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To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

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Social and Economic Hierarchy in To Kill a Mockingbird

Summary:

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee portrays a rigid social and economic hierarchy in Maycomb, Alabama, during the 1930s. The hierarchy is divided into four main groups: the educated and well-off whites like the Finches; the poor but proud farmers like the Cunninghams; the disreputable "white trash" like the Ewells; and the marginalized Black community. This structure highlights issues of racism and classism, with the black community facing systemic discrimination and injustice, exemplified by Tom Robinson's trial. Lee criticizes these societal flaws, showcasing the moral blindness and prejudice prevalent in the community.

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What is the social hierarchy in To Kill a Mockingbird?

There are four levels to the social hierarchy of Maycomb. At the top are the educated and well-to-do white people like the Finches who live in fine houses at the center of town. Though the Depression has left them without much money to spare, they are the people best off in the town. And as Aunt Alexandra knows, they often have illustrious roots in the past.

Below them are the deserving poor, such as the Cunninghams. These are people who do without—for example, the Cunninghams can't afford to bring lunches to school—but have pride. They work hard, don't take take handouts, and pay their debts however they can, even if it is through barter.

Next are the white trash, like the Ewells. They are considered lazy and are looked down upon because they don't work hard and instead accept charity. The Ewell children don't go to school. Bob Ewell is an alcoholic, which makes him a blot on the community. Families like the Ewells are isolated and ostracized.

Black people rank below even white trash in the Maycomb social hierarchy. White supremacy is upheld at all costs, and even the most honorable and hardworking Black people are expected to kowtow to lower-class white people. The word of white person is always accepted over the word of a Black person.

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What is the social hierarchy in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Jem tells Scout that there are “four kinds of folks” in Maycomb based on class and race. 

The trial’s outcome came as a bit of a shock to Jem.  He was expecting a verdict of “not guilty,” because he believed that Atticus proved Tom Robinson innocent.  When Aunt Alexandra tells Scout that Walter Cunningham is “trash,” Scout is offended.  Jem tells her he understands. 

“… 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.” (Ch. 23)

To Jem, this social hierarchy is based on who can look down on whom.  The Cunninhams may not have much, but they are better than the Ewells. All the Ewells have is being able to look down on people like the Robinsons, who because of the color of their skin are considered inferior in Maycomb.

Scout is puzzled by the concept that the Finches are superior.  It is important to Aunt Alexandra.  It is not important to Atticus, but he tried to explain it to Scout and Jem to appease her.  She asks why the Cunninhams are not “Old Family” then.  Jem tells her they don’t count. 

“Background doesn’t mean Old Family,” said Jem. “I think it’s how long your family’s been readin‘ and writin’. Scout, I’ve studied this real hard and that’s the only reason I can think of. Somewhere along when the Finches were in Egypt one of ‘em must have learned a hieroglyphic or two and he taught his boy.” (Ch. 23)

The fact that the Finches are from an important family is meaningful to them because, as Jem says, it is all they have.   They do not have a fortune to go with the family name.  They may be respected, but all they have is respect.  They no longer have the power and money to go with the name.

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What is the social hierarchy in To Kill a Mockingbird?

The quote to which you are referring:

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.

This shows his immaturity, naturally, because he thinks he is superior. As a young adolescent, he is just trying to figure things out for himself, and he has become aware of prejudice all around him. He also realizes that the Ewells are part of the lower hierarchy of society.

If you read Scout's response, you will see that she actually has a more mature grasp of life.

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In To Kill a Mockingbird, how does economic class divide Maycomb into four groups?

At the end of chapter 23, Jem attempts to explain to his sister the "four kinds of folks in the world." Jem attempts to explain Maycomb's caste system by categorizing the citizens in Maycomb into four different groups. Jem tells Scout,

"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" (Lee, 230).

1. In Maycomb, the educated white property-owning citizens like Atticus and his neighbors in town are at the top of the caste system. They are financially stable and hail from revered families throughout the small community.

2. The second tier of Maycomb's caste system includes poor white farmers like the Cunninghams, who live in the country. These lower-class farmers are not educated and struggle to make ends meet. However, they are not on welfare, have integrity, and are respected throughout Maycomb's community.

3. The third tier of Maycomb's caste system includes poor white families like the Ewells, who do not work and collect welfare. Families like the Ewells are viewed with contempt by the white citizens in Maycomb and are considered a disgrace. The only reason the Ewells are not in the fourth tier of Maycomb's caste system is because they are white.

4. The fourth tier of Maycomb's caste system includes the African American citizens. In the prejudiced society of Maycomb, which enforces the racist Jim Crow laws, African Americans are marginalized and segregated. Despite a black person's reputable, outstanding character, he or she is still considered a second-class citizen based on the color of their skin.

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In To Kill a Mockingbird, how does economic class divide Maycomb into four groups?

To answer this question appropriately, one must consider several different families:

1. The Finches. Not poor, not necessarily wealthy. Atticus tells the children that they are, in fact, poor, but they are not as destitute as --

2. The Cunninghams. A poor family that "had probably never seen three quarters together in (their) life," the Cunninghams are poor, but proud. They refuse to accept charity, and choose to get by in a meager fashion.

3. The Ewells. Both poor and uneducated, the Ewells keep their children out of school to do field-hand labor, poach game off others' property (despite the fact that the "rules are bent" for them), and exhibit other qualities of low living.

4. The African-American community at large: Calpurnia's people and Tom Robinson's people are just as financially strapped as everyone else in Maycomb County, AL, but their community helps one another out and supports each other in times of need. This is best exhibited in the "church" scene, where Calpurnia takes the children to her church.

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What societal issues does Harper Lee highlight in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Harper Lee comments on several aspects of society throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee draws attention to the inefficient, rigid educational system by depicting Scout's negative school experiences in the first and third grade. Lee suggests that a moral education is more useful than the mundane, hypocritical lessons teachers give students.

Harper Lee also comments on gender roles throughout the novel. Aunt Alexandra's traditional views of womanhood contrast greatly with Scout's tomboy personality. The prototypical Southern Belle, who maintains the house and engages in social affairs, is challenged throughout the novel.

Religion is another aspect of society that Lee analyzes. Lee comments on the destructive nature of radical Christianity through the character of Mr. Radley, and portrays the dual nature of hypocritical Christians during Alexandra's missionary circle. Lee suggests that truly moral individuals like Atticus and Maudie live like Christ, rather than simply profess they are Christians.

Most notably, Harper Lee comments on the prejudiced nature of society and the broken justice system. African Americans are viewed with contempt and treated with indignance simply because they are black. Tom Robinson is wrongly convicted, despite the lack of evidence and conflicting testimonies from the Ewells. The majority of Maycomb's community harbors prejudiced feelings which impact the results of the trial. The justice system fails Tom Robinson, and racism remains an issue in Maycomb.

Not only are African Americans viewed with contempt, but so are poor white families. Harper Lee does not fail to address society's caste system which discriminates against less wealthy families throughout the novel as well.

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In To Kill a Mockingbird, what are the social and economic differences in Maycomb?

Understanding the social and economic differences in Maycomb becomes much easier when we are able to see the characters in their era and location. To Kill a Mockingbird is set in a fictional town in Alabama named Maycomb. The story starts in the year 1933, less than seventy years after slavery was abolished. The lasting effects of slavery are still very evident in this small town, as evinced by the divide and distrust between the races.

Very little intermingling is done between the races in Maycomb unless it has to do with a working relationship, as in the case of Calpurnia, the Finch's maid. Calpurnia is black, but she is treated as if she is family when she is inside the Finch's home. Sadly, this familial relationship does not go much further than the Finch's front door, as outsiders still toe the line of social separation between the races. People of color live on their side of town, while white people live on the other. Even the churches are divided by race, as Lula makes clear when she says, "You ain't got no business bringin' white chillun here—they got their church, we got our'n. It is our church, ain't it, Miss Cal?" Black people can work for white people, but they cannot socialize outside of these relationships.

Due to this separation between the races, much of the economic divide runs across racial lines as well. There are a few exceptions, such as the Ewells, who are white but who live in poverty and squalor. There are also very hard-working and upstanding people of color, such as Tom Robinson and his wife.

The reader must put themselves in the time and place of To Kill a Mockingbird in order to grasp the social and economic constructs which shape the action of the novel and ultimately lead to Tom Robinson's state-sanctioned murder.

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What societal issues does Harper Lee criticize in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Harper Lee criticizes the blindness of a racist and prejudiced society in her novel. By making Scout the narrator of the story, Lee shows the injustices of the small-town Depression-era society she writes about in a very direct way. Scout, who is five when the book starts and eight when it ends, struggles to understand why Tom Robinson, a black man who is obviously innocent, is convicted of raping a white woman. She also struggles to understand why the town has made Boo Radley, a white man who prefers solitude, a pariah. Lee criticizes the society for being so closed-minded that it convicts a black man in contradiction of the evidence and that it ostracizes a gentle white man who appears unconventional. Her message is that a child can see the truth more easily than adults, whose minds have been clouded by prejudice. Her view is that racism is a form of prejudice that a child can see is wrong but that adults justify.

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What societal issues does Harper Lee criticize in To Kill a Mockingbird?

In To Kill a Mockingbird, if I was to limit Harper Lee's criticism of Maycomb to two words, I would use "racist" and "classist." Classism, or being a classist, means having a bias based on social or economic position (usually determined in terms of wealth). 

I would extend that criticism by saying that Lee is also critical of the cowardice such that people are unwilling to accept social change and being unwilling to change themselves. Part of this is just habitual and how they've been raised. But the other part is a unwillingness that stems not from habit or tradition, but from a desire to keep the status quo, to keep things as they are. A wealthy white family in Maycomb (or any town with strong social traditions) will deny social change (legally and personally) in order to maintain their upper class standing and this must rely on the continued suppression of other people. This suppression, in the context of To Kill a Mockingbird, is both racist and classist. Lee is criticizing this tradition of sustaining racist attitudes (the general fallacious ideology that white citizensshouldoccupy a higher social standing than black citizens) and classist attitudes in order to sustain social and familial traditions (if you're from a poor family, you're going to be poor). 

So, Lee is criticizing many aspects of this society and they are individual and sociological criticisms that have to do with racist and classist traditions. 

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What is the role of social hierarchy in To Kill a Mockingbird?

The small town of Maycomb is a microcosm of society in general, with a definite stratification, so to speak, of the population. The idea of social position was very strong in the South during the 30s, almost approaching in dogma the caste system seen in some Eastern cultures today.

The Great Depression, however, "smudged" the permimeters separating the classes, and as seen in the story, trading services in the place of money was a common practice. The court case in question bridged across all social levels as Atticus Finch, a reputed lawyer from an established family, defended Tom Robinson, a poor Negro.

Check out the reference below, an excellent essay treating in depth this subject.

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What social issues does the novel To Kill a Mockingbird address?

The most obvious social issue addressed in To Kill a Mockingbird is racial prejudice. The town’s attitude toward Tom and Atticus (for defending Tom) show that there is a deep seated ancestral bigotry ingrained in the social fabric of Maycomb County. There are characters who defy this bigotry, but for the most part it is an accepted part of the area’s rural life.

We also see some of the problems that females face. This is not a very obvious social issue in the novel, but as we look at the events through the eyes of young Scout, we see a real frustration with the expectations that are placed on her as a girl. She is expected to behave and look a certain way, and she doesn’t want to do it.

If you use this response in your own work, it must be cited as an expert answer from eNotes. All expert answers on eNotes are indexed by Google and other search engines. Your teacher will easily be able to find this answer if you claim it as your own.

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What social issues does the novel To Kill a Mockingbird address?

To best answer this question, it would be best to discuss one specific issue which is addressed in the novel.  It would be difficult, if not impossible, to address all of the novel’s topics in just one short paragraph.  However, two of the main issues that are discussed in the novel are racism and a destruction of innocence (killing a mockingbird).  Racism is addressed in a variety of ways throughout the novel.  We see it with the trial of Tom, the reaction of the town when they learn that Atticus is defending him, and in Bob Ewell’s reaction when he sees Tom with his daughter, Mayella.  The destruction of innocence is also seen through the character of Boo Radley as the town reacts to his self-imposed isolation.  It would be best to find one main theme in the novel and write one paragraph for each of the themes discussed. 

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How does the author address social issues in To Kill a Mockingbird?

To Kill a Mockingbird does not shy away from social issues of race, class, or gender.

Whenever Scout is scared or disagrees, Jem uses her gender against her.

"See there?" Jem was scowling triumphantly. "Nothin' to it. I swear, Scout, sometimes you act so much like a girl it's mortifyin'." (ch 4)

Gender is a running theme throughout the book.  Scout is often ridiculed for being a girl by Jem and told to act like a lady by Aunt Alexandra.  Scout is a tomboy.  Even her nickname is more boyish than girly.

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. (ch 9)

Aunt Alexandra has a very stubborn stereotypical image of what a girl should be.  She expects Scout to conform to it.

Another example of the gender differential is in Atticus being a single father.  Atticus is not considered the ideal single parent, because he is not a girl.  Children are said to need a mother, and he cannot provide a mother’s guidance.  He also seems to give some credence to this stereotype by apparently parenting his children as little as possible other than providing moral guidance.

Class is also tackled in the book.  The Finches are upper class because they are from an old family.  When Scout starts school, she is introduced to Walter Cunningham, who is from a poor proud family, and the Ewells, who are poor but coarse.  She learns that there are different degrees of poverty.

The Cunninghams never took anything they can't pay back- no church baskets and no scrip stamps. They never took anything off of anybody, they get along on what they have. They don't have much, but they get along on it. (ch 2)

The Ewells, on the other hand, live like animals.  They do not work or go to school.  They are vulgar, violent, and stubborn.

"They can go to school any time they want to, when they show the faintest symptom of wanting an education," said Atticus. (ch 3)

The Ewells are the villains of the story, because Mayella is coerced by her violent father into accusing Tom Robinson of rape just because he saw them together.

In Maycomb, segregation and discrimination are in full force.  Blacks and whites do not interact except as employee and employer.  When Atticus defends Tom Robinson, a black man accused by a white woman, all hell breaks loose.  Everyone in town seems to have an opinion.

"Do all lawyers defend n-Negroes, Atticus?"

"Of course they do, Scout."

"Then why did Cecil say you defended niggers? He made it sound like you were runnin' a still." (ch 9)

Atticus, unlike most people, does not feel bothered by defending a black man.  He believes people should be judged by the content of their character.

You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral…. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men. (ch 20)

Lee does not take the easy way out and acquit Tom Robinson.  She has Atticus establish that there is no way that Robinson could have committed the crime, and there is no evidence the crime was ever committed.  It was a fabrication.  Yet because a black man felt sorry for a white woman, he is convicted.

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How does To Kill a Mockingbird geographically depict the social hierarchy?

In the first chapter of To Kill a Mockingbird, narrator Scout Finch explains the physical organization of her hometown, Maycomb, Alabama. She begins with her own upper-middle-class, white neighborhood, where she and her brother, Jem, live with their attorney father, Atticus, in a spacious house. The family’s housekeeper, Calpurnia, is African American. In a later chapter, Scout describes going to services in the church to which Calpurnia belongs. The church is located in the Quarters, the African American community where Calpurnia lives, which is on the outskirts of Maycomb. Scout and Jem have never been in Calpurnia’s home.

As the county seat, Maycomb, has a courthouse and public square. It is apparently somewhat larger than other towns in the county. Its downtown includes stores and restaurants. Within the town, less affluent people live farther from the square. There are apparently limited options for middle-class people with limited income, such as teachers. The first-grade teacher boards with the Finches’s neighbor, Miss Maudie.

While Atticus is fully aware of the class divisions among whites, he rarely initiates discussion of these distinctions. His sister, Scout’s Aunt Alexandra, is more vocal; she uses words such as “trash” to label poor white people. Poor families such as the Ewell family live outside the town, past the dump. Even farther out are small farms, most of which are not thriving during the Depression. The Cunningham family farms a small plot, but it is tied up in legal battles over its ownership. There is only one school, located in central Maycomb, to which these children must travel. Scout becomes friends with her classmate Walter Cunningham, but explains that the Ewell children do not attend school.

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