Gender Roles In To Kill A Mockingbird

The act of prejudice is one that everyone experiences. Whether it be, a person who is distributing hate, or a person who is receiving hate, everyone has contact with it. Although it is present all over the globe, it is prominent in the United States. Both in the present and the past, endless acts of discrimination have taken place and left a monumental impact on the country. The effect that it leaves can be seen in the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. In this story, sexism, racism, and isolation, are demonstrated in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930’s. As the story progresses, Lee compares these concepts to one another and uses them to make a statement about the problematic nature in America.

The main issue of the section we are acting out of Chapter 11 in “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is the prejudice that Ms. Dubose holds. She is both sexist and racist, both forms of prejudice that were common back in her generation, but were finally starting to change at that time. Aunt Alexandra and Ms. Dubose, most likely having been raised in the same time period, were both offended by Scout wearing pants. Ms. Dubose specifically asked ‘What are you doing in those overalls? You should be in a dress and camisole, young lady!’ (Lee, 101), which is greatly reminiscent of what Alexandra said at Christmas. Obviously, they were both raised with the same morals about having to wear dresses, causing them to be unintentionally sexist and myopic.

Scout recalls a conversation with Aunt Alexandra: “I could not possible hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn't supposed to be doing things that required pants” (108). This shows that Aunt Alexandra believes that Scout should not run or jump or play because that would not be “ladylike”. A time that Scout felt a feeling of rebellion towards her Aunt was when Scout overheard her talking about her: “I felt the starched walls of pink cotton penitentiary closing in on me, and for the second time in

Why do people want to change the way we live our life? I don’t fit in, so what? In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Lee uses characterization and tone in order to convey the idea that in society every gender has to follow their code of conduct, consequently it restricts people from being themselves in order to fit in.

First of all, Scout is more a tomboy than a girl. Boys tend to live by the phrase, “Boys rule. Girls drool.” Scout expresses,” I was not so sure, but Jem told me I was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, that’s why people hated them so, and if I started behaving like one I could just go off and find some to play with.” (45). This quote implies that Scout thinks girl things are bad and boy things are good. She has constantly been taught this. Scout believes she can avoid being a girl by not acting like one. Being a girl to Scout is more about what she does than what she is born with. Another example of Scout being more of a boy is how she reacts to the situation with Walter Cunningham and Miss. Caroline. In the text, Scout states, “Ah-Miss. Caroline? Miss. Caroline, he’s a Cunningham.” (22). The gender role of a girl would usually to sit back and watch everything go down. In Scout’s case, she is outspoken and has no filter. She has to tell Miss. Caroline what everyone else is thinking. It is in this sense and others that Scout challenges the traditional gender roles throughout the

Scout was particularly affected by gender discrimination as she was a girl. She was told she acted too much like a boy when she should be acting like a girl. Scout described Aunt Alexandra as “Fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pant” (108). Aunt Alexandra discriminated Scout for not wearing lady like attire and told her that if she continued to dress that way then she could not be a lady. Aunt Alexandra soon became determined to put an end to Scout’s non-feminine behavior. Atticus tried to explain to Scout that "She asked me to tell you must try to behave like the little lady and gentleman that you are. She wants to talk to you about the family and what it's meant to Maycomb County through the years, so you'll have some idea of who you are, so you might be moved to behave accordingly"(178). Atticus decided to take his sister’s word and told his children what they should act like despite him not approving of this. Scout’s behavior is what leads her Aunt Alexandra to discriminating her and telling her she will never be a lady if she continues to not dress

Scout had been raised in a masculine environment, with her father Atticus and her brother Jem, after her mother passed away. During the first chapters of the book, many negative comments were made about acting or being a girl from Jem. Jem would say comments such as, “ ’Scout I’m tellin’ you for the last time, shut your trap or go home-I declare to the Lord you’re gettin’ more like a girl everyday!’ “. Comments like this were made throughout the beginning of the book, making it seem that acting feminine was inferior to masculinity. This environment contradicted what many believed a little girl should dress and act like.

Aunt Alexandra doesn’t believe that Scout is feminine enough and disapproves of her tomboyish looks. She hates the way Scout dresses, can't believe that Atticus allows her to curse, and disapproves of her friends.

As they were walking past Mrs. Dubose’s house, she accused them of making trouble and disapproved of Scout’s wardrobe by bellowing and saying“...‘And you—’ she pointed an arthritic finger at [her]—’what are you doing in those overalls? You should be in a dress and camisole, young lady!’ ” (Lee, 135). As far as the reader is aware of, Scout’s usual wardrobe consists of overalls and she is not a big fan of dresses, another indicator that she despises acting ladylike. Like Mrs. Dubose, Aunt Alexandra disapproves of Scout’s attire and is constantly telling her to change the way she dresses and acts, so she can act more like a girl and less like a boy. This is another situation from the book where a character is treated unequally from the others, simply because of their gender and because of the way they carry themselves. In attempts to convince Scout to dress more like a girl, Aunt Alexandra feeds her lies by telling her that dressing up in dresses would allow her “to be a ray of sunshine in [her] father’s lonely life” (Lee, page

Also, when Atticus and Aunt Alexandra were talking about Scout’s clothing, Scout explains that Aunt Alexandra wanted her to wear pearls and dress like a girl. She eventually asked Atticus about her clothing choices, and he said that he did not care what she wore (Lee 81). Scout likes to dress in pants instead of dresses; however, her aunt thinks this is wrong. Atticus knows Scout isn’t going to change the way she dresses because of ‘some rule’ that says girls have to wear dresses, and he accepts her for that. He shows integrity by accepting Scout’s clothing choices and the way she wants to live her life.

Scout despises the fact that everyone wants her to be a girly girl, and it bothers her because she does not want to wear a dress, and she has fears of growing up as a female, she would rather wear overalls according to Shackelford (3).” She resents the influence of her genteel aunt Alexandra, who loathes dirt and wishes that her niece would play with stoves and tea sets; is disgusted by her hateful, elderly, and bedridden neighbor, Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose; and ridicules her first-grade teacher, Miss Caroline Fisher, a “peppermint drop” of a pretty, proper young woman” (Holmes). However, her morals and values really show because she has a devotion to her father’s opinion and what he does by taking a stand against the racial society, in the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” it states “.. I wondered at the world of women... There was no doubt about it, I must soon enter this world, where on its surface fragrant ladies rocked slowly, fanned gently, and drank cool water” (236).

Scout is considered a tomboy because she does not wear dresses because she can “do nothing in a dress” (Lee 92) so instead she wears overalls or pants. She also goes to Finch’s Landing and starts to cuss around her Uncle Jack; when he asks her does she want to “ Grow up and be a lady,” (Lee 90) she tells him “ Not particularly.”(Lee 90) When she does wear a dress for Aunt Alexandra and the missionary circle; she gets ridiculed because she tells them she wants to grow up

The criticism brought on by social roles negatively impacts one’s views on themselves and their actions. Maycomb’s strict social roles have lowered somes self esteem and has trapped people in a certain personality or financial stance. These social roles can get in a person’s head and change their views and actions in result. An example of this is shown at the school where Scout explains to Miss Caroline about the Ewells, ” He’s one of the Ewell’s...They come the first day every year and then they leave… You’re supposed to mark ‘em absent the rest of the year”(27). The Ewells have always left the first day of school because that’s who they are and who they will always be, but how are the children supposed to better themselves if this social role has been placed on them since birth. This normal behavior of the Ewells restricts the

In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee develops the theme of gender roles through characterization. During the 1930’s, stereotyping between males and females were prominent and even today in our society .Scout challenges the idea of gender roles to remain a tomboy. She challenges characters such as Aunt Alexandra and Jem. Primarily unconventional in terms of gender, these role models fluctuate between different ideas. Lee describes characters that resist agreeing to the example of masculinity and femininity and instead fill middle positions between the stereotypes, as Scout’s tomboy a behavior exemplifies.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, is an ideal display of feminism that takes place during the period of depression in the south. It portrayed the two kinds of women found in the south during this time, the women who were pro the feminist movement, and the average Southern women. Sadly some women mistakenly rebelled against the ideals of society, by just being themselves. Men and women were to conduct themselves as ladies and gentlemen, were men were expected to dress in suit and ties and women were expected to wear dresses and be courteous. Since southern towns were so sheltered from the liberal views of the rest of the world they had no chose but to abide by these gender roles.