Book Report To Kill A Mockingbird

I am reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This book is about a 5-year-old girl, Scout, and her 9-year-old brother, Jem, who live in Maycomb County. At the beginning of the summer they meet Dill, a new friend, who has moved to Maycomb for the summer. The children have a mysterious neighbor named Boo Radley who they have never seen, but have heard disturbing rumors about. Their favorite activities are to reenact dramas, watch the Radley house, improve upon their tree house, and talk about Boo Radley. When the summer ends and Dill leaves, Scout goes to school for the first time. At her first of school, she meets an odd boy from the Ewell family who are considered a disgrace to society. In this journal, I will be predicting and evaluating.

The Ewells live like most animals do. For starters, they are absolutely filthy: “The boy stood up. He was the filthiest human I had ever seen. His neck was dark gray, the backs of his hands were rusty, and his fingernails were black deep into the quick. He peered at Miss Caroline from a fist-sized clean space on his face.” (Lee 35). Only wild animals are that dirty and disgusting. Second, they do not care about their filth whatsoever: “The cootie’s host showed not the faintest interest in the furor he had wrought. He searched the scalp above his forehead, located his guest and pinched it between his thumb and forefinger.” (Lee 34). Burris acts like it is no big deal that he has lice shows and he does not care how grimy and unclean he is, because he does not try to hide his filth. Most people would think that having lice is disgusting and try to get rid of it as soon as possible, but an animal would be oblivious and pick at the lice, just like Burris. The author directly states that the Ewells live like animals in the quote “They were people, but they lived like animals.” (Lee 41). Finally, the Ewells live on the outskirts of town near a dump: “He said that some Christmas when he was getting rid of the tree, he would take me with him and show me where and how they lived.” (Lee 40). This quote indicates that they live near the place where Atticus discards his tree. If a person lives so close to a dump it often can mean living conditions are filthy, much like wild animals. Another part of the characterization of the Ewells is they live outside the law. The author tells us they only go to school on the first day and just skip the rest of the year. It is illegal for children to skip school but nobody seems to care that they do. Avoiding school shows them living without regard for the laws of the United States of America. Second, the father of the Ewells hunts and traps out of season: “