tHeMeS! (themes!!!) =] ♥

Education and upper and lower class are big "themes" in the book To Kill A Mockingbird. The Ewell family is a lower class family because they have little education. Bob Ewell is a horrible father who needs money from the government to help his family because he can't do it himself. You can tell he has little to no education because he works and gets money but he doesn't spend it in a very sensible way. He buys alcohol instead of food for his family. He is irresponsible and has let his children skip school. During the trial, Atticus asks Mayella if her dad is easy to get along with or if he is good to her. She says "He does tollable, 'cept when-" Than she looks up at her dad and he looks surprised about what Atticus and Mayella said. So she tells Atticus "Except when nothin', I said he does tollable." (page 185) This shows that they don't have a very good vocabulary so they are not very smart. Also it shows that Mayella is afraid of her father so she doesn't want to disappoint him so she doesn't get beat!
The opposite of the Ewell family is the Finches, because they are a middle to higher class not a low class.. They are more respected than the Ewells because they can afford more and Atticus is a layer. Atticus has two kids and they are well respected and Atticus can pay for a nice house. When Bob spends his money on alcohol. The Ewells don't have a very nice home ether. They live by the dumpster and they get food out of the garbage.