Abstract

Harper Lee is a unique American Southern writer. Depending on her only work To Kill a Mockingbird became the representative of the American Southern literature after Faulkner. Once published, the novel won the Pulitzer Prize of 1961 for her. In 1962, the work was adapted to movie, which made great success. In 2007, Lee was awarded the American Presidential Medal of Freedom for commending her excellent achievement in Literature.

This thesis consists of six parts: the first part is a brief introduction to Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird, generalizes the main content of the novel, and then points out the aims and significance of the thesis. The second part briefly introduces the research status of the initiation story. The third part discusses that To Kill a Mockingbird is an initiation story combining with the definition and features of the initiation story. The forth part discusses the meaning of “Growth crisis” and the protagonist’s growth crises. The fifth part argues the significance of the family, surroundings and right guidance for the growth of the adolescents according to the protagonist and Boo’s growth crises. The sixth part explores and analyzes the growth crises embodied in the narrative techniques in To Kill a Mockingbird.

To Kill a Mockingbird describes the protagonist Scout’s growth crises that she experiences from six to ten. Nowadays, overseas study on To Kill a Mockingbird is not enough, while domestic studies mainly focus on the theme, symbolism and gothic characteristic of the novel. The thesis aims to be based on the initiation story and will make an analysis of growth crisis embodied in To Kill a Mockingbird and the factors that influence the adolescents’ growth. Growth is an essential development progress. Adolescence is the period of transition from childhood to adult and the key period from fairy tales to real world. Adolescent can’t deal with the crisis with reason like the adult. To this point, external conditions are significant for the growth of the children.

Key words: the initiation story, growth crisis, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, external conditions