To Kill a Mocking Bird Vs. Farewell to Manzanar

Survival of the fittest: Wakatsuki vs. Lee

Jeanne Wakatsuki and Harper Lee represent minority groups as a platoon of soldiers whose everyday goal is to live another day; however, whether these soldiers have complete freedom differs between the authors stories. In Farewell to Manzanar, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston illustrates her family as trapped behind a fence, and stripped of their freedom. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee describes the African Americans as people who viewed as people of less value. In both cases, the author shows the desperation the minority groups have towards earning respect and dignity. Both authors represent, through racial discrimination, a great deal of harassment towards minority groups, as well as other discriminating factors the effect the minority groups situation their own unique ways.

In Farewell to Manzanar, Jeanne wakatsuki displays the Wakatsukis as a family who is upset with their imprisoned lives at Manzanar. Jeanne illustrates her discomfort with her current situation by saying, “There seemed to be no way out of it for anyone. You couldn’t even run.” (Huston 71). This shows that Jeanne feels extremely caged up while at Manzanar, and that she can not even run because there is no were to run to. Jeanne also gives an impression of complete loss of hope, as if all at Manzanar are doomed and are going to live their rest of their lives in the same horrible way. Jeanne Wakatsuki Huston emphasizes a tone of confined life, without independence or free will.

However, in To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee describes African Americans as the lower class people of the town. Lee depicts the town full of citizens who frown upon people who take the side of African Americans when scout is taunted, “Scout Finches

daddy defends niggers.” (Lee 74). This shows that Lee stereotypes people who defend and believe African Americans as evil and corrupted citizens. African Americans were not treated as fairly and were not given equal rights as those citizens who were not African American. Lee outcasts Africans and depicts them as liars and cheaters who are only concerned about their own well being.

In both Farewell to Manzanar, and To Kill a Mockingbird, Wakatsuki and Lee give a theme describing desperation for self-respect and liberation of any evil accusations against the minority group. When wanting to be set free from Manzanar, Jeanne feels that, “Isolation at Manzanar