Examples Of Social Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird

Social Inequality Social Inequality has been here for many years, as long as the 50´s until now. In this book To Kill a Mockingbird you will see a lot of social Inequality. Harper Lee Shows how race and gender were like in the 60´s. In this story I will be talking about race, gender, and social inequality from today.

In Harper Lee’s novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” the social structure in Maycomb follows an extreme racial bias, defined by racial and economic divisions. Maycomb can be categorized into 4 different levels: Upper Class, Middle Class, Lower Class, and Ambiguous. The upper class consists of people with generational wealth. They have a particular social influence due to their reputation in the town. A great example of this class is the Finches and the Cunninghams.

People like the Finch’s are part of the highest social class because Atticus is a respected lawyer and they are white. Then there are people like the Ewells and Cunninghams. Even though they are white, they aren’t treated as well as people like Scout because they are poor and considered “trash” by some. Jem states that there are “four kinds of folks in this world. There’s 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 the negroes” (302). Jem, who is young and immature, sees the clear demarcations of people in his society. It is unjust and ignorant to judge someone based upon how much money they make or what social order they fall under. Some do deserve to be disliked as such as the Ewells, who have committed wrong acts, but even they are victims of the class system. Specifically Mayella, whose family is considered as the disgrace of Maycomb even though she had nothing to do with that assessment and was isolated from the rest of the world. Because of this, she tries to find comfort with Tom and this caused the whole trial situation to be created by deeply rooted ignorance in Maycomb. The people are ignorant towards the qualities of people like the Ewells because they fall under a certain social class which creates more problems and

Almost every society, past or present, has at least some sort of institutionalized groups that can be defined as social classes, and Maycomb County is not any different. Within this county, there are many different social classes. These classes are often separated by race and occupation. A useful way to envision these divisions would be to picture a ladder or a pyramid. On the top wrung of the ladder, in most societies at the current place and time, are the wealthy, white people. Southern Alabama in the early 1930’s was and extremely prejudice time and place for anyone but white people, but especially African Americans. This being said, even though the black people of the county were much more kind and seemed to have more class than many white people, they were still beneath them simply because of the fact that they were black. Atticus, Scout, and Jem Finch are part of this first class, because Atticus is a lawyer, which makes him a highly respected man in the community. They are also white, which is an important factor on deciding who belonged to what social class. Miss Atkinson and Aunt Alexandra are also part of this class because they are know as the perfect examples of what a southern lady should be.

One could be categorized into different social classes while living in Maycomb. Below the dirty countrymen, such as the Ewells, there were black men and women. Atticus Finch, a modest man, stands up for what he thinks is morally correct, even if that means defending a black man in court and socially diminishing his

A poor economy, outdated health care programs, and classism have propelled a majority of Americans into poverty. In a community, groups of people are often disenfranchised through the means of external factors; circumstances they cannot control. Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, conveys a powerful message demonstrating how people can become divided and deprived due to issues that affect a community. The message is appealing because the book is set in the 1930s; however, some of the very same issues are taking root in today 's society.

“ Every town the size of Maycomb had families like the Ewells. No economic function changed their status people like the Ewells lived as guest of the country in prosperity as well as in the depth of a depression” (Lee 17) This shows how the people from Maycomb view the Ewells they see them as white trash because of their social class. Secondly a Quote that demonstrate socioeconomic inequality was when Atticus explains to Scout why she has to go to school while the Ewells don’t “ Ewells had been a disgrace of Maycomb for three generations. None of them had done an honest day's work in his (Atticus ) recollection… They were people but they lived like animals.” (Lee 3) Atticus is explaining that no one in Maycomb respects the Ewells since they never worked or help the community and in maycomb they believed that’s what makes them a bad family they are consider to be outsiders they think all the ewells are scums. In conclusion the Ewells family were mistreated because of their

What is social inequality? What I do know is that it is not acceptable and shouldn’t be tolerated. For example, the Robinsons and the Radley’s, are both treated extremely poorly, because of the time period and the racist town of Maycomb. Throughout the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee develops the motif of social inequality through the families of the Robinsons, the Ewells, and the Radleys as they are all treated with social inequality.

The second social class was the middle class which was the Finch Family. Atticus was a lawyer, his salary was modest, therefore; he brought decent amount of money home for the family “Atticus derived a reasonable income from the law” (Lee, 2)

Social inequality is displayed when Jem explicitly indentifies social classes and explains that some people are “below” others. Another example is when Aunt Alexandra shows prejudice towards the Cunninghams because of their social status. The first example of social inequality is when Jem explicitly state the classes and how some families are ranked “below”. “There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbours, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negros.” (Lee 230) Jem said this because no matter where an African American was ranked, they will always be at the bottom. That is why the Ewells could send a black man to trial and win. It was because they ranked above them in class due to their race. It shows that the people of Maycomb showed prejudice towards class and thought that some people were below them. Next, social inequality is prevalent when Aunt Alexandra shows prejudice towards the Cunninghams. “’The things is, you can scrub Walter Cunningham till he shines, you can put him in shoes and a new suit, but he’ll never be like Jem. Besides, there’s a

Some cultures solidify social classes much more than others, but in To Kill a Mockingbird Maycomb in particular has their classes very separate. Throughout the novel there are different types of classes from each characters perspective. Depending on where one travels the different types of social classes could be considered definite or abstract. Social class acquires many different factors; money, where one lives, how one lives, who they live with, job, etc. “Walter is one of the Cunningham’s, Miss Caroline.”

John Steinbeck is known for social inequality and symbolism. Social inequality is the existence of unequal options or status with another group of people. An example of social inequality is in his novella, The Pearl. When Kino’s baby, Coyotito, was stung by a scorpion, he rushed the baby to the doctor’s office (CX). The doctor said to his servant, “Have I nothing better to do than cure insect bites for little Indians I am a doctor, not a veterinary” (11).

In the beginning, while the main character Scout Finch is going to class with her new teacher Miss Caroline whom is new to town and doesn’t know very much about the people, social class is a very prominent theme. First off, while Scout was going to school she met a boy from the Cunningham tribe. The Cunningham tribe was very poor and worked off the land for all that they had. As Scout

It is very evident that Maycomb is a small town in which there is much racism, and social status greatly determines what kind of life you will lead. The different types of social inequality are an important theme in the novel, and Harper Lee

Inequality is a theme that runs throughout all of history. Harper Lee uses the theme of inequality in her book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Tom Robinson must deal with inequality when he is accused of a crime he didn’t commit because no one will trust a black man over a white man. The Cunningham family must face discrimination because of their lack of money. Scout even faces inequality when she tries to play with Jem and Dill. The theme of inequality is a strong one in Lee’s book, and her use of inequality doesn’t only define racism, but also discrimination based on wealth and gender.