To Kill a Mockingbird and A Raisin in the Sun are both books written during a time of racial tension and inequality. Harper Lee and Lorraine Hansberry lived through the civil rights movement and saw physical and verbal harassment against African Americans. This experience is evident in both works as the theme of the fight against prejudice shines through. The goal of this article is to compare and contrast the theme in both books and how it affected both families. Additionally, throughout the article I will examine the themes of innocence and fighting prejudice. To analyze each section in depth, I have divided my article into many sections. My sections will include a summary of Harper Lee's book followed by an analysis of the theme. Subsequently, the same elements will compose the following sections, with the exception of A Raisin in the Sun. Finally, I will conclude with a paragraph comparing the impacts of the themes in both works. However, I will first need to summarize the books and themes covered, and that is what I will turn to now. To Kill a Mockingbird is set several years after the Great Depression in Maycomb County, Alabama. The plot flows through the Finch family led by the single parent, Atticus. The story begins with Scout, the youngest Finch, his older brother Jem, and their friend Dill becoming curious about the town's mystery, Boo Radley. Guided by false rumors from the town gossip, Mrs. Stephanie, they become frightened at the thought of her mysterious life and the disturbing house in which she lives. One day a rabid dog is spotted in the city. The sheriff convinces Atticus to shoot the dog since he was supposedly the best shot in town, and the children's view of their father changed after witnessing this ho...... middle of paper ...... ment and attacks if they were seen treating a black man fairly. However, the courage of the characters in both books overcame the difficulties associated with their race. Overall, the similarities and differences of these two books written during a time of social unrest can be seen in the themes of innocence, fighting prejudice, and gender discrimination. These literary pieces provided a much-needed example to the mid-20th century community of what life was really like. They opened the eyes of many people by touching on sensitive topics such as racism and equality for all. Without these pieces of literature and the themes within them, the transition to equality might have taken much longer. Works Cited Hansberry, Lorraine. A raisin in the sun. New York: Random House, 1959. Lee, Harper. To kill a thrush. New York: Warner Books, 1982. Print.