Prejudice: Social Class
'He ain’t company, Cal, he’s just a Cunningham-,’ Due to the social status of the Cunninghams, they were also subjected to prejudice. It’s not stated, no one mentions it, but inside, everyone knows it. Everyone knows who’s who, and which family never goes to school; or which family is poor.
‘There’s four kinds of folks of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbours, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes.’ It’s like the unwritten law. All of these labels were used due to the difference of social class of the families/races.
The townspeople were prejudiced against them, based on their financial situation. A whole image has been built from just saying the name ‘Cunningham’ or ‘Ewell’. Though some aspects of their image may be true, the whole town knows of them; knows of their situation; and judged them for it.
They are avoided by the townspeople due to the reputation that were built for them; assumed of them. Mothers don’t want them playing with their children. Families don’t want to be associated with them. “Don’t be silly, Jean Louise.... the thing is, you can scrub Walter Cunningham till he shines, you can put him in shoes and a new suit, but he’ll never be like Jem. Besides, there’s a drinking streak in that family a mile wide. Finch women aren’t interested in that sort of people,” That kind of reputation stay with them for their whole life, and that will always be how they are labelled; how they are judged; and ultimately how they feel and act.
