Friday, November 4, 2011

Why is the missionary circle's concern with the "squalid lives of the Mrunas" ironic in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Mrs. Grace Merriweather expresses her concern for the Mruna people at the missionary circle meeting. She then praises J. Grimes Everett for his work with the Mrunas. She tells the group: "Not a white person'll go near 'em but that saintly J. Grimes Everett" (Chapter 24).  


Mrs. Merriweather and the others show great concern for the Mrunas. They seem to care for their wellbeing. In the same conversation, however, the ladies complain about their African American servants. Ironically, they do not show the same level of compassion for the people in their own community as they do for the Mrunas.


Mrs. Merriweather is concerned by the poverty of the Mruna people. She fails to show any concern for the poverty of the African Americans living in Maycomb. She shows some concern for Tom Robinson's wife, but it is about her living a Christian life rather than that she has to be the sole breadwinner for her children and has trouble finding work.

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