Throughout all of history, society has been the main thing shaping how people think about things and view others. Things were no different in 1930s Maycomb, as shown in To Kill a Mockingbird, when the U.S. was struggling through the Great Depression and deeply-rooted racism ran rampant around every corner. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, many characters are influenced by society, but none as much as our narrator, a young girl named Jean Louise Finch, who is commonly referred to as Scout. Though not everyone may agree, society influenced and shaped Scout Finch in many ways that are both positive and negative, because Scout has the standards set for women by society forced upon her as she ages, Scout forms opinions on those around her
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To start off, Scout undoubtedly forms opinions on her peers and neighbors based on what she hears from society and how she sees society treat them. To illustrate, Scout thinks very lowly of the Cunninghams and is rude to Walter when he is over for dinner. She even says to Calpurnia, the Finch’s cook, after being reprimanded for her rudeness, “...Cal, he’s just a Cunningham” (Lee 33). Of course, Cal responds with anger at Scout’s insensitive words and through her reaction, it can be inferred that Scout did not form this opinion based on what her family had said. Therefore, Scout must’ve learned that Walter and the Cunninghams were somehow worse than her family from either how people around town talked about and treated the family, or more likely, how kids at school discussed and treated Walter. Another example of how Scout forms opinions on her peers and neighbors based on society is how frightened she becomes of Boo Radley after Miss Stephanie tells her and her brother, Jem, …show more content…
For instance, Scout learns about the Ewell’s social status from her father, Atticus, who tells her after she inquires about Burris Ewell, a boy in her grade who comes to school the first day every year then skips the rest, that “...the Ewells had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations” (Lee 40). Atticus learned this from others in the society of Maycomb, and he passes this knowledge on to Scout. This shows that the Ewell’s social status is well-known and widely spoken of throughout the society of Maycomb, and nobody in town thinks very highly of the Ewells. Another instance that can be seen in To Kill a Mockingbird, one that reveals much racial inequality in society in Maycomb at the time, is the outcome of the Ewell’s case against Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson and Atticus, who is his defense lawyer, lose the case to the Ewells, even though they aren’t thought of highly by anyone in Maycomb. This difference in social status is best described by Jem, who states, “You know something, Scout? I’ve got it all figured out, now. I’ve thought about it a lot lately and I’ve got it figured out. There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes… The thing about it is our kind of folks don’t like the Cunninghams, the Cunninghams don’t like the
To start off, Scout undoubtedly forms opinions on her peers and neighbors based on what she hears from society and how she sees society treat them. To illustrate, Scout thinks very lowly of the Cunninghams and is rude to Walter when he is over for dinner. She even says to Calpurnia, the Finch’s cook, after being reprimanded for her rudeness, “...Cal, he’s just a Cunningham” (Lee 33). Of course, Cal responds with anger at Scout’s insensitive words and through her reaction, it can be inferred that Scout did not form this opinion based on what her family had said. Therefore, Scout must’ve learned that Walter and the Cunninghams were somehow worse than her family from either how people around town talked about and treated the family, or more likely, how kids at school discussed and treated Walter. Another example of how Scout forms opinions on her peers and neighbors based on society is how frightened she becomes of Boo Radley after Miss Stephanie tells her and her brother, Jem, …show more content…
For instance, Scout learns about the Ewell’s social status from her father, Atticus, who tells her after she inquires about Burris Ewell, a boy in her grade who comes to school the first day every year then skips the rest, that “...the Ewells had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations” (Lee 40). Atticus learned this from others in the society of Maycomb, and he passes this knowledge on to Scout. This shows that the Ewell’s social status is well-known and widely spoken of throughout the society of Maycomb, and nobody in town thinks very highly of the Ewells. Another instance that can be seen in To Kill a Mockingbird, one that reveals much racial inequality in society in Maycomb at the time, is the outcome of the Ewell’s case against Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson and Atticus, who is his defense lawyer, lose the case to the Ewells, even though they aren’t thought of highly by anyone in Maycomb. This difference in social status is best described by Jem, who states, “You know something, Scout? I’ve got it all figured out, now. I’ve thought about it a lot lately and I’ve got it figured out. There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes… The thing about it is our kind of folks don’t like the Cunninghams, the Cunninghams don’t like the