To Kill a Mockingbird and A Raisin in the Sun are both books written in a time of racial tension and inequality. Harper Lee and Lorraine Hansberry lived through the civil rights movement and witnessed physical and verbal harassment against African Americans. This experience is evident in both works where the theme of fighting prejudice shines through. The purpose of this article is to compare the theme of the two books and see how it affected both families. Additionally, throughout this article I will examine themes of innocence and combating prejudice. In order to analyze each section in depth, I have divided my article into several sections. My sections will include the summary of Harper Lee's book followed by thematic analysis. Then the same elements will make up the following sections, except for A Raisin in the Sun. Finally, I will conclude with a paragraph comparing the impacts of the themes in the two works. However, I will first have to summarize the books and their accompanying themes, 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 runs through the Finch family headed 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. Led by false rumors from Mrs. Stephanie, the town gossip, they are frightened by the thought of his mysterious life and the strange house in which he lives. One day, a rabid dog is seen in the city. The sheriff asks Atticus to shoot the dog because he was supposed to be the best shooter in town, and the children's opinion of their father changed after witnessing this house...... middle of paper. ..... lies and attacks if they were even 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 sexual discrimination. These literary works 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 addressing sensitive topics like racism and equality for all. Without these literary works and the themes found within them, the transition to equality could have taken much longer. Works Cited Hansberry, Lorraine. A raisin in the sun. New York: Random House, 1959. Lee, Harper. To kill a mockingbird. New York: Warner Books, 1982. Print.