Write an essay on Harper Lee’s presentation of family life in “To Kill a Mockingbird”.

Parents should provide for their children by giving them a sense of stability. Not only should they provide them with love, and care, but they should also provide them with the bare essentials in life. Atticus succeeds in doing this by providing his family with food, clothing, and shelter. Their household is an example of the security children need in their up-bringing.

I think that Scout has a hard time of all the events in the novel she is landed in the middle of everything, like when Jem is learning his lessons about when Mrs Dubose passes away. What must Scout be thinking about- are these lessons that she will also learn in the future.

What then is the picture of the world in the mind of this child, and how does she see the future events of the story? At first Scout fights with her fists because she does not know how to fight any other way. Then she sees adult injustice applied to her by Uncle Jack, some one whom she loves.

Scout Vs. Jem

Again we see a contrast in the attitude of the two children. The younger Scout still cannot understand why things should or should not be done. For example, she cannot understand why Atticus never told his children about his ability to shoot. On the other hand, Jem, the older child, is beginning to have a sense of values. He realizes that being a man, and more importantly, a gentleman, is not just in acting and talking.

The Ewell family are the worst example of a family unit in the book.

Bob Ewell, father of Mayella Ewell, plays the drunken, abusive, and neglectful father. He is an example of how a parent can be a negative influence on their children's lives.

Bob Ewell does not provide his children with any kind of stability, but rather provides only for himself and his drinking habits. Their household is described as being a dump. Nobody really knew how many Ewell children there were, "Some people said six, others said nine; there were always several dirty-faced ones at the windows when anyone passed by." The Ewell family is described to be low lives and the poorest family in Maycomb.

The extremes of poverty are illustrated in the Ewells and the Negroes. The Ewells are poor, but they don't want to do anything about it. The Negroes are poor because nobody will let them do anything about it. The Ewells won't work even when they can. The Negroes will work, but the only jobs available to them are the menial, low-paying ones.

The Radleys are the mystery family of the town. Having only read the first part of the novel I do not think we yet know the full story of whether or not the Radleys are meant to be a good or bad family unit. Certainly Old Mr Radley was meant to be a bad example of a person for reasons that a good parent does not shut away their child for the rest of their life for a mistake as a young rational teenager. Everybody in the town wants a piece of knowledge about the Radleys. They have done a good job of keeping Boo in solitude. I think that the reason Boo would have stayed in the house as a youngster would have been because he had nowhere else to go and he would have been afraid of going back to jail. After that I think all that kept Boo in the house was mental health problems and fear, probably given to him by his family, that if he went out bad things would happen to him.

I think that the family are committing an injustice to humanity by keeping Boo locked up. This would not be accepted in a more modern society like todays. Norman Radley has basically just picked up where his father left off when he died. Possibly he might feel a little injustice in what has happened to his brother. I think that Harper Lee is making members of the Radley family a little too much like machines. Norman Radley would have to spend most of his days being occupied with looking after Boo. But more importantly keeping other people away from where he is and dismissing rumor around the place. This occupation is shown by times like when he cements up the hole in the tree that the Finch children are using to communicate with Boo.

The Cunninghams are a mixture of both a good example of a family unit. Their honesty is very highly complimented by Lee. The fact that the children are probably a bit unprotected and not living the average lives of normal kids like the finches rubs off badly on them but they make the most of what they have, their land, and never take advantage of others.

I think that Harper Lee believes that a childs parents are the main thing that models a child in to a fully formed adult. She has her own views on what good people and bad people are yet accepts that nobody is the 'perfect10'. I think that her views are cast in to the readers minds through Atticus and he has the closest mind to hers.

By Robbie (Booey) Hunter ( 1283 words)