Examples Of Social Class In To Kill A Mockingbird
Social class is a significant issue seen throughout history. Individuals have a tendancy to put people into groups and expect them to stay there. People should not be defined by how they live and how successful they are. As seen in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird there is an extreme segregation of people. The different “classes” and how each in turn are treated are clearly visible within the novel. Seeing the progression of hatred, discrimination, and rejection shows us how social class is becoming more of an issue.
Hatred is a very evident matter in this book. After the Tom Robinson case Bob Ewell swore he would get revenge on Atticus Finch. He was so driven by hatred because of how Atticus humiliated him in court. He not only had hatred against Atticus but also anyone that was involved in the Tom Robinson case. Finally he decided to act upon his threat and he attacked Atticus’ children. “Something crushed the chicken wire around me. Metal ripped on metal and I fell to the ground and rolled as far as I could, floundering to escape my wire prison” (265-266). The amount of hatred he had was clearly great enough that he was willing to attack children just because they belonged to someone he hated. …show more content…
Discrimination is a recurring issue in this book.
Watching Bob Ewell falsely accuse Tom Robinson just because of his color shows the segregation of people. As a result of this false accusation Tom Robinson lost his life. They “killed a mockingbird”. There was not only discrimination against black people but also with white people. Lula confronts Calpurnia when she took the children to her church. “I wants to know why you bringin‘ white chillun to nigger church” (120). This shows just how discrimination goes both ways in the novel creating the idea of social
class.
Rejection is a tangible problem in this book as well. As Scout is older she starts school and with that she sees how certain kids are treated differently. She chooses to fight a child by the name of Walter Cunniham but then over time realizes that he is just less fortunate than some are. Later in the book she starts to talk about wanting to play with Walter and how its beeen ahwile. Aunt Alexandra is not happy when she hears this and says, “Because— he—is—trash, that’s why you can’t play with him” (228). She put her own social status above Walters because he was simply “trash”.
Social class is a constant issue in this book. It creates segregation that causes problems for the characters. The rise of hatred, discrimination, and rejection is making social class more of a problem. To Kill a Mockingbird brings up relevant issues that need to be brought to poeples attenion. It is a problem that needs to be fixed. People need to understand they cannot plug people into groups based on status.
Hatred is a very evident matter in this book. After the Tom Robinson case Bob Ewell swore he would get revenge on Atticus Finch. He was so driven by hatred because of how Atticus humiliated him in court. He not only had hatred against Atticus but also anyone that was involved in the Tom Robinson case. Finally he decided to act upon his threat and he attacked Atticus’ children. “Something crushed the chicken wire around me. Metal ripped on metal and I fell to the ground and rolled as far as I could, floundering to escape my wire prison” (265-266). The amount of hatred he had was clearly great enough that he was willing to attack children just because they belonged to someone he hated. …show more content…
Discrimination is a recurring issue in this book.
Watching Bob Ewell falsely accuse Tom Robinson just because of his color shows the segregation of people. As a result of this false accusation Tom Robinson lost his life. They “killed a mockingbird”. There was not only discrimination against black people but also with white people. Lula confronts Calpurnia when she took the children to her church. “I wants to know why you bringin‘ white chillun to nigger church” (120). This shows just how discrimination goes both ways in the novel creating the idea of social
class.
Rejection is a tangible problem in this book as well. As Scout is older she starts school and with that she sees how certain kids are treated differently. She chooses to fight a child by the name of Walter Cunniham but then over time realizes that he is just less fortunate than some are. Later in the book she starts to talk about wanting to play with Walter and how its beeen ahwile. Aunt Alexandra is not happy when she hears this and says, “Because— he—is—trash, that’s why you can’t play with him” (228). She put her own social status above Walters because he was simply “trash”.
Social class is a constant issue in this book. It creates segregation that causes problems for the characters. The rise of hatred, discrimination, and rejection is making social class more of a problem. To Kill a Mockingbird brings up relevant issues that need to be brought to poeples attenion. It is a problem that needs to be fixed. People need to understand they cannot plug people into groups based on status.