Alabama is a beautiful state with scenic beaches, rolling mountains, and pretty towns. But its history is also inseparable from the pain of slavery and the injustice of segregation. It was this deep-rooted practice of discrimination that inspired Nelle Harper Lee to publish the American classic, “To Kill a Mockingbird” in 1960. Within a year, she’d won the Pulitzer Prize for the book, which centers around a girl nicknamed Scout confronting the racism of her 1930s Alabama small town. Scout faces this harsh reality when her lawyer father, Atticus Finch, defends Tom Robinson, a black man who’s been wrongfully accused of assaulting a white woman. The story was published four years before segregation ended, yet it doesn’t hold back from shaming racism in the U.S. In facing difficult issues head on, Lee cemented herself as a great American writer, and turned her hometown of Monroeville into a literary destination in Alabama.
The Real-Life Inspiration Behind the Story
While Lee’s famous novel isn’t directly based on a single true event, it reflects the author’s experience growing up in the segregated South. Born in 1926, the author saw the law sanctioning discrimination and applauding it as justice. The book’s fictional town of Maycomb is similar to Monroeville, where the author lived all her life. It’s also no coincidence that Lee chose to tackle racism through a court case, as she frequently saw her lawyer father in the middle of trials at the town’s courthouse. Some people believe that real cases of black men falsely accused of crimes — like the 1933 Walter Lett Trial — likely inspired the story as well.
Monroeville is also the inspiration for Lee’s second novel, “Go Set a Watchman,” published in 2015. Focused on now 26-year-old Scout, the book deals with Maycomb’s push to keep schools segregated, a notion that Atticus Finch defends. Lee dared to tear down the hero of her first novel to portray the events she witnessed firsthand during the fight for civil rights in Alabama.
Tips for Planning Your Literary Pilgrimage
Rather than sweep its dark past under the rug, the town has embraced the book’s cultural criticism and continues to celebrate it. Prioritize visiting the old courthouse, now the Monroe County Museum, whose permanent “To Kill a Mockingbird Exhibit” provides insight into both the book and the author. The museum also highlights other Monroeville writers, including Lee’s childhood friend, Truman Capote. Afterwards, you can stop by the Old Bank Building, where Lee’s dad once worked, or see a large mural that portrays one of the book’s scenes. There are references to the novel all over Monroeville, which is part of what makes this small town a great destination in Alabama.
Many Harper Lee fans travel to Monroeville between mid-April and mid-May to see the town’s annual play version of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The first act is held outside, and the second act is enacted inside the courthouse, immersing people in the events of the book — and in a not-so-distant reality. Afterward, try to drive to nearby Montgomery, where you can follow a Civil Rights Trail that will also highlight the history that Harper Lee so sharply exposed.
Feeling inspired? Try planning your own trip using Only In Your State’s itinerary planner…