Who are the Mrunas, and what themes do they support in To Kill a Mockingbird?
mshurn Teacher College – Freshman eNotes Editor In Chapter 24, the Mrunas (at least, that’s what their name sounded like to Scout) are the topic of discussion for Alexandra’s missionary circle as they meet in Scout’s living room. According to Mrs. Merriweather’s report, the Mrunas are non-Caucasian natives who live in huts, lead squalid lives, abuse their children, suffer disease, and practice disgusting customs. When Scout asks Mrs. Merriweather what the missionary circle ladies had studied that afternoon, Mrs. Merriweather (the most devout Christian in Maycomb) explained: Oh child, those poor Mrunas . . . . Living in that jungle with nobody but [missionary] J. Grimes Everett . . . Not a white person’ll go near ’em but that saintly J. Grimes Everett. Mrs. Merriweather’s ignorance and arrogance are obvious and become even more pronounced when she moves on to the subject of Helen Robinson, whose husband Tom has just been convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and who has been shot to dea
