Walter Cunningham and Burris
Ewell are both poor, but the behavior of their families is completely
different.
We are introduced to two poor families whenstarts
school. Burris Ewell is Bob Ewells son, and Walter Cunningham is Walter Cunninghams son.
Burris is described as a hulking individual. He has lice, and no shoes, and is dirty. He has
parasites from walking around in pigpens with no shoes. Burris comes to school on the first day
of school and fulfills his obligation, and then does not come back until the next year. His
family lives behind the dump and his father collects welfare checks and spends them on
alcohol.
Walter, on the other hand, is a poor farmer, but a respectable
one.
If Walter had owned any shoes he would have worn them
the first day of school and then discarded them until mid-winter. He did have on a clean shirt
and neatly mended overalls. (ch 2)
Walter refuses to
accept the quarter the teacher tries to lend him, because a Cunningham does not take anything he
cant pay back. He is mature, and can talk toabout farming like a grown man. All in all, he is
a little gentleman and his family is mostly honorable. Although Walter Cunningham, Sr. does
lead the lynch mob that tries to take Tom Robinson, he stops when Scout tries to talk to him,
proving himself to also be a good man.
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