Theme Of Poverty In To Kill A Mockingbird

Across the globe children are presented with many hardships due to poverty that impact the physical and mental well-being. Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, took place during the Great Depression and expressed how people lived during that time. During the Depression the country revolved around money and the lack of money, which made it hard for people to live a normal and healthy structure. In the novel there are issues presented from the South in the 1930s that can be related to today’s society. During this time and now, some families lack the necessary income needed for the basic necessities a child requires. Children living in poverty are at a risk of developing mental, social and physical health conditions. Being successful and

Kids like Little Chuck, Little Burris, and Mayellalived in extreme poverty conditions and needed help. Little Chuck Little was another boy in Scout’s class that was very poor. Scout even stated that Little Chuck did not know where his next meal was coming from (25). A child worrying about how and what they are going to eat next is not a positive on the body. This eight year old boy most likely went many days at a time without having meals because he could not of found or bought any. Another kid, Burris, in Scout’s class was also very poor. One day he had come to school with “cooties” in his hair (26). In other words Burris had an extreme case of lice and in the novel it was a description of how truly dirty he was (27). Even Miss Caroline was scared by the sight of these bugs in his hair and politely asked him to go home and wash up. Mayella was also a child that had money issues herself. She particularly was not in the best position in the novel and it is shown that she lived “behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin” (170). Mayelle did not have time for herself because she took care of her brothers and sisters all day. With Mayelle having other things to be concerned about, she did not have time to allow herself to be healthy. Since she lived in an unsanitary environment and was unable to maintain a healthy life, this impacted

There are several problems with not having free health care or not being able to afford insurance or medical care. One way to prevent the spread of illnesses is not allowing a sick child to come to school or by sending a sick child home. This helps other children not contract anything other students may expose them to. Although the child will be missing school, this will allow the child a free day to just rest at home and hopefully get better. Being sick makes a child not even want to participate in school activities or attention in class. Another problem people living in poverty deal with is not being able to pay for the insurance that makes medical care cheaper. Even though insurance is an extra expense, it is a beneficial one. Having insurance makes the initial cost of medical care more affordable. Insurance allows the parents of the child not have to pay for the whole medical bill. Many countries like Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom all have free health care. This is beneficial to the families struggling in the country, it allows for people living in poverty to worry about aspects other than healthcare. Having free health care in the United States would make the death rate go down and increase the rate of healthy children all over the country. Statistics show that 45,000 people die a year because they cannot afford the costs of healthcare. It is proven that