Comparing Raising Families in Maycomb

Comparing Raising Families in Maycomb The 1930’s were hard times in Southern America, where racism took place and slavery was seen in almost every city. The divisions between blacks and whites lead to believe that whites were and always have been superior. In Harper Lee’s well known book, To Kill a Mockingbird, we see how families where raised on a day to day basis and how each family dealt with colored people. The Cunningham 's, Ewell’s, and Finch’s are three of the more important white families in the story and despite that, have raised there families in certain ways. We learn about the upbringing of the children and how there parents played a key role. Although all three families are white, they have more differences among each other then similarities. Things that set them apart are things like their social standing in the town as well as how they react to the Great Depression of the 1930’s. The parents would play a key role in the family because they had the most control of what to do. The Finch’s unlike both the Cunningham’s and Ewell’s have Atticus who is a well-respected lawyer and intelligent man, while Walter and Bob on the other hand are on the verge of poverty. You could tell there situations would be different from one another because of the parent’s occupations. The Finch’s will have a wealthier lifestyle compared to the Cunningham’s who though the book we already know do not take anything they can’t return, The Cunningham’s never took anything they can’t pay back-no church baskets and no scrip stamps. They never took anything off of anybody, they get along what they have. They don’t have much, but they get along on it. (Harper 20)
Bob and Walter can be compared to each other by both not having jobs and many children. The three families also raised there children to think of colored people in different ways. Atticus always taught Scout and Jem to respect everyone equally while Bob unfortunately did not teach his kids the same way. He hated colored people and once tired to “lynch” Tom Robinson for supposedly raping his daughter. As the story went, we found out that Bob actually raped Mayella and blames it on Tom. In the story we are see that Atticus and Bob are on completely opposite sides fighting for different reasons. All the parents not only have different opinions on what there kids should act like around black people but also have very different rankings in the city. There positions in Maycomb of Atticus verses Walter and Bob are seemingly different but at the same time Walter and Bob have there own differences as well. Atticus’ obviously social rank puts him at the top of the city just as important as the sheriff and is also known by everyone who lives there. Bob and Walter are too known by the city but not in a positive way; they both represent different types of poverty. The Cunningham’s are poor and acknowledge the fact that they are by not accepting things from others unless they can pay them back somehow, and they are grateful for whatever they have, like school. We see that when both Burris and Walter start school, even those both families are poor, the Cunningham boy enjoys it and continues to attend why Burris Ewell only comes for the first day and then stays home the rest. The Ewell’s on the other hand are not grateful and used every opportunity to get money. Bob Ewell has dropped even lower on the ranking when he raped his daughter. Another factor to take into consideration when discussing how the families are raised are their ties with Maycomb County. The three families have been in Maycomb for there whole lives just have set up certain living conditions for there children. On one hand, Atticus is a successful lawyer and is able to provide his children with school, clothes, and a nice home. Although he is not home all the time he has enough money to get a nanny for Scout and Jem. The fact that Calpurnia is a black woman who is taking care of one of the most well-known people in Maycomb really shows how respectful Atticus is towards them. On the other hand, Bob Ewell’s family has also been raised in Maycomb but has had fewer privileges due to the fact that they are poor. Ewell’s family, unlike Finch’s, does not respect black people and wants Tom Robinson to go to jail even though he is innocent. The Cunningham’s are a bit of both the Ewell’s and Finch’s. They are also poor but always pay back people with food, and if they know that they will not be able to pay them back then they do not borrow or take whatever they need. They are like the Finch’s in a way because they are respectful, maybe to colored people, but to everybody else they are. When Walter Cunningham comes over for dinner he is polite and well mannered. The three main white families in this story have all have different upbringing in the same place, Maycomb County. Atticus, Walter and Bob grew up in a small town where they later raised there own children in different but some similar ways. Many diverse features affected the families, for the Ewell’s and the Cunningham’s it was poverty and living off of what they had which was not much while for the Finch’s it was much easier considering Atticus well-paying job. The families, too, had different opinions on black people which changed the way their children acted towards them.

Works Cited:
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Grand Central Publishing , 1982. Print.

Cited: Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Grand Central Publishing , 1982. Print.