. Ross used juxtaposition contrast the setting of David and Jennifer’s 1990’s suburbia compared to the typical 1950’s neighbourhood, puts emphasis on how evolution is inescapable. Meanwhile Atticus, Jem and Scout Finch lived in the early 1930’s and knew the townspeople and where everyone stood in regards to social status. The courthouse, a key setting to both Lee’s novel and Ross’ film, were similar in nature. In ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and ‘Pleasantville’, the balcony view was reserved and populated by ‘coloured’ folks which represented segregation and their non-discriminative point-of-view, inviting the audience to see the truth. The balcony, a common setting in Lee’s novel and Ross’ film, both emphasised the idea of segregation and the point of view, metaphorically and physically. David and Bill Johnson were fixated on the ground floor, identical to Atticus and Tom Robinson. The ‘coloured people’ whom populated the balcony and were persecuted for being …show more content…
The Mockingbird and Snowman were key symbols in Lee’s novel while Ross’ film concentrated on Betty Parker’s Makeup and the Rose. These symbols in both conveyed components of racism and prejudice indirectly and stimulated thinking among the audience. In Lee’s novel, the Mockingbird, a symbol of innocence, was shown in the characters of Scout & Jem Finch and Tom Robinson and elaborated on the true nature of being victimised and the snowman which represented black oppression and how black folks were ‘covered’ by the white people both symbolised the novel’s theme but also presented the idea of injustice within objects, showing to the audience that racism is so inbred into the community; it becomes the community. However, in ‘Pleasantville’, the newly-coloured rose symbolised the blossoming change to come while Betty Parker’s makeup dripped with the need to conform, the shame of being different weighing heavily in such an intolerant town. The symbols used in Ross’ film and Lee’s novel, both help the audience understand complex themes such as racism and