To Kill A Mockingbird Social Inequality Analysis

901 Words4 Pages
Discriminatory factors that have been present since the beginning of time often provoke impulsive judgments towards certain groups of people. Some individuals cannot fathom the possibility of differences among their society simply because of the lack of awareness between these social classes. Authors frequently write literature structured upon the basis of prejudice because of the relevance of this topic in our world. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird exhibits the harsh reality of social inequality in several aspects including race, wealth, and gender through the treatment of Tom Robinson, the Cunninghams, and Scout Finch. Predominantly, Harper Lee portrays the racial inequality that engulfs Maycomb County through the trial of Tom Robinson.…show more content…
Being near the bottom of the Social Hierarchy, the Cunninghams do not have much to offer. They are one of the poorest groups in town and everyone knows it. At her immature age, Scout Finch assumes all Cunninghams are worthless and poor, not considering the possibility of them being normal human beings. When Walter is invited over for dinner, Scout claims, “‘He ain’t company, Cal, he’s just a Cunningham’” (33). Because Walter is from the Cunningham family, Scout believes she does not have to be kind to him and treat him like a guest. She has little respect for the Cunninghams because of their ranking in society, which gives her a feeling of superiority that her family members quickly extinguish. However, Scout is not the only Finch who thinks poorly of the Cunninghams. Aunt Alexandra shows her antipathy towards the Cunninghams when she tells Scout and Jem, “‘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” (300). Aunt Alexandra judges the Cunninghams solely based on their outward appearance. She plans to exclude Walter from their life, for he is a Cunningham and she believes all Cunninghams are the same. The prejudice of the Cunninghams is based on how low they are on the Social Hierarchy while the inequality towards Scout are regarding…show more content…
Scout tends to think of herself as a tomboy; she hangs around with the guys and wears suspenders as opposed to dresses. Her older brother, Jem, enjoys tormenting Scout and using her gender as an insult or an incentive to join him in a risky situation. Scout is especially offended when Jem proclaims, “‘I declare to the Lord you’re gettin’ more like a girl every day!’” (69). When Scout gets called a girl, she feels the need to redeem herself to Jem. She is insecure about being a lady considering she grew up with men influencing her, so she tries her best to mirror their actions. The insecurities that haunt her are triggered by the superiority of men established by other characters including Jem. Not only is Scout teased by Jem about being too feminine, she is lectured daily by Aunt Alexandra on becoming more ladylike. Alexandra tries to provoke Scout by saying, “‘You want to grow up to be a lady, don’t you?’” (PAGE). She wants Scout to grow up to be someone she is not, unconcerned with Scout’s personal predilections. Aunt Alexandra has an image created of how a perfect lady should behave, and she wants Scout to fit her unrealistic expectations. These stereotypes thrust upon Scout are an indication of the injustice women faced in the
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