Essay On The Role Of Women In To Kill A Mockingbird

In the mid-1930s America was a run down place. It suffered from the losses of World War I and the Great Depression. The Great Depression took a toll on the job market and the average man’s wallet. Most people were unemployed for a while which made living difficult. During this time civil rights was also an issue. African Americans were still being discriminated against and still used as slaves. People during this time were very prejudice. Every social group had specific social norms that they had to follow. The novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a great example of the historical realities that were present during this time period.
This novel explores the role of women at this time. Women had a very traditional role in their society. …show more content…
The novel is set in the small southern town of Maycomb, Alabama and this town was hit with an economic decline. It is described as "... an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County." (Lee 6). Harper Lee paints a picture of a town that is the perfect example of how The Great Depression can rip through a place. The town is a place that just kind of drags on, nothing exciting happens. The people that are described in this novel are also great examples of people that truly lived during this time. The Cunningham’s are poor farmers during this time. Being that they are country folk in a country town they got hit the hardest by the crash of the economy and they can’t even pay a lawyer with a monetary value but rather with produce. Everyone in the town knows how poor these people are saying “ 'The Cunninghams are country folks, farmers, and the crash hit them hardest '” (Lee 26). They also know that Mr. Cunningham will not receive help from the state and wants to help his family on his own, they represent the hardworking people of this time.. The Ewells however face the same poverty as the Cunningham’s but take a different spin on it. They represent the people that mistreated the system during this time. Mr. Ewell receives …show more content…
We must look at these issues and take a lesson from them. This novel teaches us that we as a people can not judge one another unless you put yourself in his or her shoes. By putting this lesson in place society can make the world a little more fair, in contrast to the novel that shows the reader the world is an unfair place to be. It gives us a hope to fight for what is right even though others think it is