To Kill A Mockingbird
Different types of poverty – The Cunninghams and The Ewells
Walter Cunningham
Walter is first introduced to the story during Miss Caroline’s disasterous
first day teaching at the school. Walter does not have any lunch, and
because of his family circumstances, never has any lunch. This kind of
poverty was completely accepted by the other children in the class and
wasn’t even viewed as anything worth commenting on.
The depression of the 1930s had hit farmers like the Cunninghams hard and
poverty was a part of their every- day lives.
The children went without shoes because the family couldn’t afford to
replace them but also because that was how the children of rural farmers
would have dressed.
Walter had hookworms from going barefoot on the farm. Again, this was not
even worthy of comment amongst his peers. His parents would not have had
the money to pay for medical treatment of the Hookworms, and even if they
did, they would only come back again. This kind of condition would have
been viewed of one of the hazards of rural life rather than an urgent
medical condition.
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Two other aspects of Walter’s appearance on his first day at school are
aklso revealing:
“He
did have on a clean shirt and neatly mended overalls”.
These both indicate that although the Cunningham’s were very poor they
still had enough self-respect and pride to send their children to school in as
clean and tidy state as possible. It is obvious that Walter comes from an
honest and caring family.
Scout’s description of the family neatly sums up their whole way of life:
“They never took anything off anybody, they get along on what
they have. They don’t have much, but they get along on it.”
They live, therefore in a kind of respectable poverty that is accepted and
even admired by the people of the town. This is neatly illustrated by the fact
that Atticus knew that when he had done some work for Mr Cunningham
he was happy not to be paid but he knew that Mr Cunningham would find a
way of paying him back, which he did by giving Atticus produce from his
farm.
Harper Lee uses the Cunningham family to remind the reader of the noble
ways of the ‘old south’: that there was more to the place than cotton and
slaves.
When Scout goes to fight with Walter in the schoolyard after she has been
reprimanded by Miss Caroline, Jem stops her. This is an early example of the
reader seeing the world through the eyes of Scout and not through Jem ‘s,
who is slightly older and more understanding of their world. Scout’s
childishness and inexperience mean that she questions things that Jem
would not. In this way the narrative is enriched by the description of
incidents that otherwise would have been passed over.
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Burris Ewell
The idea of the noble poor is contrasted in the description of Burris Ewell
soon after that of Walter Cunningham.
Harper Lee is deliberately making a distinction between the different types
of poverty-stricken farmer to be found in the South. These are distinctions
she may well have witnessed at first hand during her childhood.
The reaction of Miss Caroline is one of compassion towards both children,
her instinct is to try to help the child in front of her when she discovers he
has ‘cooties’ in his hair.
Buriss’ own reaction to the ‘cootie’ crawling out of his hair is to
nonchalantly kill it. He accepts this as part of the way he is in much the
same way that Walter’s acceptance that he has hookworms.
However, there are some key distinctions to be made by the afflictions of
the two boys.
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Whilst there would be little point in treating Walter’s hookworms, they are
not contagious and only affect him. On the other hand Buriss’ ‘cooties’ are
highly contagious and will infect the rest of the children if they come into
contact with them.
Walter’s hookworms are, up to a point, an occupational hazard of living in
poverty on a rural farm. Whilst the same can be said of Buriss’ ‘cooties’, they
are more attributable to living in filth and a distinct lack of personal hygiene.
The first description of Burris’ appearance is in stark contrast to that of
Walter Cunningham:
“He was the filthiest human I had ever seen. His neck was dark
grey, the backs of his hands were rusty, and his finger nails were
black deep into the quick”.
Unlike the clean, darned image of Walter, Burris is unkempt and uncared
for.
The idea of his being uncared for is reinforced by the fact that Miss
Caroline suggests that his ‘cooties’ can be treated using lye and kerosene –
both chemicals readily available on any farm, and an easy enough solution to
his infestation. The reader must presume, at this point, that no-one cares
enough for Burris to treat him.
A further contrast between the two families is seen in the reaction of their
offspring to the compassion of Miss Caroline. Waltrer is silent and shamefaced when she speaks to him, whearas Burris is rude and aggressive:
“You ain’t sendin’ me home, missus, I was on the verge of leavin.’”
Burris goes even further before he leaves:
“ Ain’t no snot-nosed slut of a school teacher ever born c’n make me do
nothin’. He waited until he was sure she was crying, then he shuffled out of
the building”
He has nothing to gain by this behaviour, other than showing what a nasty
and ill-educated the Ewells are, with no feelings for other people.
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The reader must also react at this point to the Ewells, wondering how this
boy is raise if this is how he treats people. A dark cloud in the shape of the
Ewlls, is hitherto cast over the world of Maycomb. The phrase malevolent is
perhaps more apt for them than it is for the Radleys.
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