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Social differences in to kill a mockingbird
Social differences in to kill a mockingbird
Social differences in to kill a mockingbird
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To Kill A Mockingbird Essay
The Town of Maycomb is a quite old town full of familiar faces, but among all these there are people facing hardships. Harper Lee shows that in To Kill A Mockingbird, many people are facing poverty; there is much violence in the town, and that there is strong racism amoung Maycomb County. There’s people like the Cunninghams who are faced with poverty, and have hardly any money, there’s people like Lula who are racist and heartless towards the white people, and then there are people like Mayella Ewell that are faced with hardships in life, and rather choose to cheat and lie and have a rather violent life. Poverty affects the lives of multiple people in the town; most of the town isn’t even that wealthy. Poverty
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affects the Cunninghams in that they have to live of of their own resources, and what they provide for their own family. Racism heavily affects the lives of people in ways that now seem immoral. They put Blacks below all people just because of their skin, and in some cases, the Black men are more humble and serene as where the white men are cheats and drunks. Violence also plays a rather large role in the book To Kill A Mockingbird in that the whole court case that Atticus is trying to win revolves around violence, and how Mayella Ewell was supposedly beaten and raped by Tom Robinson and, whether or not there going to take a Black man’s word over the Ewells. Overall I believe that poverty, racism, and violence play major theme roles in To Kill A Mockingbird and will continue influencing the actions that the characters take next. Poverty plays a big role in To Kill a Mockingbird from generation upon generation passing down poverty. One main character that is faced with poverty is Walter Cunningham. “The Cunninghams never took anything they can’t pay back—no church baskets and no scrip stamps” (Lee 26). When the Cunninghams can’t pay for service, they use a different way of repaying a debt, like with what they produced such as crops and firewood. Because Walter and his family are faced with poverty, they are better at making the most of what they had. This forced them to live off of what they grew themselves which in turn made them less dependant on others for their necessities. Another character facing poverty would be Tom Robinson's wife, and having to care for three children only made it worse. Since Tom was in jail, Mrs. Robinson wasn't having hardly as much money coming in to support herself and her kids than she normally would, and it was a struggle for her trying to find a job, because “folks aren’t anxious to… have anything to do with any of his family” (Lee 164). this ,made it especially hard for her to find someone willing enough to employ her so what she did to get money was that she would have the church help her. “‘You all know what it’s for----Helen can’t leave those children to work while Tom’s in jail. If everybody gives me one more dime, we’ll have it----’’’(Lee 162), is what the pastor is asking of them and is trying to raise ten dollars for Helen Robinson. Poverty affected her and her kid’s lives and made them dependant on the church more than anything. Poverty is seen throughout the whole book and I predict that we'll be seeing more incidents of families living through poverty as well as racism further on. Racism also plays a major role in To Kill a Mockingbird and is seen throughout the book, and is seen in the Tom Robinson case that is affecting Atticus’s life and in the more recently read chapters when Lula is being racist towards Scout and Jem because they’re white.
The case of Mr. Robinson is the core of racism in this book and what is happening is that Tom is being convicted, by Mr. Bob Ewell, of supposibly “ rapin’ his girl” (Lee 164), and Atticus is defending Mr. Robinson. Mr. Ewell is a white man and Tom Robinson is a black man; there is racism because whites are highly favored towards the judge and the jury, as where colored folk are not. Atticus case is basically one sided and most of town favors whites. Atticus told uncle Jack “‘it couldn’t be worse, Jack. The only thing we’ve got is a black man’s word against the Ewells’. . . The jury couldn’t possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson’s word against the Ewells’”’ (Lee 117), and that shows that the Maycomb County’s folk are mostly racist, and even blacks could be racist against whites or in vice versa. This leads me on to Lula witch is very racist towards whites. Although she is colorblind, she could still tell the difference between colored folk and non colored folk. When cal walks into the church with Jem and Scout Lula confronts her and says “‘you ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here-- they got their church, we got our’n”’ (Lee 158), witch is implying that Lula doesn't want them there and that's why she said “‘they got their church’”(Lee 158). Since Lula is racist, that makes her overlook the similarities that colored folk and non colored folk share. She becomes blind to the good things about them and only sees what wrongs they do, and that’s why she doesn’t like Jem and Scout. Racism will not go away in To Kill a Mockingbird, and will stay the most important them, and all this shows us how society will forever judge people on their looks but one man does have the power to change it all if
he puts in the right efforts. The theme violence is also seen throughout the book; especially in Mayella Ewell. Mayella was violently “beat… and she had a black eye comin” (Lee 223- 225). Mayella Ewell claimed that Tom Robinson raped her and beat her and had bruises along the right side of her face showing that she must've been beat by a left hand. Violence plays an important theme in that Mayella was very badly beaten and tries to put the blame on Tom Robinson. Mr. Ewell claims that Tom Robinson beat and raped his daughter, but has no doctore evidence that proves Robinson guilty of actually doing it. Since Mayella Ewell was beaten on the right side of her body, it shows the hits were probably by the left hand and to our information Tom’s left hand is one foot shorter than his right. Tom on the other hand claims that he would never hurt Mayella and that one day she called him in to do a job for her inside, but instead Mayella kissed him and tried to sort of hug him. This is when Tom then tried to escape by getting Mayella off, but at this point Mr. Ewell came by and said “‘you goddamn whore I’ll kill ya”’ (Lee 260). Tom Robinson claims that he tried escaping but Mayella kept him there. “‘I didn’t want to harm her, Mr. Finch”” (Lee 260) is what he tells Atticus, and when Tom Robinson finally has a chance to run away, he takes it. This whole case revolves around violence, and how she was supposedly beaten and raped by Tom Robinson when all facts point to it actually being Mr. Ewell. In Conclusion, the main themes throughout To Kill A Mockingbird remain the same. Racism, poverty, and violence are still what everything revolves around throughout the book. There's people like the Cunninghams and Tom’s wife who are faced with poverty. There are people like the Tom Robinson, and Lula who are faced with racism. Then there are lieing cheats like the Ewells who believe violence is more or less fine. These three main themes govern the actions of these characters and will stay as an important theme throughout To Kill A Mockingbird. The order of maycomb always puts negroes before white men. Although Tom Robinson is a good Negro since he is a Negro he is after a Ewell. Overall I believe that poverty, racism, and violence play major roles in To Kill A Mockingbird and will continue on influencing the actions that the characters take next.
In the novel, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee some characters suffer in the hands of justice and fairness more than others. Many characters in the novel are discriminated against such as Calpurnia, Dolphus Raymond, Helen Robinson, Burris Ewell and more. However I will be focusing on the discrimination against Tom Robinson for his race, Walter Cunningham for his low socioeconomic status and Boo Radley for the rumors and supposed mental instability he holds. I chose those three because they are the most prominent and I will discuss how the discrimination against the characters therefore leads to their injustice or unfairness.
In the town of Maycomb, a man who stands up against racism forever changes people’s views on racism. Scout, Jem and Atticus Finch all stand together against racism and prejudice in the tiny town of Maycomb. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, in the town of Maycomb, prejudice is a disease, but Jem, Scout, and Dill are immune to this illness because of the people who raise them. For example, when Cecil and Francis told Scout that Atticus is a disgrace to defend Tom Robinson, even though Francis is Scout’s cousin. When Scout and Jem hear the verdict of Tom’s case they both cry and are angry about the sentence while the rest of the town is ecstatic. And finally when Scout doesn’t want Walter Cunningham to come over for dinner because she thinks that he is a disgrace. For all of these reasons, the Finch family must not be racist or prejudiced.
Accused of raping a poor white girl, innocent Tom Robinson is now faced with a desperate trial. “The evil assumption-that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption one associates with minds of their caliber.” (Lee 273). Atticus delivers a powerful speech to the courthouse audience highlighting the disturbing truth of the unfair society. Although there was substantial evidence proving Tom’s innocence against Mayella Ewell, Tom was convicted for the rape the Ewell’s made up to disguise their guilty faults. The stereotypical accusation of the unjustifiable verdict costed Tom his life, when he grew “tired of white men’s chances and preferred to take his own.” (Lee 315). There are always two sides to a story and specifically someone from the black community had their strong opinion on those of the white community. When Calpurnia brought Jem and Scout to her church, they were interrogated by an angered Lula. “You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here-they got their church, we got our’n.” (Lee 158). Lula makes a stereotypical judgement, after seeing Jem and Scout she immediately labels them white, and we can infer her thoughts are pulled from her prior knowledge of the stereotypical racist white community. She has never met Jem and Scout yet is quick to group
To Kill A Mockingbird displays an environment where one must be inhumane to another in order to become socially compatible. Maycomb has established a hierarchy where social compartmentalisation is the way of life. Men with a profession and a career are superior, while the farmers are near the bottom of the social strata and are considered inferior. No matter which remarkable qualities Negroes possess, they are always s...
Although most discrimination appears as white people against African American people, there is one case where the discrimination appears as African American people against white people. On a Sunday when Jem and Scout’s father, Atticus, is not home, Calpurnia, their cook, takes the two children to her church. Once there they were confronted by a woman named Lula. She is racist against white people, and shows it by saying, “‘I wants to know why you bringin’ white chillun to n***er church’” (Lee 158).
In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird three characters, Scout, Jem, and Atticus Finch, experience the many hardships and difficulties of human inequality in their community, Maycomb County. Scout, the narrator, gives insight to readers about the many different characters of Maycomb, yet two are alike in many ways. Mayella Ewell is a 19-year-old girl who is considered white trash and lacks education, love, and friends. Dolphus Raymond is a wealthy white man who is married to an African-American and has mixed children. Although these characters may seem different, they share many of the same advantages and disadvantages of human inequality.
In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, housing inequality is readily apparent and is vividly described in the description of the “Negro settlement.” Even the fact that the white townspeople call it a settlement makes it clear they do not want it to be part of the town of Maycomb. The inequality goes beyond just the housing, affecting many aspects of how the African Americans are forced to live.
Every town has problems, and the town of Maycomb from the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is no different. Maycomb citizens are put forth with social problems created by racism. As a result of racism, physical abuse was plentiful in the town of Maycomb. The citizens of Maycomb were caught up in a cycle of racial discrimination, proving that racism does not benefit anyone. The citizens of Maycomb deal with many social issues due to the conflict of racism.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, many things occur to be simple and everyone’s happy, but it’s not always peachy in Maycomb Alabama. To Kill a Mockingbird tells of a little girl’s love for her family and life living in a racist community filled with judgmental people (Shackelford). This was the time where black people were treated unfairly in courts, especially in Alabama (Johnson). Alabama was the most racist part of the south, everything was separated and blacks were treated like dirt that the whites walked on. In the book, blacks did not have many rights and had to be servants and workers for the whites.
Maycomb, a small town in Southern Alabama suffers considerably during the Great Depression. Poverty outstretches from prosperous families, like the Finches, to the Negroes and “white trash” the Ewells, who live adjacent to the town dump. Harper Lee, the author portrays a graphic image of everyday life in this southern town where tempers and discrimination erupt into quarrel. Racism, domestic violence, and poverty are all themes that are associated within To Kill a Mockingbird and are symbolized by many of the main characters to send a message. First of all racism is the main focus portrayed in To Kill a Mockingbird, it is symbolized by Tom Robinson and Atticus Finch.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere”. Martin Luther King envisioned a world in which society lived without hate but in peace with one another, his dream was cut short when he was assassinated purely because of the racial prejudice someone had. The injustice he faces relates heavily to his quote as it speaks the truth about the innocence of one person and it must be protected from the evil of society. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, the author Harper Lee, addresses the cruel society in which injustice is served based on the withstanding prejudice and racism the town of Maycomb contains. The author addresses this to the reader through the use of characters that symbolize the victims of
“There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and there’s the negroes.” (Lee 258).When Jem proclaimed this social idea to Scout in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, it showed how much of an influence the different economic classes have on the people of Maycomb County. In the novel, Scout and Jem Finch are raised by their father Atticus, a lawyer who is very respectful and understanding. Atticus’ outlook on life is shown when he accepts the Cunningham’s payment in things grown from their farm instead of money, when Atticus helped them with an entailment. The Finch children are also raised with the help of Calpurnia, the family’s African American cook, and spend the summer with their best friend Dill Harris. Dill comes to
All men are created equal. Although many believe this statement to be true, some do not. I’d like to believe that as a species, we have grown not just physically but mentally. Unfortunately, while we have gotten better, we’re not quite there yet. In 2018, acts of racism and discrimination are occurring as we speak. As we look back at our history and learn every year about events that we, as young adults of this generation, couldn’t possibly stop, we need to realize the fact that in order to completely mature and grow as human beings, we must learn from the past, and the only way to learn about it is to read about it. Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird conveys this message with little to no mistakes.
The book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee contain a very engaging family who are the Cunninghams. The Cunninghams are very poor; they are people who live in the woods. They are a family who depend highly on crops. Walter Cunningham, the 'father' of the family has to work hard on the cultivation of crops because crops is the only form of wages for them. The Cunninghams have no money. Their only way to survive is through paying others with their crops. The Cunninghams are not main characters in the book, but they are characters who 'brought out' other characters' personality. Harper Lee displays that there is a lot of prejudice going on in Maycomb by putting the Cunninghams in the book. "The Cunninghams [were] country folks, farmers"(21) who are very honest people in Maycomb, they "never took anything they [could not] pay back"(23), but they are unfairly mistreated by part of the society in Maycomb.
Sleepy Maycomb, like other Southern towns, suffers considerably during the Great Depression. Poverty reaches from the privileged families, like the Finches, to the Negroes and “white trash” Ewells, who live on the outskirts of town. Harper Lee paints a vivid picture of life in this humid Alabama town where tempers and bigotry explode into conflict. To Kill a Mockingbird has three main themes throughout which includes racism, poverty, and domestic violence. There is a variety of people in this novel that gives a valid picture on how these three themes have any relation to the book.