Examples Of Outcasts In To Kill A Mockingbird

He has put himself, and his family at the top, and black people at the bottom. Throughout the book, Harper Lee there introduces the Cunninghams, who are more poor than Finch’s, and then the Ewells, who are the poorest, living behind the dump. On the other hand, Miss Caroline, an outsider from northern Alabama, does not understand the social ranks in Maycomb. Scout tries to explain to her, ‘“That’s okay, ma’am, you'll get to know all the county folks after a while”’ (Lee 22).

Atticus Finch, Scout’s father, is also a victim of stereotyping. Atticus decides to help a black man (Tom Robinson) in court. Because of this decision, the people of Maycomb have a set opinion of Atticus Finch. They say that because he is working for “niggers”, he must be like them. They also say that because he chose to help Tom Robinson, that he doesn’t like white people, and more specifically, Mr. Bob Ewell. One day while strolling back from town, Scout and Jem see Mrs. Dubose. In response to saying hello, Mrs. Dubose says, “’Yes indeed, what has the world come to when a Finch goes against his raising? I’ll tell you!’ She put her hand to her mouth. When she drew it

“The Ewells had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations. They were people, but they lived like animals.” Although the Cunninghams were close to it, neither families were considered to be part of “the common folk”. Atticus says that Scout is part of the common people, whereas the Ewells are part of their own society, consisting only of themselves. They were allowed to do most of what they wanted and whenever they wanted because everyone has given up on trying to “force people like the Ewells into a new environment.” The Finches are part of the common folk so the Finches are above the Cunninghams and Ewells on the social class hierarchy. Atticus think the Ewells are like animals because he has seen the way they lived. They hunted out of season, which was illegal, skipped school, and wasted money. Mr. Ewell spent their relief checks on green whiskey while his children cried in pain from hunger. Atticus’ opinion of the Cunninghams is better because they are kind people. They always repay for services and never take anything they can’t give back. They are trustworthy. “The Cunninghams never took anything they can’t pay back.” When Mr. Cunningham was one of Atticus’ clients, he made sure he paid him plenty. He sent crops after each harvest until Atticus received more than enough. The finches have no reason to disrespect them only because of their

scout and Jem Finch are growing up in the tired old Alabama town of Maycomb. Their father, Atticus, is the local lawyer and as a single parent tries to raise his children with honor and respect to their individualism. With the Depression on times are hard,

In the novel, Scout 's cousin, Francis Hancock, said “I guess it ain’t your fault if Uncle Atticus is a nigger-lover besides, but I’m here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the family–” (Lee 110). Francis criticized Atticus through Scout. He did not believe that whites should be helping blacks. He called Atticus a “nigger lover” like many others in Maycomb, even though Atticus was simply trying to help an innocent man, treating him the way everyone should be treated. Mrs. Dubose disapproved of the man that Atticus decided to defend. She believed that Atticus has gone against what he was taught when he was raised. To Mrs. Dubose, anyone associated with the Negroes were no better than them. Many people in Maycomb had the same views as Mrs. Dubose. They believed that being friends with a Negro made you trash like them. Therefore, they had been calling Jem and Scout names and insulting Atticus by calling him a nigger lover. Like Mrs. Dubose, Francis said that Atticus had gone against the family.

They are, and have been, the rudest and most disrespectful family in Maycomb for three generations. An example of this would be Burris Ewell. When attending class on the first day, he frightens the teacher with his state of uncleanliness. Scout even states that he, “was the filthiest human I had ever seen…His neck was dark gray… his fingernails were black” (Lee 29). When the teacher tries to send him home to clean up, Burris meanly tells her that this is the one and only day that he is ever going to come to school, leaving her distraught and in tears. In addition to talking back, Burris and his family resist going to school. They only go on the first day because the truant lady threatens to report them to the police. The whole family seems to follow their own set of rules instead of society. Their dad, Bob Ewell, hunts in the winter, which is against the law, and gets away with it because his kids would starve otherwise. In addition, the Ewell family doesn’t have a mother to set them right, which is mostly why Burris and all of his siblings only show up for the first day of school, the rest of the year is spent “Living like animals” (Lee 33). I must say that I agree with Atticus when he says, “the Ewells had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations” (Lee 33). The family has been judged poorly by society for reasons such as disrespectfulness, and discourtesy to

A characteristic that is strongly emphasised in the novel is pride, which Lee uses to show that poverty does not necessarily humble a family. The Cunninghams' pride is so strong they will not accept outside help, as shown when Scout tells her teacher, "the Cunninghams never took anything they can't pay back". In stark contrast to this, the Ewells "had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations", living off "regular weekly appearances at the welfare office for his [relief] check". Bob Ewell has no qualms about living like a parasite, and none of his family care that they are seen as the lowest level of society, apart from blacks. The Cunninghams have pride despite their poverty, in contrast to the Ewells' complete absence of self-respect

Matt Berman from Common Sense Media commented, “This richly textured novel, woven from the strands of small-town life, lets readers walk in the shoes of one fully realized character after another.” To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, one of the major messages is identity. Harper Lee lets the people look into the perspectives and identity of some of the characters that make it seem very life-like. In the novel, many characters possess both admirable and dislikable qualities which are shown through their actions. With the nurturing of her father, Scout contains the charming qualities of being courage and mature for her age. The father that instilled these characteristics in Scout, is Atticus Finch. While dealing with the stressful case of Tom Robinson, Atticus maintains to keep the likable aspects of sympathy and strong will. The antagonist in this novel fighting against Tom Robinson is Bob Ewell. Bob Ewell has instilled, in him, the terrible qualities of cruelty and racism. These life-like characters that Harper Lee illustrates gives people a clear vision of who the characters portray.

233). Atticus faces discrimination from almost the entire town of Maycomb for his decision to defend Tom Robinson. Mrs.Dubose’s comment is not the only racist one made to Atticus throughout the story. In the same way, Scout discriminates against Bob when she comments on Bob’s ability to comprehend what Judge Taylor had said to him. Judge Taylor uses advanced language and Scout assumes Ewell does not understand it because he did not finish school. Atticus and Bob both experience others judging them. Although Bob was not directly called a name, many comments are made about him behind his back. Given these points, it is clear that Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell display similarities.

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it" (Lee 30). Atticus Finch says these words to his daughter, Scout, after he elucidates to her why it is important to not be quick to judge a book by its cover . In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mocking Bird, the main conflicts are centered around prejudice. In the tiny town of Maycomb, everybody is set on tradition and there is no room for oddity. Atticus Finch breaks down the walls that everybody else builds up about first and lasting impressions, slowly but surely. Atticus Finch is a discreet example of practicing equality because he espouses the outcasts of Maycomb.

When you crawl into their skin, you realize that Mr. Ewell hunts out of season so that he can feed his children, and the kids don’t always go to school so that they can try to do things in order to help the family, get jobs, hunt for food, etc. Another place where the reader and characters have to step into the Ewells’ shoes to understand their situation and not judge them, is with Mayella Ewell, when she is on trial. While she was on trial Scout began to comprehend that Mayella definitely has a different and more privileged life than Mayella does. This is shown in chapter 18, when Atticus is doing the cross examination for her testimony. When Atticus is just trying to be polite and refer to Mayella formally, she feels as if he is being rude and making fun of her.

Is Mayella Powerful? Power is relevant in several different ways; however, there are three main elements of power. Some have power in their gender, race, or social class. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee writes about people and power. Specifically, the character of Mayella Ewell charges a black man with raping her.

Another presence of judgment in the novel is present in the character of Bob Ewell, an oblivious, grimy, abusive father, who looks down upon Negroes, believing he can take full advantage of them because he is of the white race. Scout declares that, “all [Bob Ewell] had that made him any better than his [Black] neighbors was, that if he scrubbed with lye soap in very hot water, his skin was white” (Lee 229). This indicates that the population of Maycomb judges primarily on race instead of morals, ethics, income, personality, or lifestyle, which further proves the segregation occurring within the South. This excerpt means that the community is more accepting of an unmannerly, poor, and often-drunk man rather than an honest, harmless black man, such as Tom Robinson. Skin color is the main eparation of the people for it determines who are neglected and who are treated like royalty. Furthermore, Mr. Ewell verifies his prejudiced nature, when, “[h]e stood up and pointed his finger at Tom Robinson. ‘I seen that black nigger yonder rutttin’ on my Mayella’” (Lee 231). This further reveals Mr. Ewell’s biased behavior because it presents him mistreating Tom Robinson. Lee uses words

Earlier in the novel, Scout relates that Atticus views the Ewell family as “the disgrace of Maycomb” (33). However, as the Ewells are a white family, they are having a higher social status. During the trial, it is declared that Mayella seduces Tom Robinson, and her father, Bob Ewell, thought that his daughter would shift her warm feelings for a black man. In addition, Bob Ewell’s reaction to his daughter kissing to Tom Robinson displays the fear of miscegenation. Atticus, however, strives for justice. Atticus explains the ugly truth to Jem and Scout: “In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (251-252). Atticus shows disgust with white people taking advantage of a black person’s ignorance” (252). Tom Robinson is facing a trial and the death sentence because he is black. Furthermore, Atticus makes it clear to his children that racism exists and tells Scout and Jem: 'In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always

Prejudice and social expectations: the cause of social outcasts and unfair treatment. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, themes of prejudice and social expectations are accurately displayed by creating outcasts in society and relying on pre-judgments to judge behavior. She also accurately displays the fact that not all people in the south during that time were prejudiced.