Scout learns that underprivileged people come in all different displays and sizes in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Scout grew up in a good, well-off family. However, when she starts school, she realizes there are many different types of people. There are both affluent and poor people in the school. Walter Cunningham and Burris Ewell are both poor children in her class. They may have similar financial statuses, but they contrast in their appearance, behavior, and their family background.
Outsetting with Walter, he tries to cover up his appearance with a clean shirt and neatly mended overalls. Despite this, it can’t cover up the fact that he has no shoes and has hookworms. “Walter Cunningham’s face told everyone in the first grade he …show more content…
To start with, Walter does not want to borrow money from Miss Caroline because he knows that he can not ever pay her back. “Walter shook his head. ‘Nome thank you ma’am,’ he drawled softly” (25). Clearly, Walter is too embarrassed to show off his poorness and would rather starve himself rather than borrow money. In contrast, Burris lives life like an anomaly and does not care about what other people think of him, such as when he had lice. “Little Chuck grinned broadly. ‘There ain’t no need to fear a cootie, ma’am. Ain’t you ever seen one?’” (34). Burris, even though he has lice, acts like it is no big deal and tells Miss Caroline to continue her lesson. Scout learns from all this that some poor people hide the fact that they have no money while others show it off like it is a trophy. She also realizes that poor people have many different behaviors and …show more content…
To begin with, the Cunninghams, though being penniless, still honor agreements and still show respect towards others. They never borrow any money, but if someone does something good for them, such as feed their son, they will repay the people with crops, wood, and anything else they can manage. Atticus helped Mr. Cunningham and instead of paying him with money, over the course of a year, he gave them payment in different forms. “We watched. One morning Jem and I found a load of stovewood in the back yard. Later, a sack of hickory nuts appeared on the back steps. With Christmas came a crate of smilax and holly. That spring when we found a crokersack full of turnip greens, Atticus said Mr. Cunningham had more than paid him” (27). Regardless of the fact that the Cunninghams are so poor, they do not allow any good deed to go unrewarded. Contrary to that, the Ewells have no mother and their father is an alcoholic. This results in the children having no discipline and being able to do whatever they would like. This was shown when Burris verbally harassed Miss Caroline in the classroom to the point where she started crying. “He waited until he was sure she was crying, then he shuffled out of the building.” (37). This shows Burris’ rebellious nature and his family’s inability to stop his behavioral issues. Overall, Scout learns that the families of underprivileged people could just be admirable people who got
Outsetting with Walter, he tries to cover up his appearance with a clean shirt and neatly mended overalls. Despite this, it can’t cover up the fact that he has no shoes and has hookworms. “Walter Cunningham’s face told everyone in the first grade he …show more content…
To start with, Walter does not want to borrow money from Miss Caroline because he knows that he can not ever pay her back. “Walter shook his head. ‘Nome thank you ma’am,’ he drawled softly” (25). Clearly, Walter is too embarrassed to show off his poorness and would rather starve himself rather than borrow money. In contrast, Burris lives life like an anomaly and does not care about what other people think of him, such as when he had lice. “Little Chuck grinned broadly. ‘There ain’t no need to fear a cootie, ma’am. Ain’t you ever seen one?’” (34). Burris, even though he has lice, acts like it is no big deal and tells Miss Caroline to continue her lesson. Scout learns from all this that some poor people hide the fact that they have no money while others show it off like it is a trophy. She also realizes that poor people have many different behaviors and …show more content…
To begin with, the Cunninghams, though being penniless, still honor agreements and still show respect towards others. They never borrow any money, but if someone does something good for them, such as feed their son, they will repay the people with crops, wood, and anything else they can manage. Atticus helped Mr. Cunningham and instead of paying him with money, over the course of a year, he gave them payment in different forms. “We watched. One morning Jem and I found a load of stovewood in the back yard. Later, a sack of hickory nuts appeared on the back steps. With Christmas came a crate of smilax and holly. That spring when we found a crokersack full of turnip greens, Atticus said Mr. Cunningham had more than paid him” (27). Regardless of the fact that the Cunninghams are so poor, they do not allow any good deed to go unrewarded. Contrary to that, the Ewells have no mother and their father is an alcoholic. This results in the children having no discipline and being able to do whatever they would like. This was shown when Burris verbally harassed Miss Caroline in the classroom to the point where she started crying. “He waited until he was sure she was crying, then he shuffled out of the building.” (37). This shows Burris’ rebellious nature and his family’s inability to stop his behavioral issues. Overall, Scout learns that the families of underprivileged people could just be admirable people who got