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Pay Me in Food By Jake Capezzuto

In 1935, the depression hit the small town of Maycomb, Alabama very hard. When the stock market crashed and the banks lost all of their money, so did the residents of Maycomb. Many people here are unemployed, and those that are working get paid very little for their jobs. Some are taking food in exchange for services. For example, the Finches are a family who before the depression were doing very well economically and now they struggle financially. Nearly 25% of Americans are unemployed, ( []) as a result Atticus Finch is forced to accept bread, hickory nuts, and turnip greens as payment from Mr. Cunningham (Lee 20). The Cunningham’s are not fairing so well, they can barely afford to eat and do things they did before the depression. Atticus even admits that he is poor, when his daughter Scout asked him if he was poor; “Are we poor, Atticus?” and Atticus replies “We are indeed.” Scout goes on to ask “As poor as the Cunningham’s?” “Not exactly. The Cunningham’s are country folk, farmers and the crash hit them the hardest.” Atticus goes on to say professional people were poor because the farmers were poor (Lee 21). Farmers were hit hard; they lost half of their income as a severe drought destroyed their crops. This caused food prices to sky rocket affecting the majority of America. The Finches and the Cunningham’s of Maycomb, Alabama represent the struggle of Americans during the Great Depression.