To Kill A Mockingbird Social Class Essay

Social with No Class

The words social class are defined as a division of a society based on one’s socioeconomic status. Different divisions of social class and their effects on other people play a big role in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and in Tate Taylor’s movie version of The Help. To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in Maycomb, Alabama during the Jim Crow era. Although it is mainly trying to showcase the horrific displays of racism in the south, it also touches on the effects of poverty and social class on a miserable, drunken, single father, Bob Ewell. The Help takes place in Jackson, Mississippi, also during the Jim Crow era. This movie focuses on racism and how African-Americans stood up for themselves, but it also shows how Hilly Holbrook, a wealthy white woman, uses her social class for her own benefit. Bob Ewell and Hilly Holbrook have similar actions; however they are viewed very differently by their peers.

Both Bob Ewell and Hilly Holbrook look for trouble in their communities. For example, when Bob Ewell sees his daughter trying to harass Tom Robinson, an African-American man, he calls the police. When questioned about what he saw, Bob Ewell replies saying, “I seen that black boy yonder ruttin’ on my Mayella” (Lee 231). Bob knows it was his daughter that attempted to “rut” on Tom Robinson, yet he

Bob and Hilly are similar because they both make substantial efforts to get other people in trouble or humiliate them. However, they are different because Hilly uses her social class to influence other people, but Bob can not do that because he is thought of very badly in his community. In the end, social class is a big part of both To Kill a Mockingbird and The Help. It may not be all that fair, but social class really does affect the way people see you and how people treat you, which is a real