Although To Kill a Mockingbird is a work of fiction, the rape trial of Tom Robinson at the center of the plot is based on several real trials of black men accused of violent crimes that took place during the years before Lee wrote her book. Lee does not...
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Although To Kill a Mockingbird is a work of fiction, the rape trial of Tom Robinson at the center of the plot is based on several real trials of black men accused of violent crimes that took place during the years before Lee wrote her book. Lee does not exaggerate the racism in her account. If anything, she downplays it: unlike many black defendants from the time period, Tom has a competent defense lawyer who believes in his innocence, and he is able to escape lynching by a mob. One lesser-known trial that likely contributed to the novel was a murder case in which Harper Lee’s father, a lawyer named A.C. Lee, participated. A.C. Lee defended Frank and Brown Ezell, a black father and son accused of murder, but they were found guilty and executed by hanging. A.C. Lee never tried another criminal case, and there is speculation that Lee’s novel was influenced by her father’s experience with the racism of the judicial system. To Kill a Mockingbird also reflects the Scottsboro Boys trial, one
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