There really aren't as many obvious signs of the Great
Depression in Chapter 8 of To Kill a Mockingbird as there are in
other chapters. One sign that it is the 1930s is the lack of electrical heat in the
Finch home. Because excessively cold weather was a rarity in the Deep South, Southern
homes rarely had electric heaters (and because it was still a luxury in homes anywhere).
The Finches depended upon the heat from their fireplaces, and Scout claims that "we were
cold." Miss Maudie's house was wooden and susceptible to fire; concrete block houses
would not become common until after World War II.
The
town's fire engine was old and would not start; when they attached a hose to the nearest
fire hydrant, the hose burst. The town probably had little money for upkeep during the
Great Depression, and they had neglected the importance of maintaining a properly
working firetruck. Miss Maudie's house had a tin roof, normal for many Southern houses
of the time. She also planned to rebuild with extra bedrooms so she could take in
boarders, a sure sign that money was scarce. African-Americans are referred to as
"nigger" and "colored man," outdated epithets now but common in the
1930s.
No comments:
Post a Comment