Foucault and To Kill a Mockingbir

In his essay What is an Author?, Michel Foucault challenges the long-held belief that an author is the sole source of meaning within a text or work of art. He argues that instead of being a fixed and authoritative voice, the "author" is a function within discourse — a label society applies that influences how we interpret a work (Foucault, 1969). This idea disrupts traditional concepts of authorship, originality, and artistic control. Although Foucault’s essay directly addresses literature and written texts, it can also apply to other art forms by questioning who truly controls meaning: the creator or the audience.

 To Kill a Mockingbird Through Foucault’s Lens

One example that pairs well with Foucault’s theory is Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. The novel is often closely tied to Lee’s personal life, moral beliefs, and social context. Readers have long interpreted it through the lens of Lee’s identity as a Southern woman writing during the civil rights movement. However, when applying Foucault’s perspective, the text takes on a different dynamic. The meaning of To Kill a Mockingbird is no longer confined to Harper Lee’s intentions but shaped by generations of readers who bring their own experiences, cultural values, and historical contexts into their interpretation of the work.

As scholar Betsy Nies points out in Beyond Harper Lee: Essays on To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman, the novel’s interpretations have shifted dramatically over time, especially as contemporary readers revisit its portrayal of race, justice, and morality (Nies, 2018). Foucault would argue that meaning is not “owned” by Harper Lee but is continuously produced by its readers, cultural moment, and public conversations. This aligns with Foucault’s belief that the author is not the ultimate authority over a text, but part of a broader system of meaning-making where interpretations evolve and multiply.

Works Cited

Foucault, Michel. “What Is an Author?” 1969.

Nies, Betsy, editor. Beyond Harper Lee: Essays on To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman. University Press of Mississippi, 2018.