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

yours?’ she asked. … Miss Caroline went to her desk and opened her purse. ‘Here’s a quarter,’ she said to Walter. ‘Go and eat downtown today. You can pay me back tomorrow’” (Lee 25).The Cunninghams can not afford to pay her back so they do not accept it. They are a respectful family and because of poverty they accept what they have and still have manners. The Ewells are “white trash”, who have bad attitude and lack good manners. They show up on the first day of school and never come back. “ He was the filthiest human I had ever seen... ‘He’s one of the Ewells, ma’am,’ and I wondered if this explanation would be unsuccessful as my attempt. But Miss Caroline seemed willing to listen. ‘Whole school’s full ‘em. They come first day every year and then leave.’” (Lee 35-36). The family has no mother and Burris Ewell has been going to the first grade for three years now. Since the Ewell’s are in poverty they do not want to get into the lowest social class with the coloreds, so they are willing to make up any lie to stay away from it. Although they were in a state of poverty they were like all white folks; they were racist.
Racism plays a huge role in the settled town Maycomb.

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

actions.
During this time period domestic violence happened frequently because of racism.

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

folk.