Many aspects of the environments around children as they grow up integrate into their values and personalities, causing many to follow their elders’ examples and share their beliefs. As these children begin to mature, they often tend to question what they were brought up hearing, leading them on their journeys to adulthood as they discover their own truths and values. In Harper Lee’s classic bildungsroman novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Jean-Louise Finch, known as Scout, begins to identify the masks of rumors and stereotypes in society, understanding how they can stifle the true personalities of those who are deemed different by society. Scout and her brother, Jem, were raised in the town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression, surrounded …show more content…
Beginning on the first day of first grade, young Scout displays her tendency to accept rumors and stereotypes as truth with Walter Cunningham Jr., the youngest son of Walter Cunningham Sr., stereotyping him as nothing more than the child of a poor farmer. When Jem and Scout invite Walter over for dinner after reconciling with him over a misunderstanding at school, Scout places less value on Walter than she would with other guests, disrespecting him at the table by questioning his eating habits and apparent greediness. The Finches’ assistant Calpurnia scolds her disrespect towards him, to which she replies that “‘he ain’t company… he’s just a Cunningham’” (27), implying that the Cunningham family is not considered on the same level as their usual company and therefore does not need to be treated with respect. However, she later realizes that Walter is not defined by his financial status, creating her own view of him and his family based on their determination to improve their situation and unwillingness to break their promises, later becoming mutual friends with him. Later on, Aunt Alexandra is discussing the social classes in Maycomb when Scout brings up the topic of playing with Walter. Aunt Alexandra reacts in a horrified and shocked manner and is unwilling to let Scout associate herself with Walter, offering a view at what the general opinion of Maycomb is regarding the Cunninghams by claiming that “[Walter]—is—trash… [which is] why [Scout] can’t play with him”(256). Scout becomes angry at this statement, as she has already developed a new view on the Cunninghams and Walter; she has realized through spending time with him that his family should not be defined by their social class, and is willing to argue and defend her new
The characters of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird are all different in their own way. Sometimes they can seem like the most infuriating people in the world, but then again they can be helpful, loving, and caring. The citizens of Maycomb County are stereotyped a lot throughout the book. They are labeled as many different things, but some of the stereotypes made aren’t entirely correct. A lot of people in To Kill a Mockingbird stereotype others by the way they look or talk based on what society considers normal. Two of the main characters in the book are stereotyped; Scout and Atticus Finch.
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.
There 's a point in everyone 's life when people are forced to wear a mask to hide their true selves. People want to fit into what they think is normal. Most of the time, the individual behind the mask is very different from what they are being perceived as. They can be evil and wicked, or they can be smart, loving, and caring. Characters in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird written by Harper Lee live through the Great Depression and Segregation. They all have qualities that make them unique in their own ways. In the town of Maycomb, Alabama, citizens are put under stereotypes all throughout the novel. Characters get assigned labels that aren 't entirely correct. Dolphus Raymond, Mayella Ewell, and Boo Radley are all products of what it looks
Why are different races and social classes treated so differently? Why was education so horrible at some points in time? Two of the characters in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird are Jem and Scout. When Jem and Scout are growing up, they find out that many things are not as they seem. Certain people are not treated as well as others just because of the color of their skin, how they live, educational status, or even on just urban legend. At courthouses back then, blacks had to sit in a balcony. Many people in this time were so uneducated that they couldn’t read out of hymn books at church, if they had any. Harper Lee wrote a story to express the different kinds of prejudice and educational problems in the 1930’s in Maycomb County, Alabama.
Jem Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is set in a small town called Maycomb, Alabama, in the 1930s. The community of Maycomb is of mixed ethnicity and like most places of that time, white people believe they were the dominant race. The book is seen through the eyes of two. children: Jem and Scout Finch who are growing up in this society. As Jem gets older he becomes conscious of the fact that this community and these adults who surround him are not always right and this makes him feel lost in the world.
In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the story is told by a young girl called Jean-Louise Finch but also known as Scout aged five at the start of the book almost turning six who in the book is quite unique as she could read at the age of six and understand her fathers profession as a lawyer. The story is about Scout growing up in the southern state of Alabama in a small town called Maycomb with her brother Jem and her father called Atticus who is the lawyer. The main theme of the book is about Atticus defending a black man called Tom Robinson and he is accused of raping a white girl called Mayella Ewell and how it affects her, in the book she learns about racism and prejudice and the struggle of black men in life and she also learns about the ways of life and family traditions. The book is set in the late 1930’s so racial discrimination is at its peak in the southern states of America.
The way in which humans come to be understanding, compassionate individuals is a process demonstrated constantly throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, a famous novel written by Harper Lee, taking place in the 1930’s during the Great Depression in Maycomb County, Alabama. The story is told from the young Jean Louise “Scout” Finch’s perspective, and tracks the development of her and her older brother Jeremy Atticus “Jem” Finch, from innocent to understanding. The negative influences which Jem and Scout experience, including the racially charged case of Tom Robinson, lead the children to have a new, more experienced perspective on human nature. People like Atticus Finch, Jem and Scout’s father, help the children to make sense of this part of human
Scout speaks up for Walter, explaining simply that he is a Cunningham, implying that the teacher should know his social standing as a member of the poorest family in town. “...Walter Cunningham was sitting there lying his head off. He didn’t forget his lunch, he didn’t have any. He had none today nor would he have any tomorrow or the next day. He had probably never seen more than three quarters together at the same time in his life.” (26). The Cunninghams have a reputation as a generationally poor family in town that Walter cannot
“They’d been sewed up. Not like a lady sewed ’em, like somethin’ I’d try to do. All crooked” (Lee 58). The book To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee has many different stereotypes that play into it. A stereotype, by Merriam-Webster definition is “an often unfair and untrue belief that many people have about all people or things with a particular characteristic.” To Kill a Mockingbird is about three children named Scout, Jem, and Dill and is set during the Great Depression. Theses children are best friends and throughout the book they try to see a mysterious character named Boo Radley. He has many mysteries about himself that are constantly told by Maycomb’s adults. Atticus Finch, Scout and Jem’s daughter, has to defend a black man
Scout tried to explain this to her teacher, Miss Caroline, but got in trouble. Scout was so angry she rubbed Walter’s nose in dirt. Jem invited Walter over for dinner and Scout made a remark that made Calpurnia furious. She told Scout, “That boy’s yo’ comp’ny and if he wants to eat the table cloth you let him, you hear?” (32). Scout went on to say how just because he is a Cunningham he was not company. Calpurnia became even more furious and raised her voice and said, “Yo’ folks might be better’n the Cunninghams but it don’t count for nothin’ the way you’re disgracin’ ‘em” (33). This lesson was important because Scout learned just because you might be better than someone or have more does not mean you should act like it. Calpurnia gives the talks and is there for both children just like a real mother would be. Miss Maudie is another Maycomb citizen who is an important role model for Jem and
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is about Jean Louise Finch, also known as Scout, and the town of Maycomb, Alabama, in the 1930’s. For the duration of the novel Scout, her brother Jem, and their friend Dill torment their antisocial neighbor Arthur “Boo” Radley, trying to get him to come out of his house. The story takes a turn when Atticus, Scout and Jem’s father, is asked to defend Tom Robinson,a black man who is accused of raping Mayella Ewell. When this happens Scout, Jem and the whole town get to see how unfair life can be. Throughout the town people are judged based on their appearance and that is how their reputation is formed, but most of the time someone's appearance doesn’t show who they really are.
The Cunninghams are mistreated by part of the society in Maycomb. Aunt Alexandra, who mistreats them the most, is prejudiced toward the Cunninghams, she does not like them. She thinks that her reputation, and social status are going to be stained if Scout plays with Walter Jr.. Scout wants to invite Walter over, but Aunt Alexandra does not like Walter, she says that they are folks from different class. She thinks it is best if they do not see each other. She once talks to Scout about how different they are, "Because - he - is - trash, that's why you can't play with him.
Walter does not do well in school because his family needs him for the harvest, but he still has admirable qualities. When Walter comes over to the Finch house for dinner, Scout realizes he is very knowledgeable about farming: “He and Atticus talked together like two men, to the wonderment of Jem and me” (Lee 32). Despite struggling in school, Walter shows he is not stupid, for he and Atticus are able to hold a conversation about agriculture that Scout and Jem, two very educated children, cannot even begin to follow. Also, Walter refuses to take his teacher’s money because he knows he cannot pay it back. He politely declines the offer instead of becoming hostile and violent because she embarrasses him in front of the class. This proves Walter’s father is a good man who instills values and manners into his son. Even though there is so much evidence that Walter is a kind, well-intentioned boy, it does not stop Aunt Alexandra from telling Scout, “Because-he-is-trash, that’s why you can’t play with him” (Lee 301). Like so many other people in Maycomb, Aunt Alexandra allows her prejudices to interfere with her sense of logic and reasoning. No matter how hard Walter tries, to many
The characters of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird are all different in their own ways. Sometimes they can seem like the most infuriating people in the world, but then again they can be helpful, loving, and caring. The citizens of Maycomb County are stereotyped a lot throughout the book. They are labeled as many different things, but some of the things that are said aren’t entirely correct judgments. A lot of people in To Kill a Mockingbird stereotype others by the way they look or talk based on what society considers normal. The main people in the book that are victims of stereotyping are Scout, Atticus, and Tom Robinson.
Scout Finch is not the stereotypical girl from the 1930’s. Agents the wishes of everyone around her, she grows up in overalls instead of dresses. Scout plays in the dirt and sand, instead of in the kitchen. In the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird, by Harper Lee, Scout is the wild spirited narrator, growing up in the small town of Maycomb. As she gets older, she learns mostly from her father Atticus how to interact with people. Scout learns to show dignity and respect to everyone, under any circumstances.