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.

The “other” is someone(s) who are different than me and my group. Some of the “others” in Maycomb include: Boo Radley, Miss Caroline Fisher and Walter Cunningham. Race, class, and gender play a role in establishing the “other”. Gossip and superstition play a role in figuring out who society believes are the “other”. Stereotypes also play a role in determining who is an “other” because stereotypes are undefinable attitudes that people have about other people. Fear plays a role in “otherness” because fear causes people to say and do things that they normally wouldn’t do. A quote to support this is from chapter two: “The class murmured apprehensively, should she prove to harbor her share of peculiarities indigenous to that region.”

By using characterization in To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee shows how people try to drive others to follow their gender role and makes us wonder, why do people want this? In an argument with Aunt Alexandra Scout says, “I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could not do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants.” (108). We can clearly understand that Aunt Alexandra is trying to make Scout stop wearing overalls and instead wear girl clothes, in doing so, she is restricting Scout from doing the activities she enjoys like playing and running. Not only does Aunt Alexandra want Scout to stop wearing overalls which are for boys but also wants to make Scout a lady, she wants her to learn a woman's role, which helps prove my claim. In my theses I mention that people try to change others and in this case Aunt Alexandra is trying to change Scout into someone she is not, as can be seen this is not the only time people try to change the way Scout behaves. During Christmas at Finch's Landing Uncle Jack is correcting Scouts behavior, “Scout, you will get in trouble if you go around saying things like that. You want to grow up to be a lady, don’t you? (105). The reason for Scout getting in trouble is a result of her unladylike language, her uncle warns her that she is not to use that sort of language. As the book advances Scout becomes develops into a girl who is learning new skills and expressions every day, but because some aren’t appropriate for her, a woman, she is prohibited from doing so, or she will face ramifications. If Scout doesn’t want to face the consequences, she will behave and act like a lady, which is the last thing she wants to do, she will become one of several who had to adjust their lives in order to be a member of the society they live in.

Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, prejudices against gender roles are evident in a multitude of ways. For example, Scout states, “Until it happened I did not realize that Jem was offended by my contradicting him on Hot Steams..” (41). Scout saying this establishes the idea that girls are not to suppose to contradict boys. Dill is embarrassed and ashamed that a girl is not believing him and he takes offense to that. Miss. Maudie Atkinson is faced with the stereotypes of being a woman. Everyone expects her to stay inside and do housework. In fact, Miss. Maudie Atkinson declares, “I hate my house: time spent indoors is time wasted.” (47). Here it is evident that Miss. Atkinson is breaking her gender role. During this time period, women were viewed in a way

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

128) The quote shows that women are often perceived as gossipy, and care a lot about their appearance, because Maycomb's version of “feminine influence” is equal to Aunt Alexandra's personality and lifestyle. This could be true for both genders and it is stereotypical to believe that woman gossip and worry about their appearance, 24/7. Furthermore, being a girl is stereotypically associated with being delusional. In chapter 4, Scout says “Jem told me I was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, that's why other people hated them so” (4.119) Kids are heavily influenced by adults, from what Jem says it shows that it's a stereotype for girls to be delusional and it's bad to be a girl. It's shown here that Scout believes that being a girl meant you had to be delusional, which is not true and just a stereotype. Now Scouts so afraid that anything she does results in would make Jem see her as unworthy, even though being a girl is something to be proud of.

The Maycomb ladies provide an excellent example of racial prejudice, and a failure to see what it is like in someone else’s skin. They believe they are doing well by making money for missions, failing to see the hardship on their own doorsteps. Aunt Alexandra is very important to the novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ as she is a representative of these viewpoints, disapproving of Calpurnia and disassociating herself from the black community entirely. Miss Maudie however is the counterpoint to Aunt Alexandra. Maudie offers Scout a female role model, whereas Aunt Alexandra tries to make Scout more ladylike, to fit in with her position in life. Aunt Alexandra plays the greatest role in reinforcing class distinctions

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.

Males and females were expected to fulfill the act and image of these roles because of the stereotypical standards. For instance, women were titled “housewives” where as, men were to be providers. In the novel, Scout, age 6, did not achieve those responsibilities. Women in the neighbourhood, such as, her teacher and family, have continuously stressed the importance of female values upon Scout. Her aunt, Alexandra, enters Maycomb and emphasizes that Scout were to begin acting as a stereotypical girl. Alexandra declares to her niece that she needs “some feminine influence.” (127) Since Scout does not follow regular gender norms her aunt has taken the responsibility of making sure she does not become a tomboy. In the 1930’s, male and females were unequal. Next, these roles were acquiescent which was elusive. Scout found it difficult to accept her societal roles as a woman because of her lack of a mother figure. This fact led Scout to adopt less of a “lady-like” role. Scout states: “I felt the starched walls of a pink cotton penitentiary closing in on me, and for the second time in my life I thought of running away. Immediately.” (182) This represents her struggle to cope with society norms. The modern generation teaches the value of creating a role based on redeeming qualities instead of gender expectations. This creates a balance amongst members of

The topic of feminism and traditional gender roles is prevalent throughout multiple works of American literature. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee explores the idea of defying traditional gender roles through one of the characters, Scout: a little girl who prefers rough games and pants over dolls and dresses. Similar to this, in the play A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry elucidates this topic through one of the characters, Beneatha. As a 20 year old African American woman in the 1950s, Beneatha aspires to become a doctor in a time where her gender is a barrier to her success, and she lacks support from the people that surround her; such as her boyfriend, George Murchison. However, Beneatha refuses to allow society and

Harper Lee demonstrates the gender inequity In to Kill a Mockingbird through the description and words of the female narrator, Scout. The prejudice of Maycomb is shown so clearly, even an innocent child like Scout can see the raging extent of gender prejudice that surrounds her. Scout having traits that are more masculine in quality automatically makes her an outcast and disliked by Maycomb's many conforming ideals. Scouts innocence allows the novel to develop through an unbiased perspective. Women had little to serve in juries and there was the constant expectation all women had to act and dress like a Lady. Aunt Alexandra an evident example of having strong beliefs on how separate genders should behave, constantly scolding Scout for wearing her overalls and behaving too tomboyish." I was not so sure, but Jem told me i was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, thats why other people hated them so, and if i started behaving like one i could just go off and find some to play with. (4.119) Scout is raised to believe boys were better than girls, raised in a bigoted and heavily bias community, scout finds it a difficult and unfair experience trying to understand the unjust perceptions of the adults around her. Having Scout narrate the whole novel allows Harper lee to highlight the gender inequity in Maycomb.

In the town of Maycomb, it is difficult to arrive at one's own identity. This harsh reality takes its toll on Scout until she befriends three different women, each with their own lessons to teach. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout is challenged by many obstacles throughout the novel, but there are three specific women who help Scout develop as a character in many different ways throughout the story as Scout is, in fact, motherless. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the similarities, and differences of which Calpurnia, Miss Maudie, and Aunt Alexandra influence Scout’s life reveal to us the different traits she learns from them such as forgiveness, sophistication, and equality and also how their differences find a way to benefit her in any

This issue is more subtle, and often overlooked by Maycomb’s citizens. The ladylike desideratum is a more personal issue in the book, but is recurring understatedly throughout it. Scout is a tomboy by nature, and has grown up with little to no female influence other than Miss Maudie and Calpurnia. When aunt Alexandra witnessed how unladylike and crude Scout was being, she had to do something about it. The fact that just because Scout is female, she has to wear makeup and a dress is not very outlandish, Because that’s just how it was at the time.

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.