How far do you think Harper Lee has effectively shown social class and family groups to be important at that time?
The rigid class structure and social stratification of Maycomb County had a profound effect on the events in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The impact of this class structure was especially evident in the trial of Tom Robins on, a Maycomb Negro. The extreme prejudice of the town eventually led to the unjust conviction of
Robinson for a crime he did not commit. Family groups were also seen to be important. This is evident when a fire breaks out in Maycomb and the whole community comes together, just like one big family. They put all their differences aside in order to help one of the much loved
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It is important to note that the difference between the second and third class was not a financial one. Both were "poor". The difference, however, was in the way they interacted in the society. The Cunninghams, unlike the Ewells, refused to accept any kind of charity and paid back their debts with what little they had. The Cunninghams were also different from the Ewells because they did not take advantage of Negroes.
The fourth and lowest class in Maycomb was best described as a "caste" because it was impossible to escape from it. All blacks were included in this group. Prejudice ran deep in Maycomb County. Although many classes existed within the black community, one of colour must always be in the lowest class. The majority of the black people had very little money, which is obviously a great contrast from people such as
Atticus Finch. The blacks lived apart from the whites in their own section of town and seemed to have a society separate from the whites.
Reasons for this conflict could be because of the matters that occurred during the American Civil War.
In U.S. history, the conflict (1861–65) between the Northern states
(the Union) and the Southern states formed the well-known civil war.
It is generally known in the South as the War Between the States and is also called the War of the Rebellion, the War of Secession, and the
War for Southern Independence. The name Civil War, although much criticised as
In To Kill A Mockingbird, the ignorance seen throughout the novel conveys how expectations set by society affects the important events of life. The trial of Tom Robinson exemplifies how the recurring beliefs on race affected the outcome of the trial. The ideas of social class in Maycomb determined the way the Cunningham's were treated. Aunt Alexandra´s visits to Atticus's house and her gender view towards Scout. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee reveals how society sets expectations of how people should treat others based on race, social class, and gender.
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)
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee takes place in Maycomb County, Alabama in the late 30s early 40s , after the great depression when poverty and unemployment were widespread throughout the United States. Why is the preconception of racism, discrimination, and antagonism so highly related to some of the characters in this book? People often have a preconceived idea or are biased about one’s decision to live, dress, or talk. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee examines the preconception of Scouts teacher saying Atticus is teaching her wrong, Aunt Alexandra having views that are discriminating, and Tom Robinson not having a fair trial because of his race. Scouts teacher gets upset with her after Miss Caroline figures out she’s literate and Scout makes it worse by antagonising Miss Caroline by trying to explain things to her. “Teach me?” I said in surprise. “He hasn 't taught me anything, Miss Caroline. Atticus ain 't got time to teach me anything”… “If he didn 't teach you, who did?” Miss Caroline asked good-naturedly. “Somebody did. You weren 't born reading The Mobile Register”… Miss Caroline apparently though I was lying. “Lets not let our imaginations run away with us, dear,” she said. “Now tell your father not to teach you any more. Its best to begin reading with a fresh mind. You tell him i 'll take over from here and try to undo the damage.” “ma’am?” “Your father does not know how to teach. you can have a seat now.” (Lee 22) Scout 's teacher Miss Caroline
For many years, America has struggled with equality. Through all the assumptions and stereotypes, America has been beat. The amount of inequality in America has dramatically decreased throughout the years. Social equality is something that everyone has always wanted. One of the biggest inequalities is African American rights. Constantly there was always a change being made that has made African American rights so much better. Within Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the audience is introduced to social equality by Scout Finch in Maycomb, Alabama. Since she is so young, she struggles to understand why there is inequality in the 1930s. Her being young is one form of inequality. Through all the assumptions and stereotypes of character interaction in
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the theme of racism, sexism and social class is portrayed in a small community and shows the effect they have on different groups of people within the rural town of Maycomb.
In the midst of the Great Depression in Southern Alabama lay the dusty, sleepy town of Maycomb. The iconic, fictional setting of To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, embodies a typical deep south city in the 1930s with a rigid social system, fueled by a deep-running fault of bubbling racism and discrimination. Aside from the disturbing relativeness of prejudice, the town is considered home sweet home for many of its typical families, like the Ewells, Cunninghams, and even Finches, who are quite notorious for their not-so-typical lifestyle in Maycomb's homogeneous melting pot. Harper Lee's Atticus Finch, widowed father of the Finish household, in To Kill a Mockingbird, often over excels at being an effective parent since he's a
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
One of the major masterpieces of American literature, To Kill A Mockingbird, author Harper Lee captures the social climate of the 1930s in the fictional small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama during the depths of the Great Depression. All members of Maycomb are confronted, at one time or another, by their community’s beliefs about race, gender, and class and must decide where their moral beliefs stand. Six-year-old Jean Louise "Scout" Finch narrates the story. Having mature tremendously, notwithstanding the rules of etiquette in her community, Scout expresses her attitudes and sees the injustice in her elders. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout’s, identity is primarily influenced by race and gender indicating what we realize about Maycomb society in terms of gender, race, and class.
Harper Lee uses allusions to make the reader understand where this oppression comes from. The North part of America were more accepting of Black people but in opposition the South where Maycomb is located, the oppressed African Americans were given harsher treatment than white people and they were considered as not being part of society. Some of the allusion present in this book lead back to the historical events that occurred in America. The Civil War was one of those historical events that shaped the minds of the people, an other event that caused racial oppression to be more powerful was The Great Depression. “Not exactly. The Cunninghams are country folks, farmers, and the crash hit them hardest”(21). Jem once asked to Atticus if the Finches were as poor as the Cunninghams, he answered by stating The Great Depression which created anger, hate and
The definitive message that Harper Lee makes in To Kill A Mockingbird is the ineluctable existence of social inequality and the vitality of having your own morals even when the world around you doesn't. Lee focuses on the racist and socioeconomic ideologies in the early 1930's town of Maycomb in southern Alabama. She depicts a lawsuit between a white family considered to be of the lowest economic class, who are blatantly falsely accusing a young black man of raping their daughter. Furthermore, Lee comments as such by detailing the community's bigoted opposition to a successful white lawyer, Atticus Finch, defending the accused. He knows winning will not be possible which is shown by him admitting to his children that he won't win due to institutionalized
During the book, "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, it conveyed many different themes/points of Racism, Social Injustice, and Bravery. While the reader was progressing throughout the book the characters. and the environment was beginning to expand and grow to a point where a person could connect with the book. The first topic that stood out to the reader would be racism. The first demonstration of racism in the book, Lee was explaining the setting of Maycomb. A small town in Alabama during “The Great Depression.” Lee was vocalizing the point of racism heavily in this book. Harper Lee demonstrates three strong points/themes during the course of the book. Such as, racism, social justice, and bravery, Atticus and the kids battle through those different themes throughout the whole book.
During the 1930’s, there was a significant amount of racial inequality in the South. Black people were considered unequal compared to white people resulting in mistreatment and abuse. Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, displays her opinion about social inequality through a variety of different characters who exhibit courage through everyday life. In Lee’s novel, one character, Mrs. Maudie who is a friend to Jem and Scout explains the meaning of a mockingbird as the following: “they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us” (Lee, 1960, p.90). These characters, such as the Finch family, although quite different in their lifestyles, go against the social norm of treating African Americans as second class citizens.
Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee utilizes the people of Maycomb to portray how social class prejudice and gender prejudice affects Scout’s mentality and how blacks and whites interact.
In Harper Lee’s Bildungsroman novel To Kill A Mockingbird, the growing protagonist Jean Louise “Scout” Finch struggles to grow up in a society where citizens segregate themselves because of their color, traits, and family. In the fictional town of Maycomb County, Alabama, an ongoing social caste system lives: people do not keep an open mind and gossip tends to spread quickly. Scout is faced with conflicts between white and colored people, racism, and social injustices. Lee demonstrates how social classes do not determine the traits and/or extent to what abilities one has, but shapes one’s character through characterization, rising actions and symbolism.
During the time of depression, racism and poverty were a common issue. People with a dark skin tone, i.e the African- Americans were seen as derogatory and treated like dirt. Harper Lee depicts it in a very realistic way. Though most of the town Maycomb feels negatively and discriminates the African-Americans, characters like Atticus show us how one person can impact his surroundings if he has high morals. Although he couldn’t change the mindset of the other town residents , he made sure that his own children didn’t discriminate people, purely on the basis of their skin colour.