Knowing Yourself In the award-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, set in Maycomb, Alabama, in the 1930s, many characters face various difficulties in their daily life. daily life. These storms teach the reader different things about the characters. Walter Cunningham Sr., a farmer, faces two very difficult struggles, trying to stay afloat during the economic crisis and trying to decide for himself whether the prejudice the people of Maycomb have against African Americans is right. First of all, one of the storms Walter Cunningham Sr. is trying to provide for his family during the Great Depression. At the beginning of the novel, Atticus, the best lawyer in all of Maycomb, tells his daughter Scout and his son Jem that "If he kept his mouth tight, Mr. Cunningham might get a job at the WPA, but if he left her, his land would be ruined, and he [is] willing to suffer hunger to keep his land and his vows as he pleases" (Law 12). Clearly, this shows that Walter Cunningham is very passionate about what he does and couldn't bear to let go of his farm, even if it means he will struggle to provide for his family and might just hurt himself. But Walter, being the strong character that he is, continues to fight by putting everything he has into his farm to keep his family alive and barely survive on what he has. Shortly later in the novel, Scout explains to the reader how Walter pays them. "One morning Jem and I found a load of firewood in the back yard. Later, a sack of hickory nuts appeared on the back steps... Atticus said Mr. Cunningham had more than paid for him" (11) . This illustrates the idea that Walter Cunningham is a very responsible individual who is making the best of his situation by paying with...... middle of paper ......n. These storms reveal many things about him, such as his passion, sense of responsibility, and his ability to complete an introspective journey, as well as a glimpse into the mind of Mr. Cunningham. Writers create characters to teach the reader something, and Walter Cunningham clearly embodies the idea of ​​knowing yourself and being your own individual, along with the evidence that a warped society can corrupt the minds of its innocents. Walter Cunningham shows readers that people can be both passionate and responsible and can decide for themselves what to believe. Lee invites the reader to embark on their own introspective journey to understand who they are and what they believe. All in all, Walter Cunningham Sr. shows the arduous journey of sticking to what you love and truly knowing yourself. Works Cited Harper Lee, To Kill A Mockingbird