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Post by bennettspengler on Jul 16, 2016 14:22:57 GMT
In the opening chapter, the town of Maycomb is described by Scout as "an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square." This description doesn't just provide the reader with the physical appearance of the town, it also gives a clue that Maycomb was one of many victims of the Great Depression. This becomes a major theme later in the novel when families such as the Cunninghams and Ewells are portrayed as extremely poor. This poverty has a dramatic effect on events that take place in Maycomb, and the maturing of Jem and Scout. For example, after Scout must explain to Ms. Caroline that Walter doesn't have any money, she thinks back to when Jem asked Atticus if they themselves are poor. Atticus replies with "We are indeed." He later explains that farmers were affected the most, and therefore professional people were poor in result. This catastrophic chain that took Maycomb (and many other places) by surprise has a profound effect on the general well being and condition of the town. It also seems that spending whatever money one had every now and then is out of the question when it is explained that "there was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with." Without the dire need for money, the town would be a much different place, but as it stands the poverty adds a bit of character to the people and the town of Maycomb.
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Post by carlikassner2996 on Jul 16, 2016 21:31:37 GMT
I agree completely on how it affects the children. There isn't much talk of buying things at all. One of the only objects that Scout purchases in the book is the baton that Jem uses to destroy the camellias. The kids don't have bikes, no toys are mentioned, and it is clear they do not have much money to buy little things. The Finches never eat out, never go shopping, and never even speak of special wants. I think The Depression taught the children that there just isn't money available to buy certain things that aren't a necessity of living. The neighbors do not even speak of such extravagances either. And I really like how you compared The Depression to how it affected not only the people, but the looks and feels of the town. "There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County." (Chapter 1)
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Post by tiffanyjacquez on Jul 21, 2016 21:24:41 GMT
I agree with your analysis of poverty being an important characteristic to the setting and tone of the novel. In a sense the setting highlights and distinguishes specific characters throughout the book. For example, in the courtroom scene, when the character Mayella Ewell is introduced, Atticus describes her as "the victim of cruel poverty and ignorance"(Chapter 20, pg. 272). Lee emphasizes in this statement the further victimization of Mayella, both by the state and unfortunate circumstances. However, just as poverty is utilized to distinguish the dark side of Maycomb, it is also used to highlight its more noble characters. Atticus and Dr. Reynolds, for example, understand the farmer's difficult situation, and provide their professional services for free or for whatever currency available (whether that be turnips or potatoes). I would like to believe that the author does everything purposefully, and if so, Harper Lee purposefully utilized the setting for dramatic effect. Especially when considering that the novel was produced during the civil rights era, yet is set in 1930's Alabama. The setting may be just a product of Lee's own childhood reminiscence, but I would like to think otherwise.
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Post by hayleycurrin on Aug 12, 2016 17:29:27 GMT
The poverty seems almost like a humbling experience especially to the children but seeing how they aren't really unhappy, we must wonder whether the Great Depression was as greatly feared then as it is now. We pity the people who live in poverty and they simply didn't know there was another option. Other examples of where the Great Depression affected them was during Aunt Alexandra's Baptist meeting and how Mrs. Merriweather said that she had to pay the African American woman that was working for her because food was scarce in the depression and food scarcity was also found in the small meals of the Finch family and how they called eggs and potatos a feast. To agree with Bennett, it did have an impact because the Great Depression probably made more of a community. When Miss Maudie's house burned down, everyone gathered around her and tried to save her and her things. At Halloween they had a celebration and all the townsfolk tried to help each other out over the years because there was little and so those who could offer support did. There wasn't a big void is the caste system and even when there was a bit of one (mostly where the Ewells were concerned) it was primarily because of parenting and education rather than money because everyone was poor. The Great Depression may have actually increased the community in Maycomb.
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Post by hayleycurrin on Aug 12, 2016 17:29:48 GMT
The poverty seems almost like a humbling experience especially to the children but seeing how they aren't really unhappy, we must wonder whether the Great Depression was as greatly feared then as it is now. We pity the people who live in poverty and they simply didn't know there was another option. Other examples of where the Great Depression affected them was during Aunt Alexandra's Baptist meeting and how Mrs. Merriweather said that she had to pay the African American woman that was working for her because food was scarce in the depression and food scarcity was also found in the small meals of the Finch family and how they called eggs and potatos a feast. To agree with Bennett, it did have an impact because the Great Depression probably made more of a community. When Miss Maudie's house burned down, everyone gathered around her and tried to save her and her things. At Halloween they had a celebration and all the townsfolk tried to help each other out over the years because there was little and so those who could offer support did. There wasn't a big void is the caste system and even when there was a bit of one (mostly where the Ewells were concerned) it was primarily because of parenting and education rather than money because everyone was poor. The Great Depression may have actually increased the community in Maycomb.
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Post by Hamish Shepherd on Aug 15, 2016 2:06:11 GMT
The Great Depression is also used to make the economic situation an even field. This is important to he story to show that is not money that is the fuel for discrimination but race. This is helps propel the story. It also shows that even when they live in the same circumstances discrimination still exists and to show that human ingorance can hold has back as Haley mentioned in the case of the Ewell family.
by Hamish Shepherd
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Post by tsharman on Aug 16, 2016 14:52:35 GMT
The economic hardships endured by Maycomb's inhabitants add significance to some of their actions, as when Reverend Sykes pressures the congregation of First Purchase to give ten dollars to Helen Robinson. This scene seems much more poignant given the low economic status of the congregation; the ten dollars are collected "slowly, painfully," making the giving appear quite sacrificial (Lee 163). The poverty of Maycomb's townsfolk thus adds significance to all of their giving, spending, loaning, or other economic interactions.
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