In class we are reading, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It is a masterpiece of American literature, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1961. So far in the novel, we are introduced to a small number of families, one of whom is the Finch’s. In the Finch family, there are two children, Scout and Jem. Scout has just started school, at first not wanting to go back. After some convincing by Atticus, she reached a compromise to return to school. Atticus is the father of the two, widowed when his wife died of a sudden heart attack. Calpurnia is the maid, and supposedly has a “tyrannical” presence. Charles Baker Harris, or Dill, is a boy who visits Maycomb during his summer vacation, and has made an acquaintance with the two Finch children. Next
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They are lazy and arrogant, not one of them ever having put in a single day’s hard work. A person born into the Ewell family is expected to be vulgar. Several examples can be found by looking at the current dynasty. For example, Burris Ewell, similar to the rest of the clan, is an unkempt figure. To illustrate, he has lice, rusty hands, and black fingernails. Cleanliness does not appear to be a word in his dictionary, as he does not look at all presentable. To exemplify, the teacher, Miss Caroline had gotten scared of lice jumping out of his hair on the first day of school. Indeed, Burris was also very rude to the teacher, not heeding her orders to freshen up. He responded instead to her orders by saying “You ain’t makin’ me go nowhere, missus. You just remember that, you ain’t making’ me go nowhere” (Lee 37). This brought a sobbing reaction from the teacher. Burris is not the only discourteous member of his family. In a similar manner, all of the Ewells live like animals. The town of Maycomb has become blind to them and their doings. Notably, one example is how the Ewell children do not have to go to school. Furthermore, Bob Ewell, the father, is allowed to hunt out of season. Maycomb citizens, however, choose not to take legal action. In addition to vulgar, dysfunctional is also a viable description for the Ewells. For instance, Bob Ewell does not worry about his children’s education. He does not force them to go to school every day. The only reason the Ewell children even show up to school on the first day is because of the truant lady, who threatens them with the Sheriff. The community treats them as outcasts. In order to emphasize the dysfunction in the family, it is important to analyze the lack of commitment by Mr. Ewell to his children’s lives. It is quite obvious. Whiskey is a major part of his life, which causes him to be out of focus of his family’s life. He does not care that his kids are sleeping on a hungry
They are lazy and arrogant, not one of them ever having put in a single day’s hard work. A person born into the Ewell family is expected to be vulgar. Several examples can be found by looking at the current dynasty. For example, Burris Ewell, similar to the rest of the clan, is an unkempt figure. To illustrate, he has lice, rusty hands, and black fingernails. Cleanliness does not appear to be a word in his dictionary, as he does not look at all presentable. To exemplify, the teacher, Miss Caroline had gotten scared of lice jumping out of his hair on the first day of school. Indeed, Burris was also very rude to the teacher, not heeding her orders to freshen up. He responded instead to her orders by saying “You ain’t makin’ me go nowhere, missus. You just remember that, you ain’t making’ me go nowhere” (Lee 37). This brought a sobbing reaction from the teacher. Burris is not the only discourteous member of his family. In a similar manner, all of the Ewells live like animals. The town of Maycomb has become blind to them and their doings. Notably, one example is how the Ewell children do not have to go to school. Furthermore, Bob Ewell, the father, is allowed to hunt out of season. Maycomb citizens, however, choose not to take legal action. In addition to vulgar, dysfunctional is also a viable description for the Ewells. For instance, Bob Ewell does not worry about his children’s education. He does not force them to go to school every day. The only reason the Ewell children even show up to school on the first day is because of the truant lady, who threatens them with the Sheriff. The community treats them as outcasts. In order to emphasize the dysfunction in the family, it is important to analyze the lack of commitment by Mr. Ewell to his children’s lives. It is quite obvious. Whiskey is a major part of his life, which causes him to be out of focus of his family’s life. He does not care that his kids are sleeping on a hungry