Can we create a historical timeline of disability by using works of fiction during the twentieth century?  Or rather, how do authors use society in their works of fiction, and to what extent, both positively and negatively, is this relevant to disability history? These are the fundamental questions of this essay, to examine three works of fiction in their portrayals of disabled characters, and the society they live in. The books chosen for this essay are: To Kill a Mockingbird, Forrest Gump and Of Mice and Men. The books are examined from both an internalist and externalist point of view. To determine how writers portray disabled characters, and how the treatment the disabled characters compare to the treatment of disabled people in the society the writers lived in. To better understand the subject in question, I chose to use Ervin Goffmans’ stigma theory. The earlier research I found mostly consisted of studies with another theoretical starting point, or about another form of art, mostly film. This essay concludes that the portrayal of disabled characters in the books mostly conformed to the society the writers lived in when writing the books. In other words: society had a large influence on the writers of the books. However, there were cases where the books distinctively separated from societal norms. In all these cases, the disabled characters were shown in a better light than society would allow at the time. The reason for this is difficult to pinpoint, however I discuss that it might be because the writers’ thoughts might be ahead of their time. The twentieth century regarding disability rights were in constant change, and the writers could have been influenced by the disability rights movement.

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