Poverty In To Kill A Mockingbird

Social inequality is an uncivilized ranking scale which was created by simple minded people who held the fear being surpassed. The argument made by Harper Lee in her work To Kill a Mockingbird is that social inequality is a hierarchy that is complex and affects everyone. More specifically, the author argues that the racial boundaries put between the black and white during the 1930’s caused great stress. This is proven in the novel multiple times. The people of Maycomb judge one another based on the background and wealth of their families. Not only do they judge each other within the community, they discriminate against anyone different than them. Social inequality does not only exist in the form of racism, there are many forms; some of the major ones appear in this book. Social inequality based purely on family background, social inequality based on the wealth of the individual and family, and racism. These are three of the major forms of social inequality that appear numerous times in the book.

Poverty is everywhere in this world especially in education. Poverty in education could come from the location of the school, the child’s home life, how the students feel about school and in many other ways. Poverty comes in all shapes and forms, “An appalling number of American Children live in poverty. According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, 14.7 million, or nearly 20 percent of children under age 18, live below the poverty line” (When Poverty…). The kids/students bring those debilitating effect with them to school every day.

In the book ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee, racism and social inequality are two central themes. Many different forms of social inequality coexist in the society depicted in the book, as the people of Maycomb are very rigid in their ways. This is because the book takes place in a time at which there was much racism and social inequality. In Maycomb, firstly there is discrimination between rich and poor white people, who do not often interact with each other. There is also racism against blacks by all white people in society, both rich and poor. Black people are denied basic rights and discriminated against in this town. Lastly, there is racism between the lowest classes of the community: poor white people and

The theme I’d like to discuss from the novel is financial inequality. In everyday life people are judged by the way they look and by the way they act but most importantly they’re judged by their wealth because money is what drives everyone, it’s what classifies people as weak or influential. Financial inequality is a theme that appears in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird (TKM) in the sense that some of the characters in the novel are defined by the amount of money that they’ve gained, such as, the Cunninghams.

It is important to put yourself in one’s shoes. By doing so, you can understand that person’s situation better. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Aunt Alexandra is prejudiced towards social classes, and Bob Ewell is prejudiced towards people whose skin color is different than his.

Social inequality based entirely on race affects people who don’t deserve it. To Kill a Mockingbird original publication was in 1960, it is a classic novel written by Harper Lee, the book is set in 1933 to 1935. To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in a small town called Maycomb, Alabama and follows two years in the life of 7-year old Scout Finch, her brother Jem, and their father Atticus, an attorney who hopelessly strives to prove the innocence of a black man accused of rape. The book also talks about Boo Radley, a mysterious neighbour who saves Scout and her brother Jem from being killed. The definition of social and legal codes are social codes made up of rules and standards, and a legal system is a code of laws made by a state or nation. Throughout the book, social and legal codes are exploited by people to help maintain their social status. In Maycomb County, social and legal laws harm black people to protect white people, such as Atticus Finch, Bob Ewell, and Tom Robinson.

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.

Race is the dominant cause of inequality in To Kill A Mockingbird, thus Maycomb’s views on race heavily influence every aspect of life. Although racial inequality is clearly illustrated in the in the injustice, prejudice, discrimination and antagonism surrounding the Tom Robinson trial, it is also shown more subtly throughout the novel. In chapter 25 Atticus Finch is quoted disclosing that the corrupt justice system is a direct cause of a racist society. “In our courts, when it's a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (Pg 295). To emphasize, on the same occasion Atticus attempts to explain to his children how widely spread racism is, “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men everyday of your life”

Who is to blame for the enormous number of people living in poverty? There are ¨forty-nine million Americans [who] do not know if there will be food on their table [in the] next week¨ (¨Our Views¨). In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows how these numbers can be a result of an individual's actions or because ¨of a system that [leaves] them powerless¨ (¨Our Views¨). Although it may be easier to believe that people are in poverty due to their own bad choices, in reality many people are trapped in poverty because of their lack of opportunities in society.

In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, one of the major themes that author Harper Lee highlights are the divisions and inequality in society. The story is set in the 1930’s in Maycomb, Alabama when class, gender, and racial discrimination were highly prevalent. In this time Jim Crow laws were in effect. Jim Crow laws mandated the segregation between black and whites. Consequences of questioning Jim Crow laws were violent and people were rejected from society and their family. The 1930’s is also the time during which the great depression was taking place. Many families were hit hard by the great depression. Maycomb was not a poorer, small, Southern, town. Also in this time, women were not given equal rights and they were expected to fulfill

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.

“As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it—whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash” ― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird. The theory Bryan Stevenson has applied to the justice system is extremely useful since it sheds insight on the difficult problem of poverty and racism towards many African Americans. The justice system focuses on the people with more power. The more power you have, they more advantages you get to get away with. The Ewells may not have any social power but since their white, it gives them more capability over others. Considering racism and poverty have become a monumental issue, the chances of someone believing a black person is diminishingly low.

Innocence is perceived through children, however, we all are forced to grow up at some point in our lives. As kids begin to age, they start to see the truth behind everything they were shadowed by during their adolescence, just like the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The theme of the mockingbird is innocence although, the children have to mature and acknowledge that they are blinded from the adult world. Throughout the story, they realize and piece together all that is occurring around them in the setting of the book, racism and that it should not be socially acceptable to discriminate other human beings for being a different race.

The novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee explores how characters demonstrate social inequalities and how characters in the novel defeats them with acts of courage whether public or private. Harper Lee explores the need for courage to bring societal change by Atticus’ decision to defend Tom Robinson and how he challenged society as the book was set in the early 1930s and racial prejudice was a big issue and was normal in society, Mrs Duboses’ courage to defeat her addiction demonstrating private courage to fix her own issues as well as gaining a new perspective and Scout’s courage by establishing public courage and challenging. To Kill a Mocking bird is still relevant today, more than 50 years later because racism is still an issue and

In the early 1930’s some of The Great Depression’s darkest times were taking place. In the early years of the depression, President Franklin Roosevelt’s promises and famous saying,” The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself,” had not yet taken place. His words of encouragement had not yet struck hope into the hearts of many Americans. With the stock market crash and the sudden and dramatic unemployment of millions, Americans were struggling financially like never before. In Harper Lee’s Novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, The minute and fictional, Maycomb County strongly represents the struggle of a southern community in the Jim crow south during The Great Depression.