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Racism In 1930s

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“There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County” (5). This quote is from To Kill A Mockingbird, a novel written by Harper Lee, and told in the voice of six-year-old Scout Finch who grows up in Maycomb, Alabama, during the 1930’s. She lives with her brother, Jem, and her father, Atticus, who is a well-respected lawyer who takes the case of a black man that is accused of rape. The 1930’s is not the most fitting or ideal time to grow up because everyone is struggling financially because of the Great Depression. The Great Depression, a ten-year economic decline, lasting from 1929-1939. Harper Lee paints a vivid description of what life was like …show more content…

Jim Crow laws were very common in the 30’s and is viewed throughout the book. Harper Lee, clearly depicts racism and what it was like in the nineteen-thirties.One way the audience see’s racism is through the segregation between whites and blacks. When Calpurnia (Jem and Scouts black housekeeper) bring the children to her mostly black church one of the members overreact. She says, "[y]ou ain't got no business bringin' white chillun here--they got their church, we got our'n. It is our church , ain't it?” (119). This illustrates the resentment towards white community members in segregated Maycomb County. Dolphus Raymond is a man who is aware of prejudice and racism in Maycomb. Dolphus is a white man married to a black woman, but the town does not agree with the situation. Instead of joining in on the racism he would rather be shunned and portrayed as an alcoholic. Dolphus does not drink but he let the towns people think that he’s a drunk. He tells the kids”I’m not much of a drinker, but you see they could never, never understand that I live like I do because that’s the way I want to …show more content…

The culture of the south of the 1930’s is evidently Illustrated. In the 1930’s respect was a huge part of life, and was taken very seriously. Harper shows how important respect is when Scout makes fun of the way Walter Cunningham eat. Calpurnia pulls Scout to the side and says,”there's some folks who don't eat like us," she whispered fiercely, "but you ain't called on to contradict 'em at the table when they don't. That boy's yo' comp'ny and if he wants to eat up the tablecloth you let him, you hear?” After Calpurnia tells her about herself she give her a nice spanking. The stereotypic 30’s woman is expected to very well-dressed and have some sort of etiquette. The women in the novel carry themselves like women from the 30’s. Aunt Alexandra is seen as a typical woman in this time. Scout says “Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants.” During the 30’s in the women were expected to tend to domestic affairs. Like the proper lady aunt alexandra,was an excellent cook, often hosted many gatherings and participated in both clubs and societies. Social class is a division of a society based on wealth, intelligence, and background. An average social pyramid begins with the wealthy white families and ends with anyone who was black. This is how the

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