Why Is Small Town Life Important In To Kill A Mockingbird

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To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in Maycomb, Alabama when segregation was popular in the southern states. This is a time period where women were supposed to be proper and the men were supposed to be complete gentlemen; while the black folk were supposed to stay separated from the rest of society. When the Blacks were accused of anything by Whites they would immediately would be pressed with charges. With To Kill a Mockingbird, the theme of the importance of moral education, the motif of small town life (everybody knowing each others business), and how a different time period or geographical location would affect the events within the novel; these few things have an important significance throughout Harper Lee's book. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows the …show more content…

In this town everyone will know about any event with a person before they get to open their own mouths about it to explain. Like the Cunninghams, everyone knows how tight they are about money and how they are struggling to get by to take care of their kids. “' The Cunninghams never took anything they can't payback- no church baskets and no scrip stamps. They never took anything off of anybody, they get along with what they have'”(Lee 26). Even the younger kids in the community knew everything that was going on with people throughout their community. A lot of people in this small town were kind about some of the situations. Most people had the superficial kindness that some small towns tend to have. Few people had the genuine kindness that the Finches had towards people, especially of the less fortunate. “Jem suddenly grinned at him. 'Come on home to have dinner with us, Walter,' he said. 'We'd be glad to have you'”(Lee 30). The Finches always had great kindness and respect for everyone around

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