Walter And Burris Character Analysis

During the mid 1930s, nearly 45 percent of Americans lived in poverty. For children who live in impoverished conditions, the affect on their behavior can vary, depending on how they are raised and taught. In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, she introduces two characters, Walter and Burris, who are both examples of kids living in impoverished conditions. Even though both Walter and Burris are poor, they are raised differently. As a result, their behavior is different; Walter understands the value of things compared to Burris who does not and Walter tries to make a difference in his situation, while Burris does not try to do anything.
Walter understands the value of things, compared to Burris who does not. For example, in the first day

For example, Walter was unable to pass first grade because “[He] had to stay out ever’ spring an’ help [his] Papa with the choppin’” (Lee 24). Walter tries to get a good education in school, but he could not, because he had to help his father with harvesting crops. Walter knows that the crops were his family’s source of money, and that his family is poor, so he sacrifices his own education in order to help his family, and potentially get his family out of poverty. On the other hand, Burris could “go to school any time… [he] want[s] to” (Lee 30), but instead, like the other Ewells, he “come[s] [to] [the] first day every year and then leave[s]” (Lee 27). Burris does not even try to improve his own life, by getting and education, but instead just lives his life the way it is. The cause of the Burris not trying could be because of the fact that the “Ewells had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations” (Lee 30). Due to the environment that Burris grew up in, dishonesty and not going to school was the norm, so by not going to school, he felt normal, and felt like he fitted in with his family, compared to going to school and being different from everybody else in his