Long-standing ideals and attitudes require great force in order to transform. In the past, several organizations and individuals have contributed to this force, including Harper Lee. Born in the 1920s, Harper Lee was far ahead of her time. She chose to speak about social issues through her writing, and became a prominent advocate for social change with the publication of her first novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses diction and characterization in order to change her audience’s attitude about racism. The novel quickly raised discussion, as racism has always been the subject of controversy.

In the way of history, whenever an issue concerning humans arises, controversy follows close behind. Racism is no exception to this rule. For decades, racism has been one of the most discussed topics worldwide. In fact, the matter is so significant that it has wreaked havoc on whole races and left dark marks on history. Lee exposes one of these dark marks by writing about the persecution African Americans faced, particularly in the 20th century South. Lee’s novel revolves around the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man who is wrongly convicted on the basis of skin color. Diction, used throughout the novel, is just one of the tools Lee uses to inspire her audience to move away from this kind of injustice.

In order to raise awareness about the controversial topic of racism, Lee utilizes controversial words. Throughout the novel, almost every character uses derogatory language to refer to African Americans, including children. When Atticus tells Scout not to say the n-word, Scout insists that “’s what everybody at school says” (Lee 99). Scout’s innocent statement demonstrates the widespread and outright nature of the racism in Maycomb. By including words to which most of American society is now sensitive, Lee forces her audience to acknowledge the hardships African Americans faced in the era, and consequently, the hard truths of the past. The derogatory language in the novel not only raises awareness of the severity of the issue, but also creates the proper atmosphere for Lee to inspire her audience to reject racist beliefs.  

Scout’s encounters with many of the characters who take part in the plot expose the ignorance behind racism. When Scout is forced to engage in the Missionary Circle’s meeting, she notices the blatant hypocrisy of some of the ladies. During the meeting, Mrs. Merriweather goes on a tangent about the Mrunas, an African tribe, and the poverty and immorality they face (Lee 308-309). While Mrs. Merriweather laments the horrors Africans are facing overseas, she continues to discriminate against African Americans in her own town. By including this scene, Lee quickly makes the ladies’ racism seem unreasonable. This kind of clear hypocrisy shows up again in Scout’s interaction with her school teacher, Miss Gates. When a student raises the issue of Adolf Hitler and his persecution of the Jews during class, Miss Gates winds up in a bout of indignation and disgust over Hitler’s racism (Lee 327-329). A confused Scout later goes home to tell Jem about Miss Gates’ episode. After revealing that she has heard Miss Gates talking viciously of African Americans, Scout claims that she doesn’t understand how somebody can “hate Hitler so bad an’ then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home” (Lee 331). Once again, by including this revelation by Scout, Lee swiftly points out the hypocrisy behind many people’s racist ideals.

Harper Lee is just one of the many individuals who has made an effort to change people’s views about racism. In her first publication, To Kill a Mockingbird, she uses diction and characterization to do so. The use of derogatory language towards African Americans creates the proper atmosphere for Lee to educate her audience. Furthermore, Scout’s interactions with hypocritical, racist characters such as Mrs. Merriweather and Miss Gates, emphasize the foolishness behind racism. Whether Harper Lee was successful in her efforts or not is unclear, but the fact that To Kill a Mockingbird is still being discussed decades after its publication speaks volumes.