Poverty In To Kill A Mockingbird

In the sleepy town of Maycomb, like other Southern towns in this era, suffer considerably during the Great Depression. Poverty reaches from the privileged families, like the Finches, to the unpopular Negroes and “white trash” Ewells, who live on the outskirts of town. Harper Lee paints a vivid picture of life in this humid Alabama town where tempers and bigotry explode into conflict. Due to the Tom Robinson case we will see certain themes come to life throughout specific individual descriptions. Themes such as racism, poverty, and domestic violence will all arise with the upcoming events in Maycomb.
Like in many Southern states during the 1930s, racism was a recurring subject and traces of it are still found today. Racism in To Kill a Mockingbird …show more content…
Characters that will symbolically represent poverty are the Ewells. They are completely broke and their father is a drunk, with no job and they barely get by. “Atticus said the Ewells had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations. None of them had done an honest day’s work in his recollection...They were people, but they lived like animals” (Lee 40). Poverty influences these characters because for three generations they hadn’t done anything to try and get themselves out of the mess they were in and due to their father not being there, the kids don’t care about anything, eventually starting a chain reaction. Poverty had changed the family; for example, the kids only went to school for the first day and the teacher was to mark them absent for the rest of the year. “‘Whole school’s full of em’. They come the first day every year then leave. The truant lady gets ‘em here ‘cause she threatens ‘em with the sheriff” (Lee 36). The kids lives have and will continue to be damaged because of their daily lives in …show more content…
Mayella and her family are as some would say “white trash” and they are known to do of nothing to help Maycomb County. When Atticus was examining Mayella during the trial, there was hesitation when he brought up her father beating her. “‘He does tollable ‘cept when--’...Mayella looked at her father who was sitting with his chair tipped against the railing.He sat up straight and waited for her answer” (Lee 245). It seems as if Mr. Ewell was waiting to see if she was going to sell him out. Also, you can visibly see how affected Mayella is when Atticus brings up friends or love. She has no idea what they are. “‘Miss Mayella,’ said Atticus, in spite of himself, ‘a nineteen-year-old girl like you must have friends. Who are your friends?’” (Lee 244). Mayella has been so damaged because of her family and father and she hasn’t had a chance at a good