To Kill A Mockingbird Explanatory Essay

To Kill of Mockingbird Explanatory Essay

“‘Old Mr. Bob Ewell accused him of rapin’ his girl an’ had him arrested an’ put in jail---’” (Lee 164). To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, takes place in a settled town called Maycomb in Alabama. It is based during the early 1930’s when the Great Depression hit. Poverty reaches everyone from families like the Finches to the “white trash” Ewells. Soon the settled town Maycomb gets into conflict characterized by poverty, racism, and domestic violence.

In To Kill a Mockingbird the theme of poverty is expressed with characters such as the Cunninghams and the Ewells. Walter Cunningham shows up to school with clean clothes but lacks shoes and a lunch. “She stopped at Walter Cunningham’s desk. ‘Where’s

Mr. Ewell and Lula represent this theme symbolically. Mr. Bob Ewell was known as a disgrace for Maycomb. “‘Old Mr. Bob Ewell accused him of rapin’ his girl an’ had him arrested an’ put in jail---’” (Lee 164). Mr. Ewell accused Tom Robinson, a colored folk, of raping his daughter because he was colored, thus being an act of racism. Racism influences Mr. Ewell’s actions because since he does not respect the colored he is willing to accuse any colored folk of doing something against the law. Lula is a colored woman who does not respect white folks because of they way they treat them. “‘ I wants to know why you bringin’ white chillun to nigger church’ … ‘Yeah, an’ I reckon you’s comp’ny at the Finch house durin’ the week’” (Lee 158). Lula did not like the fact that Calpurnia brought Jem and Scout to a church meant for the colored, and she thought if they were company to Calpurnia at their church then Calpurnia was company to them at their house. Racism influenced her actions because since the colored were persecuted by the whites she had less respect for the children. Racism overpowers a person’s way of thinking and

In this book domestic violence is represented by Bob Ewell, who is a father of eight that spends welfare money on whiskey. “‘He does tollable, ‘cept when--’ … ‘Except when he’s drinking?’ asked Atticus so gently that Mayella nodded” (Lee 245). Mayella almost admits to the jury that her father gets violent when he drinks, and everyone in Maycomb knows Mr.Ewell drinks everyday. Once he found out that Mayella kissed a colored man he got furious. “‘She did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black man… What did her father do? We don’t know, but there is circumstantial evidence to indicate that Mayella Ewell beaten savagely by someone who led almost exclusively with his left’” (Lee 272). Bob Ewell was left handed, because of this he is most likely to have beaten her. He felt ashamed that his daughter kissed a black man, and he wanted to convince his mind that it was Tom Robinson who wanted the kiss and not his daughter. Domestic violence influences his actions because he beats his kids.

To Kill a Mockingbird lets us understand how these themes started the conflict. Poverty, racism, and domestic violence affected people’s way of thinking and actions everyday. It made folks in Maycomb think because of they are white they are able to do anything to a colored