The Scourge of Social Inequality in To Kill A Mockingbird, By Kelly Culliney

Jean Louise (Scout), and Jeremy (Jem) Finch live with their widowed father Atticus in Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus is a well-known lawyer in Maycomb and he and his children are well off compared to the rest of the town. One summer, Jem and Scout meet a small boy named Dill who they befriend and act out stories with. Over the summer, the trio finds fascination in the old Radley house, and the mysterious Boo Radley who lives there.

The summer ends all too soon for all three of them and Dill goes back to his home, Meridian. Scout begins first grade, only to realize that she hates everything about it. She is accused of knowing too much for her age and was told not to learn anymore on her own. Scout asked Atticus if she could drop out of school and he denied her request.

One day , as Scout was walking home from school she came across a piece of gum in a knot-hole in a tree on the Radley property. She ate it and was later scolded by her older brother, Jem, for eating food that was just laying around. Later they find two "Indian head" pennies in the same place, in the same tree.

A few days later, Dill comes back to Maycomb. One day, as they were playing in a tire, Jem pushed Scout, in the tire, all the way to the Radley's yard. Scout ran, as fast as she could, back home. Later they acted out their own rendition of the infamous "Radley story". On Dill's last night in Maycomb, Dill, Jem, and Scout go into the Radley property at night and almost get shot when Mr. Radley sees them. They all ran home and in all the confusion and terror, Jem lost his pants on a fence. When he returned to get them , someone had already mended them.

Scout starts the second grade and it's even worse than first grade.

More treats are left for Jem and Scout in the next few weeks. That winter was the coldest in ages, and Miss Maudie's house burns down because of her heater. That night, Scout was given a blanket by a stranger, she hoped it was Boo Radley. Jem spills the tales of their Radley escapades to Atticus.

Atticus is called to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, on charges of rape. Atticus decides to defend him, knowing that he did not rape Mayella Ewell. Jem and Scout are teased a lot about their father being a "nigger lover" by their peers, neighbors, and even their family because he was defending a black man. Calpurnia, the Finches black nanny, takes the children to her church one Sunday to show them how much her black church cared about Tom Robinson and his wife

Later that year Alexandria, Atticus' sister, comes to live with Jem, Scout and Atticus to teach Scout how to be a lady. Scout despises Aunt Alexandria and does not want to learn ladylike manners.

Dill runs away from his home in Meridian and stays at the Finch's house.

Tom Robinson's trial begins and Atticus does his best to defend Tom, but the all-white jury says that Tom is guilty, Atticus and his children knew he was not. Later Tom tries to escape from prison but is shot dead.

Bob Ewell, Mayellas father, still thinks that the trial put shame to his name and he went after Toms widow, the judge, and tries to kill Jem and Scout. As Bob was attacking Jem and Scout, he is stabbed to death by Boo Radley who Scout and Jem finally get to see for the first time ever, but he later disappears once more into his old house. In the end, Scout feels sympathetic towards Boo Radley.

"When they finally saw him... he was real nice..."
"Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them"



My Reflection:

In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, the scourge of social inequality is stressed in many cases, the most predominant being Tom Robinson's trial. Even though he was clearly innocent he was charged guilty. If Mayella had been hurt on the right side of her body,like she claimed she was, somebody left-handed would have to have beaten her, Tom had a crippled left arm. Mayella was the one who tried to take advantage of Tom, but Tom resisted.
"Tom, did you rape Mayella Ewell?"
"I did not, 'suh"
"did you harm her in any way?"
"I did not, 'suh"
"did you resist her advances?"
"...I tried to 'thout bein' ugly to her..."
(dialogue between Atticus and Tom, page 195)
Tom did not rape Mayella and yet, in the end he was shot dead, in prison, for a crime that he was not responsible for.

Another case of the scourge of social inequality was when all the family's of Maycomb were born into certain expectations and were labeled by their family's behavior. All Cunninghams were poor and all Ewells were filthy poor and dirty people. You were classified by your family's name and background. Sometimes you were held up to your family's name and honor, and sometimes you were excused because it was assumed all of your type were mean, nasty people by birth.
when Miss Caroline offered Walter Cunningham a quarter it was explained
" Miss Caroline, he's a Cunningham... they don't have much ..." (page20)
When Burris Ewell yelled and cussed at Miss Caroline, it was because he was a Ewell. They used the family names as a permanent label.

To Kill a Mockingbird tought us all a lesson about social inequalities, from innocent Tom Robinson, to Burris Ewell.

" I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks" (page 227)

As Scout says about Boo Radley's absence from the outside world for so long,
"I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time...it's because he wants to stay inside". (page 227)