Atticus
Atticus treats everyone the same, regardless of class differences.
Quote: ""Scout," said Atticus, "nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don't mean anything – like snot-nose. It's hard to explain – ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody's favoring Negroes over and above themselves. It's slipped into usage with some people like ourselves, when they want a common, ugly term to label somebody". "You aren't really a nigger-lover, then, are you?""I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody... I'm hard put, sometimes – baby, it's never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it doesn't hurt you" "(Lee107-109).
Analysis: Atticus is a fair man. He treats everyone equally, no matter how rich or poor they are. He is referred to as a ‘nigger lover’, just because he treats them in a humane way. Social life in Maycomb is mostly about class differences. It’s a major factor of people’s everyday life. It even takes place in political matters (court). Atticus has a different point of view in contrast of people in his generation. Unlike the rest of Maycomb’s people, he doesn’t follow the class system.
Quote: ""Scout," said Atticus, "nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don't mean anything – like snot-nose. It's hard to explain – ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody's favoring Negroes over and above themselves. It's slipped into usage with some people like ourselves, when they want a common, ugly term to label somebody". "You aren't really a nigger-lover, then, are you?""I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody... I'm hard put, sometimes – baby, it's never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it doesn't hurt you" "(Lee107-109).
Analysis: Atticus is a fair man. He treats everyone equally, no matter how rich or poor they are. He is referred to as a ‘nigger lover’, just because he treats them in a humane way. Social life in Maycomb is mostly about class differences. It’s a major factor of people’s everyday life. It even takes place in political matters (court). Atticus has a different point of view in contrast of people in his generation. Unlike the rest of Maycomb’s people, he doesn’t follow the class system.
Aunt Alexandra
Aunt Alexandra is a typical, Maycomb lady. She cares a lot about what people think and always acts like a lady. She wants Scout to follow her footsteps.
Quote: "Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants. Aunt Alexandra’s vision of my deportment involved playing with small stoves, tea sets, and wearing the Add-A-Pearl necklace she gave me when I was born; furthermore, I should be a ray of sunshine in my father’s lonely life. I suggested that one could be a ray of sunshine in pants just as well, but Aunty said that one had to behave like a sunbeam, that I was born good but had grown progressively worse every year...."(Lee112)
She doesn't let Scout invite Walter because he is
Quote: “ “Jean Louise, there is no doubt in my mind that they’re good folks. But they’re not our kind of folks.”[says aunt alexandra] [...] “The thing is, you can scrub Walter Cunningham till he shines, you can put him in shoes and a new suit, but he’ll never be like Jem. Besides, there’s a drinking streak in that family a mile wide. Finch women aren’t interested in that sort of people (...) and I still say that Jean Louise will not invite Walter Cunningham to this house. If he were her double first cousin once removed he would still not be received in this house unless he comes to see Atticus on business. Now that is that.” [...] She took off her glasses and stared at me. “I’ll tell you why,” she said. “Because—he—is—trash, that’s why you can’t play with him. I’ll not have you around him, picking up his habits and learning Lord-knows-what. You’re enough of a problem to your father as it is” “(Lee224).
Quote: "Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants. Aunt Alexandra’s vision of my deportment involved playing with small stoves, tea sets, and wearing the Add-A-Pearl necklace she gave me when I was born; furthermore, I should be a ray of sunshine in my father’s lonely life. I suggested that one could be a ray of sunshine in pants just as well, but Aunty said that one had to behave like a sunbeam, that I was born good but had grown progressively worse every year...."(Lee112)
She doesn't let Scout invite Walter because he is
Quote: “ “Jean Louise, there is no doubt in my mind that they’re good folks. But they’re not our kind of folks.”[says aunt alexandra] [...] “The thing is, you can scrub Walter Cunningham till he shines, you can put him in shoes and a new suit, but he’ll never be like Jem. Besides, there’s a drinking streak in that family a mile wide. Finch women aren’t interested in that sort of people (...) and I still say that Jean Louise will not invite Walter Cunningham to this house. If he were her double first cousin once removed he would still not be received in this house unless he comes to see Atticus on business. Now that is that.” [...] She took off her glasses and stared at me. “I’ll tell you why,” she said. “Because—he—is—trash, that’s why you can’t play with him. I’ll not have you around him, picking up his habits and learning Lord-knows-what. You’re enough of a problem to your father as it is” “(Lee224).
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Analysis: In the novel To kill a Mockingbird, Aunt Alexandra is a typical women, or “Lady” in the 1930’s. In the time, women didn’t have much to do besides cook, clean and gossip. Aunt Alexandra comes to Maycomb Alabama to simply teach Scout how to act like a Finch lady. As you might know, Scout is more or less described as a tomboy. In the story, she doesn’t do anything important besides criticize Scout’s every move (in hopes of Scout becoming more of a Lady) and watch out for the kids. Aunt Alexandra is also one of the many whose actions are dictated by the class difference between the rich and the poor. For example, she won’t have Walter Cunningham in her house because he is poor, and therefore ” trash”. The Cunninghams’ are lesser than the Finch because they are poorer. She would find having a Cunningham enter her home damaging to her ‘reputation’.
Walter Cunningham
Analysis: Walter Cunningham is a young boy, around Scout’s age, who is classified as the lower class in TKAM. In the first quote, you can tell that the boy is poor because of the way he pours the syrup all over his meal. He does this because for him it’s not just a treat, but incredibly rare so he tries to enjoy it as much as he can. In the second quote, we understand that the Cunninghams are farmers, which means they are poor. In fact, they are so poor that they can only pay Atticus, the lawyer, with potatoes. In the time, class differences was a major factor in society and everyday life. First you had rich people listed at the top of the chart, then came the middle class (Atticus), poor people (Cunninghams), Ewells,and finally the Negroes. Each person from every class was treated differently according to their position and treated others differently according to where they were ‘listed’. As Aunt Alexandra says, she won’t have a lower class boy come into her home. He is referred to as “trash” because he’s poor.
Walter is very poor, so he isn't used to having normal/everyday food wealthier people are used to having.
Quote: “While walter piled food on his plate[...] Walter poured syrup on his vegetables and meat with a generous hand.He would probably have poured it into his milk glass had not asked what the sam hill he was doing”(Lee28).
The Cunninghams are poor, meaning they are in the lower class.
Quote: "...Atticus said professional people were poor because the farmers were poor. As Maycomb County was farm country, nickels and dimes were hard to come by for doctors and dentists and lawyers. Entailment was only a part of Mr. Cunningham’s vexations. The acres not entailed were mortgaged to the hilt, and the little cash he made went to interest. If he held his mouth right, Mr. Cunningham could get a WPA job, but his land would go to ruin if he left it, and he was willing to go hungry to keep his land and vote as he pleased. 'Mr. Cunningham', said Atticus, 'came from a set breed of men' ... As the Cunninghams had no money to pay a lawyer, they simply paid us with what they had. 'Did you know', said Atticus, 'that Dr. Reynolds works the same way? He charges some folks a bushel of potatoes for delivery of a baby'...." (Lee21).
Walter is very poor, so he isn't used to having normal/everyday food wealthier people are used to having.
Quote: “While walter piled food on his plate[...] Walter poured syrup on his vegetables and meat with a generous hand.He would probably have poured it into his milk glass had not asked what the sam hill he was doing”(Lee28).
The Cunninghams are poor, meaning they are in the lower class.
Quote: "...Atticus said professional people were poor because the farmers were poor. As Maycomb County was farm country, nickels and dimes were hard to come by for doctors and dentists and lawyers. Entailment was only a part of Mr. Cunningham’s vexations. The acres not entailed were mortgaged to the hilt, and the little cash he made went to interest. If he held his mouth right, Mr. Cunningham could get a WPA job, but his land would go to ruin if he left it, and he was willing to go hungry to keep his land and vote as he pleased. 'Mr. Cunningham', said Atticus, 'came from a set breed of men' ... As the Cunninghams had no money to pay a lawyer, they simply paid us with what they had. 'Did you know', said Atticus, 'that Dr. Reynolds works the same way? He charges some folks a bushel of potatoes for delivery of a baby'...." (Lee21).