Monday, March 9, 2020

The Class System in To Kill a Mockingbird essays

The Class System in To Kill a Mockingbird essays The existence of a superior and inferior stratification in societies are due to economic status, social status, religion, and skin color between the white and black race as demonstrated in To Kill a Mockingbird. It is very important to define these factors that separate people. Economic status is based on wealth, which is all material things produced by labor for the satisfaction of human desires and having exchange value. Social status is people having the same social or economic status. Religion is any specific system of belief about divinity, often-involving rituals, a code of ethics, and a philosophy of life. Skin color is the different races. The caste system in Maycomb, an old town in Southern Alabama, separates people according to race and also separates the white race amongst themselves. Economic status is very important in Maycomb society. Harper Lee points it out at the beginning of the novel using Simon Finch as an example. Simon Finch arrives at Alabama River to establish his life. He passes his wealth on to his children; Atticus, Aunt Alexandra, and Uncle Jack Finch. Aunt Alexandra lives at the Finchs landing, the families farm because she believes in the family ancestors. On the other hand, Atticus decides to study law. In Maycomb, the importance of a person is resolute by personal progression; consequently, economic status is determined by education. Social status is also very important in Maycomb society. It is defined by the social power of the community. It classifies people according to the same social status. Economic status and social status are related to each other, and it is close to impossible separate them. There was indeeed a caste system in Maycomb, but to my mind it worked this way: the older citizens, the present generation of people who had lived side by side for years and years, where utterly predicable to one another: they took for granted attitudes, character shadings, even gestures, ...