Why does Harper Lee call To Kill a Mockingbird a melancholy little drama?

The term melancholy can be defined as being in a "gloomy state of mind" for a long time or as a state of depression. It can also be defined as being in a state of serious "thoughtfulness" or "pensiveness" (Random House Dictionary). Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird certainly puts readers in both those states of mind due to its themes.

In addition, the term drama is used to refer to any type of fiction that relays a story through dialogue and conflict ("Drama," Literary Devices). Though comedies can also be dramas, outside of its literary definition, the term drama has also come to represent any events that lead to "vivid, emotional, conflicting," or impressive outcomes and, therefore, evoke very emotional responses (Random House Dictionary). Lee's novel is certainly a drama in both the literary sense and the more emotional sense.

Though Lee's novel has a generally satisfying ending for the protagonist Scout, her novel can also be seen as evoking gloomy emotions because it deals with the very tragic topic of racism. In dealing with the topic of racism, Lee provokes her readers to think deeply about the consequences of racism and to realize the extent to which Christian white Americans behave hypocritically by adhering to racist beliefs. Though it has been said that the novel has a generally uplifting ending, the reality is that not much changes--Maycomb remains adhering to its racist beliefs. In the words of Miss Maudie, Maycomb has only made a "baby-step" towards creating a more just society, which can certainly be seen as a rather depressing ending (Ch. 22).

The book is also clearly a literary drama because it tells a story through its characters, dialogue, and conflicts. Some central conflict in the novel concern the children's self-conflicts as their views of themselves and the world change as the children mature. Another central conflict concerns the ridicule the children must overcome as a result of Atticus's decision to defend Tom Robinson. Not only do the children have to resolve these conflicts, the resolution concerning Tom Robinson's conflict is actually quite disturbing: Robinson is not vindicated as he so justly deserves; he is instead shot to death with 17 bullets. Since Robinson's ending is so tragic, his ending evokes a very emotional response from the reader, making it a very emotionally dramatic ending.