"I had received the impression that Fine Folks were people who did the best they could with the sense they had" (130). In Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, two poor white families are used to show that no matter what cards you are dealt in life, if you play the hand to the best of your ability, then that makes you Fine Folk. The Ewells and the Cunninghams are the two families at the bottom of the class "totem pole" However, upon closer inspection, it is easy to see that the two families are only alike in the sense that they are poor and white. Although the Ewells and the Cunninghams living conditions, behavior, and impact on society may at times appear to have similarities, they are two very different families.
Although neither the Ewells nor the Cunninghams had much money, they dealt with their situations very differently. "Maycomb's Ewells lived behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin. The Ewells gave the dump a thorough cleaning every day" (170). The Ewells lived off of the people of Maycomb in more ways than one; the Ewells ate their garbage and spent their welfare money. The family was dirty "he (Burris) was the filthiest human I had ever seen" (26-27). Bob Ewell routinely spent his welfare check on whiskey. All in all, the Ewells had no respect for themselves or for others. Like the Ewells, the Cunninghams had very little money "The Cunninghams are country folks, farmers, and the crash hit them the hardest" (21). However, contrary to the Ewells, the Cunninghams took pride in themselves, this is shown in their outward appearance and in their actions. "He (Walter) did have on a clean shirt and neatly mended overalls" (19). They also have principles which they uphold "The Cunninghams never took anything they couldn't pay back" (20). The Cunninghams were honest, hardworking people who sought to make it on their own.
Social status is not only determined by wealth but also by actions and behavior.
