Circumstances Affect The Development Of Identity

The novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee talks about the childhood of the protagonist Jean Louis Finch (Scout) as she grows up in the fictional county of Maycomb in Alabama. Soon after, Scout’s father, Atticus, gets a case of a black man falsely accused of rape, as Scout and her brother, Jem, bear witness to the case as they finally come to realize the prejudice and stereotyping in their own county. Stereotypes are destructive and prevent or discourage individual growth because it can cause violence and harm, it can create barriers within a society and it can change one’s views about something.

As a child grows, many people influence their development as a person. Some people impact more than others, and a select few really leave their mark. In Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” several characters play this role. Among them, Miss Maudie Atkinson, a woman who proves herself a strong character, prevails as the one who has the greatest impact on Scout Finch, the protagonist of this novel. As Scout matures and grows up, her views on the world around her change. Through subtle yet effective ways, Miss Maudie teaches Scout many life lessons about being humble, judging, and attitude, all of which ultimately have a great effect on the kind of person Scout develops into and her outlook on the world.

When most people grow up they are a simple plain piece of clay that are waiting to be molded. It takes others and things to help shape, mold, and add color to it which makes the person who they are today. In To Kill a Mockingbird, it is about a young girl living in a small town of Maycomb, and how the town changes her as she grows up. Throughout the story, she is exposed to racism, injustice, and the different perspectives of people. She also learns how to treat others, tolerate them, and be a good person in general. In the town of Maycomb, there are many things that shape her directly such as racism and the feelings of others. However, many things would help guide her through the growing pains of life, such as learning how to deal with others, being a good person, and being able to tolerate people. The

As the United States “progresses” in economic, educational and technological advancements we still are fighting for racial equality. With more than 50 years since the brown vs. board of education case there is still incidents like Ferguson, Baton Rouge, and Phiando Castile where many questions are still unanswered. However, Harper Lee dealt with these same problems in 1960 when she wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee created an emotionally confronting story. Lee writes through the eyes of “Scout” a lawyer’s daughter in a small sleepy town of Maycomb in Alabama during the great depression. Throughout the book “Scout” learns coming of age lessons from Atticus and her own experiences. But when Atticus takes on a case defending a black man (Tom Robinson) convicted for rapping a white woman (Mayella Ewell) and is found guilty. “Scout” her brother Jem begin to understand the effects of the prejudices in society. Therefore, Lee applies the literary concepts of diction and tone to revel the truth that prejudices in society negatively affect the way people treat each other in To Kill a Mocking Bird.

Throughout my life, the people in my neighborhoods have affected the way in which I view the area where I live; when I was little, I lived in a close neighborhood in Parker. Most people would comment on the convenience of living in such a nice neighborhood. Then, when I turned ten years old, we moved to Franktown. When I moved to Franktown, I had a similar experience, with one difference; others would comment on the rural beauty. This has contributed to my appreciation of the area where I live. In a similar way, in the fictitious novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout, the protagonist has experiences that prove that community can shape one’s identity. This can happen through the opinion of nearby residents, the memories created there, and the type of people living there. Lee portrays the theme, community shapes a person’s identity, through the characterization of Scout; through her attitude and memorable experiences, her interactions with others, and how she morally develops.

It has been said that history always repeats itself. One can even go so far as to say that, in essence, history never changes. To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel from 1960, yet the themes that are present within its pages correlate with many aspects of modern society; the theme of prejudice having a strong tie to the present day. Throughout the novel the reader is exposed to many forms of discrimination through the eyes of the young girl, Scout. Not only is prejudice presented in the form of social divide, but also in the form of sexism and racism. When one looks at modern society, there is no amount of denial that can eliminate the fact that even in the twenty first century prejudice still exists, despite efforts to eradicate

To Kill A Mockingbird shows many examples of what it was like to be a women in the South during the 1930’s. We see this through the eyes of the main character, Scout. She is often put through the things women and girls had to deal with during this time. Majority of the time Scout opposes and has a hard time understanding the “role” of being a women.

throughout the novel that is set in the 1930s, in a quaint town in Alabama called Maycomb. Scout Finch, the narrator and protagonist of To Kill a Mockingbird, is a seven-year old girl whose top priority isn’t about being a lady. In the book, the gender that faces the most discrimination are females. Scout has multiple bonds with females and views them as a gender who cannot have fun. Although she is too young to even comprehend what sexism is at such age, the thoughts those around her have on females impacts her thoughts on women. Throughout the last 87 years, you see how the expectations our society had, specifically on females, has evolved completely, and since society’s views have altered, I believe that if To Kill a Mockingbird were set in today’s times, Scout would not face the same level of persecution women had back then.

In the book to kill a mockingbird the Author has taken us back to the thirties were a little girl name Scout is seeing all the racial inequality and gender inequality. Scout is a character that we see a lot innocents from, but as the story goes on we see she loses some of her innocents. We saw Scout growing up and why she is what she is in the end of the story.

Gender in To Kill A Mockingbird Gender discrimination is often hard to identify, because stereotypes are part of society and gender role assumptions are easy to make. People rely on general assumptions because they want gender to be simple, when it is actually very complicated. To Kill a Mockingbird is a great example of how gender expectations and roles shape the life of a child. The character of Scout To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee undergoes a change in attitude and behavior based on female gender stereotypes and expectations as demonstrated by the 1930’s setting of the novel, Jem’s childish manipulation, and Aunt Alexandra’s desire to change Scout’s tomboy behavior.

Furthermore, there are many factors that shape an individual’s understanding of her gender identity, as shown by Harper Lee in To Kill a Mockingbird. Jean Louise Finch, better known as Scout, grows up in a highly discriminated society during the 1930s in Maycomb, Alabama. She is constantly reprimanded for misbehaving and transcending the prim and proper regulations that govern a Southern lady’s life. In Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout’s gender identity is influenced by her upbringing, role models, and

When To Kill a Mockingbird was written, the South was still adhesive to traditional values. Women were expected to act femininely and wear feminine clothing and men were expected to be masculine. The strict gender roles were followed in the small southern towns because they were separated from the progressing attitudes in other parts of the United States. Harper Lee writes about Jean Louise Finch or “Scout” who is exploring for her identity while growing up in Maycomb, Alabama. Scout is a tomboy and is pressured by others that she should conform to the traditional role of a woman.

Just as Scout defied the rules that society constrained her to she was able to still be her own person and create her own person rather than acting as a “lady” as multiple people had tried to manipulate her into becoming. Being a lady is not defined by the way a person acts or thinks. It is defined by how one perceives it for themselves and not letting anyone else change who they wish to be. Everyone is their own lady—Metaphorically speaking—and should not focus on how others define them, but rather on how they can execute being a better person to help improve society. To Kill a Mockingbird opens readers eyes to the social injustices that are seen in civilization and how to avoid them and be their own

“A southern belle was a girl who was expected to grow up into a lady. She was supposed to be fragile and flirtatious...beautiful...up-to-date on the latest fashions” (Charles R. Wilson). The appearance and actions of women were harshly critiqued in the early 1900s. If a woman did not fit the social norm, she was treated as an outcast. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout, a young tomboy, is criticised by her older neighbors and relatives for her boyish appearance, but she is accepted by outcasts like herself, and by people who disagree with what is expected of women. Through methods of characterization, Harper Lee reveals that social expectations are an unfair requirement of individuals. Scout reveals the expectations

Discrimination and stereotypes are still involved in today's ever-growing society. People are judged by their race, gender, and, wealth; people are expected to act a certain way because of these things. In To Kill A Mockingbird it tells the readers about a small town, Maycomb, that faces many challenges because of how individuals are judged and treated. If someone were African American, he/she would think to be less of a person and were treated as if they were trash. If someone were to be a woman, she was thought to be weak, emotional, and dramatic. If someone were poor he/she were thought to be dirty, rude and were treated like trash. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses stereotypes related to racism, gender, and wealth to teach her audience about how individuals were treated during the Great Depression.