Mr. Cunningham: Discrimination in "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Harper Lee's novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird," digs into lots of kinds of discrimination. Yeah, it mostly talks about racial stuff. But there’s also some sneaky discrimination happening in the community that you might miss if you’re not looking closely. Like, take the Cunningham family for instance. They’re white and all, but they still get treated pretty badly 'cause they're poor and from a rural area. This essay's gonna talk about how folks treat the Cunninghams unfairly and what this means for everyone involved.

Discrimination Against the Cunninghams

You’d think being white would make things easier for the Cunninghams, right? Nope. They're kinda like outcasts 'cause they're broke and live out in the sticks. The book calls them "country folks" (Lee, 24) and says they live in the "wilderness" (Lee, 19). Those words make them sound real isolated, huh? People in town don’t treat them right, especially Scout and Jem Finch who see them as outsiders. Scout even says they’re “the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations” (Lee, 24). It’s clear folks judge them just because they ain't got money.

Plus, they get left out of social stuff too. Remember when Scout's teacher tries to give Walter Cunningham a quarter for lunch? He won’t take it and then there's a whole scene about it. Scout explains that "The Cunninghams never took anything they can't pay back" (Lee, 27). It shows they’ve got their pride but also points out how nobody really gets their situation or cares to try. By turning down help from Miss Caroline, Walter ends up just adding to that negative view people have of his family.

And don’t forget: even though they're white, their struggles make 'em more similar to black folks than to richer white people in Maycomb. That kind of makes things worse for them since it puts them at odds with those with money and power. Atticus Finch tells Scout that “The Cunninghams are country folks, farmers, and the crash hit them hardest” (Lee, 27), showing how he gets that poverty equals more discrimination sometimes.

Implications of Discrimination

This treatment has big consequences for everyone in "To Kill a Mockingbird." For one thing, it backs up the theme of empathy—seeing other people's problems clearly matters here. Through Scout’s eyes, readers learn to look at the Cunninghams differently—with more understanding—and maybe start questioning our own views on folks who aren’t like us.

The story also shines a light on how broken society's hierarchies can be when it's all about wealth and privilege while ignoring people struggling outside that framework. Harper Lee criticizes these shallow judgments by pointing out how unfairly people like the Cunninghams are treated—and hopefully inspires readers to think twice about blindly following societal norms that lead to prejudice.

Conclusion

The way society discriminates against the Cunninghams is an important reminder of how complicated prejudice can be—even among white folks. Just because they’re not rich city people doesn’t mean they deserve all this bad treatment; their story reveals what's wrong with Maycomb’s society while highlighting why empathy matters so much today too!

"To Kill a Mockingbird" encourages readers everywhere not only confronting biases within themselves but recognizing humanity exists no matter circumstances surrounding individuals' lives—and striving towards building inclusive societies based around compassion rather than exclusionary practices rooted deeply within preconceived notions grounded solely upon superficial markers alone!