Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee - 1394 Words

To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is a tale of the reality of growing up in a community involving racial segregations and stereotypes. The story takes place in the 1930s during the early stages of the Great Depression in Maycomb County, Alabama. Scout Finch, the main character, lives with her brother Jem, widowed father Atticus, and Calpurnia, the house cook, in a cozy home that only allows love and happiness to seep through its walls and marinate in the streets that are filled with injustices. The title, To Kill A Mockingbird, represents a major theme in the novel, innocence. When teaching the kids how to shoot rifles, Atticus declares firmly, â€Å"Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit em, but remember it’s a sin to†¦show more content†¦Walter is the son of Mr. Cunningham, a poor farmer and friend of Atticus. Lee introduces the reader to Walter during the first day of school when Miss Caroline, the new teacher in the town, offers Walter lun ch money. Upon Walter’s refusal, Scout tries to elucidate Walter’s circumstances in behalf of her empathy being stronger than her judgement concerning the appropriateness of the statements spoken. Walter is the son of the Great Depression’s effects on Maycomb; Its strong winds removes the family from a comfortable life and vacates them on the lands of poverty and unemployment. Atticus even says, â€Å" The Cunninghams are country folks, farmers, and the crash hit them hardest† (22). When Jem invites Walter to dinner, Walter pours syrup all over his meal and Scout embarresses him. Calpurnia reminds Scout that although the Finches are better off than the Cunningham’s, they are still equal. Walter is a mockingbird because he can not defend himself from the circumstances that the Depression is conveying on his life. Walter cannot control the stocks nor the economy, so treating him differently due to his social status is like killing a mockingbird since he is simply a host to a repugnant parasite, the Depression. In chapter three, Atticus challenges Scout with this statement, â€Å" You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it† (39). While walking around in Walter’s skin,