earticle

영어

This paper explores one of the most controversial issues on Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Despite its dramatic success, Lee’s novel has been charged with racism and became involved in the censorship battle both in the U. S. and Canada. Some claim that the novel is a champion of the battle against racism in America, while others argue that it shows serious problems in handling racial issues. This simultaneous praise and criticism reveal a remarkable similarity between this novel and Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In fact, since the first publications of To Kill a Mockingbird, critics pointed out the similarities between these two novels. However, their comparisons are limited mostly to superficial similarities, such as narrators, settings, and thematic issues, for example. A more careful comparison reveals there are significant differences between these two novels in their treatments of racial issues. Mark Twain’s novel subverts racial stereotypes by carefully developing Jim’s character. Lee’s novel, on the other hand, reinforces the “good darky” stereotype. While Mark Twain’s novel highlights the efforts of the African-Americans in the struggle for racial justice in America, Lee’s novel minimizes the African-American presence in the battle. Mark Twain’s vision for the New South is radical enough to warrant a much debated “evasion ending.” Lee’s vision, on the other hand, can be called “Jim Crow” liberalism at most. Thus, this paper answers the charge of racism on To Kill a Mockingbird by comparing it to Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.