To Kill A Mockingbird Social Analysis

In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Maycomb county inevitably has a specific social structure. The people of Maycomb county each have different statuses and places in society. There is a top to every social hierarchy, and starting at the top in Maycomb county are the wealthy white families. Included in this social class are the Finches. Atticus Finch is a white lawyer; therefore he makes a good income and is a highly respected figure which places him and his family in this specific social class. Many of the Finches’ neighbors who live on the same street are also in the same social class. A step below in the ‘social ladder’ is the middle class. These people are white and are the average inhabitants. For example, Heck Tate , one of the characters in
The next lower class are the whites who do not work and are extremely poor such as the Ewells. They neglect their personal hygiene and are rude to all the other classes. Finally, below all the other social classes, are the black families. Even though some of the blacks may have more money than a class above them, their race automatically puts them at the bottom of the social hierarchy. In Maycomb county, this social structure dictates life in the town, and all the people live according to it. Throughout the book, Scout interacts with people from each of the social classes. The way she [interacts] with the wealthy class, which is the one she is apart of, is politely. She treats her neighbors with respect, and acts appropriately as she is expected to do. When Scout is communicating with the middle class, she acts slightly different. Mrs. Dubose is apart of the middle class and was nasty to Scout. Feeling she is obligated to be nice to the elderly woman, Scout would greet her only to receive a vicious remark in return. Mrs. Dubose felt like she could be rude to Scout because she was of a lower social class, but Atticus insisted Scout not drop to her level even