In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the two families show multiple differences. First,which has many differences, manners, the Ewells don't have any manners and are always dirty. “His fingernails were filled with dirt” (19). Although, they could ‘beef’ up their manners; the Cunninghams on the other hand, were clean with their “neatly mended overalls” (20) and manners. Unlike the Cunninghams, the Ewells had a very bad work ethic. “Mr. Ewell doesn’t work they live off welfare and they act greedy.” (21) When you act greedy you ask for a lot of things or you make people feel bad for you. The Cunninghams' work to live and don't take charity and like to earn money themselves, pay people back… But not with money they pay them back with
Poverty can be a terrible thing. It can shape who you are for better or for worse. Although it may seem awful while you experience it, poverty is never permanent. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, which takes place in Alabama in the middle of the Great Depression, Walter Cunningham and Burris Ewell are both in a similar economic state. Both of their families have very little money; however, they way they manage handle themselves is very different. In this essay, I will compare Walter Cunningham and Burris Ewell’s physical appearance and hygiene, their views on education, and their manners and personalities.
Childhood is a continuous time of learning, and of seeing mistakes and using them to change your perspectives. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates how two children learn from people and their actions to respect everyone no matter what they might look like on the outside. To Kill A Mockingbird tells a story about two young kids named Scout and her older brother Jem Finch growing up in their small, racist town of Maycomb, Alabama. As the years go by they learn how their town and a lot of the people in it aren’t as perfect as they may have seemed before. When Jem and Scout’s father Atticus defends a black man in court, the town’s imperfections begin to show. A sour, little man named Bob Ewell even tries to kill Jem and Scout all because of the help Atticus gave to the black man named Tom Robinson. Throughout the novel, Harper Lee illustrates the central theme that it is wrong to judge someone by their appearance on the outside, or belittle someone because they are different.
“Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands.” – Anne Frank (Goodreads). In the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird, Atticus, Bob Ewell and Walter Cunningham are parents who each parent differently, and obligate values that are influenced on their children. The children are able to grow up with these influences that they are used to, and this contributes to their overall development and forming as an individual. Atticus being a lawyer has helped him progress intelligence and a sense or morality that is applied to his children Jem and scout. Atticus is able to endure parenting skills more and more everyday. Bob Ewell poorly shows good parenting from developing
The world is an unfair place, high social standing is longed for by most. America in the 1930’s was not the place you wanted to be if you were not born a white, rich, man. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, the author Harper Lee illustrates the inescapability of social class and the heartbreaking reality of cultural barriers. In the summer of her fifth year, Jean Louise Finch, or “Scout” for short, discovers the true colors of the world’s injustices for the first time accompanied by her ten year old brother Jeremy Atticus Finch, or “Jem,” and her neighbor’s seven year old nephew, Charles Baker Harris, or “Dill.” Together the three children come to see there are many deep layers to the residents in every town, even a small, quiet one like
But the Ewells are different from the Finches family. The Ewells are a poor and lonely family that nobody really is friendly with. Bob Ewells was a father of 8 kids and he was not that nice, he drank a lot and didn’t have respect for anyone. Calpurnia had thought Scout had some lessons in life, Scout had invited one of her classmates she got in a fight with to eat at her house. Scout had insulted the boy because of the way he ate and Calpurnia told her “Theres some folks who don’t eat like us, but you aint called to contradiet ‘em at the table when they don’t.
None of them had done an honest day’s work in his recollection” (Lee 30). They had lack of education, no parental guidance and no morals. The Ewells had not gone to school for no more than a day and takes the rest of the school year off. They were “members of an exclusive society made up of Ewells” (Lee 30). They were looked as below the normal because Mr. Bob Ewell would “spend
In To Kill a Mockingbird the theme of poverty is expressed with characters such as the Cunninghams and the Ewells. Walter Cunningham shows up to school with clean clothes but lacks shoes and a lunch. “She stopped at Walter Cunningham’s desk. ‘Where’s
Scout first notices Atticus’s tolerance when she realizes Mr. Cunningham was bringing them goods in order to pay for Atticus’s services. Scout questions Atticus about Mr. Cunningham’s doings. ‘“Why does he pay you like that?’ ‘Because that’s the only way he can pay me. He has no money”’ (Lee 27). Atticus understands the Cunninghams’ situation and allows them to pay him with what they can. The Finches are poor, but not as poor as the Cunninghams. Atticus knew that the crash hit farmers the hardest, and that the Cunninghams are hardworking people. This shows tolerance because Atticus is having a hard time also. He fathoms the others and makes exceptions to those who are worse off than him. Atticus is not the only person in Maycomb who acts in the same manner; for example, Dr. Reynolds also charges patients with what they can give. ‘“Did you know, that Dr. Reynolds works the same way? He charges some folks a bushel of potatoes for delivery of a baby”’ (Lee 28). Later in the novel, Atticus ap...
Harper Lee has a number of characters that contribute to the novel and violent scenes in To Kill a Mockingbird, some that have meaning and some that do not. Some characters that appear often and some that have a minimal role in being seen in the novel, but the characters that do not appear often seem to have the biggest impact on the novel. There are three characters that are looked down on by society around them, one because of race and two because of their morals. Society disregarded these people simply because they were afraid that they could be like them and the unknown. Lee uses violence and alienation to help depict the things that are wrong within the small society.
The Cunninghams are very poor people, but very honest as well. The Cunninghams have no money at all, as Scout was describing them, "[they] have probably never seen three quarters together at the same time in [their] life"(23). It is certain that the Cunninghams live a poor life, but that does not stop them from being honest. The Cunninghams do not take anything from anyone if they do not have a way to repay them. In the class when Ms.Caroline was giving Walter a coin, Walter did not take it because he knew that it was impossible to reimburse her. I judged that it is really mature for a child to act that way. I also admired how the Cunninghams were able to endure by giving crops to people as a form of payment. When Atticus helps Sr.Walter with his entailment, Walter does not pay him back with money, but with crops.
...s will pass on these ideas to children and family. Even so, compassion emitted from Atticus towards his children are able to shield them from the disease and make them much like Atticus, someone who would see it like it is rather than be blindfolded by the pre-conceived ideas. Wisdom and life experience also are shown as very desirable traits to have as they can motivate you through the toughest tasks and drive you to do what should be done instead of abandon your duties. In conclusion, Harper Lee’s book To Kill a Mockingbird highlights the horrible prejudice and ignorance towards black people in the southern town of Maycomb, but also shows wisdom and compassion as not only desirable but necessary traits to have to withstand the bombardment of pre-conceived ideas from the people surrounding you, and also portrays these qualities as a shield to people around you.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses Atticus and Bob Ewell as foil characters to reveal the theme of courage and cowardice. These two characters are complete opposites in everything they do such as how they solve problems, how they dress, how much education they received, and how they raise their
The Cunningham family was an example of social prejudice because they were poor. “Miss Caroline, he’s a Cunningham” (Lee, 20). This is when they are in class and Miss Caroline is trying to give him lunch money. Scout tells her he is poor and won’t be able to pay her back and is too proud to take it. “He ain’t company, Cal, he’s just a Cunningham” (Lee, 25). They invited Walter back to the house for lunch and he poured syrup all over his food and Scout gets on his case about it. Cal tells her she shouldn’t do that and she implies that it doesn’t matter what they say to him he is just a Cunningham, she is being prejudiced because she knows he is poor. Another reason people are prejudiced to the Cunninghams is because they have to pay with crops.
The novel , To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee includes the contradictory characters Cunningham and Ewells . These families have identifiable similarities and differences
The Cunningham and Ewell families in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee are different in various ways. One difference involves their parenting style. The Cunningham’s dad teaches the kids to be gentlemen and takes care of his kids. This is shown when Walter is nice to his teacher and refuses to take the money she is offering. He kindly says, “Nome thank you ma’am.” (19). Walter Cunningham even talks to Atticus like a man, and the Cunningham’s father always teaches his kids to never take anything they can’t pay back. On the other hand, the Ewell’s father “spends all his relief checks on green whiskey” (31) and doesn’t teach his kids any manners. The Ewell father breaks the law so he can hunt and trap food; he doesn’t make his kids go to school except