Examples Of Caste System In To Kill A Mockingbird

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The Maycomb Caste System

In the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee continually presents a theme of social classification. Within the community of Maycomb, one's family heritage and skin color are the primary determinants of his social standing. Regardless of his accomplishments and attributes, a longtime white resident automatically joins the ranks of the upper class. This "superior" citizen scorns those with no supposed background and despises those with black skin. Hand in hand with racism, this elitism segregates the people of Maycomb into groups of varying social status. In particular, members of the lower class are separated into categories such as the Cunninghams, the Ewells, and the blacks.

The Cunninghams and the other hard-working farmers comprise one such division. People belonging to this class boast no noble family heritage and struggle to survive. Though honest and industrious, citizens like the Cunninghams gain little respect from the upper class individuals. The allegedly elite residents of Maycomb label them as ignorant and uncouth. Even Scout …show more content…
By placing the mostly moral and hardworking blacks in a lower class than the wicked Ewells, it directly promotes racism. Likewise, this classification most likely contributes to the jury's preconceived notions against Tom Robinson, resulting in his wrongful conviction. Sadly, it encourages the residents of the community to focus only on a person's skin color and family background rather than that person's true character. The citizens of Maycomb should simply abolish this unnecessary segregation and concentrate their efforts instead on showing the love of Christ to one another. By highlighting the faults of this social categorization, To Kill a Mockingbird teaches a valuable lesson that every American should
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