Examples Of Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird

Everyone is different, unique. That is a fact. No man is equal to another man, and no woman is equal to another woman. Despite that fact, America is a society where order and justice are core components. Therefore, there must be a standard by which everyone can be judged and treated equally. This standard is the law, and under the law, all are, ideally, considered equal. However, America's other core component is freedom. There is freedom to act, to think, and to believe what you want to believe. When it comes to these things, the law can only do so much. The law isn’t infallible, and it can’t tell people what to think or how to feel, and to an extent, what to say. It can only rein in potential actions based on those thoughts or feelings, but

The second pillar of inequality stems from family backgrounds and has a focus on cultural assumptions. This refers to the social inequality between certain families, even if the same race, in Maycomb. It’s the idea that your last name and family's reputation influence your status in society. A prime example of this is the Cunningham family. They are poor country folk, and a characteristic the family shows is that they don’t take or borrow what they can’t repay. When Scout encounters Walter Cunningham on her first day of school, Walter doesn't have lunch or lunch money. The teacher tries to help him by giving him a quarter, but Waler wouldn’t accept it. The teacher, Miss Caroline, is confused, and Scout tells the teacher about the Cunningham’s financial situation, starting with the line, “Miss Caroline, he’s a Cunningham” (Lee 20). Caroline was confused, and Scout in turn was confused why the teacher was confused. He’s a Cunningham. What else is there to say? This is a clear demonstration of how certain assumptions, associations, and connotations can be made with certain families. Furthermore, the scene shows how Scout and the other children have a clear understanding of the social inequalities in Maycomb, and how they see these inequalities as natural. In contrast, Mrs. Caroline, a new member of the community, is shocked and goes as far as to punish Scout for saying that. Later, when Walter is invited over to the Finches for dinner Scout judges Walter for the way he eats and behaves, resulting in Calpurnia lecturing her for treating company this way. Here, Scout says the line, “He ain't company, Cal, he's just a Cunningham” (Lee 24), as if he was another species. This further shows how the way people are viewed, treated and understood can be based on their family background. This idea has a similar feeling as the “the son of a farmer becomes a farmer” saying,