Unspoken barriers divide people based on class, wealth, intelligence, and background. This has affected numerous people throughout history who have subsequently been assigned unfair places in society based on factors such as family ancestry, behavior and more. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee argues that negative repercussions will occur when one attempts to break out of one's preordained place in a small, judgmental society. This is evidently demonstrated by the characters of Mayella Ewell, her children Jem and Scout, and finally Atticus Finch. In the city of Maycomb, hereditary relationships play an important role in a person's reputation, which means that your family's social status immediately becomes your own. Mayella Ewell's character unfortunately belongs to the dirtiest family in town. This is demonstrated in the text, which states: Atticus said that the Ewells had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations... Against the fence, in a row, stood six chipped enamel jars containing bright red geraniums, tenderly tended as if they belonged to Miss Maudie Atkinson, if Miss Maudie had deigned to allow a geranium on her premises. People said they were Mayella Ewell's... it was easy to tell when someone had regular baths, rather than annual washes: Mr. Ewell looked scalded; as if the overnight soaking had stripped him of protective layers of dirt, his skin seemed sensitive to the elements. Mayella seemed to be trying to keep herself clean, and I was reminded of the row of red geraniums in the Ewells' yard. (Lee 30-179) It is evident that Mayella wants to be better than her established family status when she tries to keep her living quarters clean and presentable, actions that the rest of her family would never bother with...... middle of paper ......ticus' naive mentality in believing that everyone has equal and fair chances. Treating everyone with respect and courtesy, whether rich, poor, black or white, was not the way he should have behaved according to society's adamant rules. To conclude, it is demonstrated in numerous examples found in Harper Lee's award-winning novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, that social pressures, rigid rules and boundaries set by society can overwhelm anyone of any class, race or background. It is unfair to assume someone's character based on their preordained status, but unfortunately, the negative effects occur immediately as soon as one tries to step out of the preordained place. As Mayella Ewell, Scout, Jem Finch and Atticus Finch were the examples of this bitter truth, there are many other characters affected by the social impacts on daily life in the novel..