The characters of the novel have different degrees of maturity. All adults are not mature. They are many exceptions. Atticus, for a white southern man in the thirties is mature.
Atticus had a sensor friendship with his children, so sensor that they were able to call him by his first name. His teachings were those of Atticus, not only form a father but life advice and insight from a friend.
In chapter 13, aunt Alexandra has decided that it would be best for the family if she stays with them for “a while”, which worried Scout as nothing can be done about it. She is old-fashioned and proper. She believes that behaviours and character traies are passed on from one generation to the next through heredity. She believes that those who have stayed in the same places for many generations are known as the “fine folks”. Scout thought that “fine folks” were those that did the best they could with the sense they had. In aunt Alexandra’s eyes, the Ewells who are very poor, are fine folks because they have stayed on the same land by the town dump for three generations. Most people looked fairly similar in the Maycomb county because the town families tended to intermarry. Newcomers arrived rarely and made little difference to the social mix. The behaviour of most of the people was predictable and repetitive.
Aunt Alexandra want the children to know all about the Finch family and in so doing painted a genteel heritage. She points out the caste system exists in Maycomb and that the Finch family sits atop that system. However her stories reveal a great amount of inbreeding among all Maycomb’s families, including the Finches. Alexandra is not pleased with the way atticus is raising the children and feels she is needed.
As I read, I was convinced that the enormous amount of racist thought in Maycomb prevents blacks being treated with respect, because according to Aunt Alexandra’s way of thinking dishonesty and inferiority would be characteristics genetically endemic to the entire race. Aunt Alexandra tries to make Scout into a proper southern girl and meets with proper opposition. Scout is a victim of the old-fashioned system for judging individuals. Scout wants to be allowed to simply be herself.
The characters of the novel have different degrees of maturity. All adults are not mature. They are many exceptions. Atticus, for a white southern man in the thirties is mature.
Atticus had a sensor friendship with his children, so sensor that they were able to call him by his first name. His teachings were those of Atticus, not only form a father but life advice and insight from a friend.
Friendship: The friendship with Dill opens scout and Jem up to a new world. He
talks of experiences outside of their small closed community. He also
introduces them to the stories of boo Radley.
if Atticus did not have some kind of friendship with his children they couldn't
call him Atticus. They also might not see his important lessons in the same
light because not only is it teachings from a father but life advice and
insight from a friend. It isn't really a friendship that they develop but a friendly understanding. For certain purposes is is just as important because just to understand that Boo was another real relatable person gave them the ability to oversee the stereotypes
set on him. Plus their friendly manner allowed Boo to have an outside contact
with the world(gifts in the tree)
Status : Status plays a role in every story. But the status divisions in
this story are very defined and influences many happenings in this novel.
The social structure is made up of four layers. The highest level is held
by white, educated "wealthy" families(especially the men of those
families). This includes the Finches and Mr. Tate. The second layer is
the working "middle" class. Although these people are generally poor, they
work and are somewhat educated. The members of this class would include
small shop owners and farmers for example the Cunninghams. The next class
although financially similar, has completely different morals, standards and
quality of life. This class may include some who work, but most noticeably,
it is made up of the town drunks, fools and all around irresponsible
people. This class certainly includes the Ewell family. Finally the
lowest rank in this hierarchy is the made up of the black citizens.
Although they may be as educated and economically stable as those in the
second or even first rank, because of their skin they are immediate
outcasts and can obviously never move out of their strata. This specific
structure had influence in certain events in this novel.
Sacrifice : When someone sacrifices something for the benefit of others it
is usually well praised. But in this novel not all sacrificial acts are
given their recognition.Tom Robinson sacrifices his life for his
family: After the guilty verdict in Tom's trial, he was sentenced to be in
jail and later hanged. But, this would almost definitely lead to his
family being further ostracized from the Maycomb community. His execution
and trial would linger with them. So, to end this future suffering for his
family, Tom purposely tried to be killed while he made his "escape." No one
truly realizes his intentions; maybe because he was black or people figured
he was trying to save his own life.
