In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird there are many examples of how social expectations, which is the social standard of what people should do and how they should act as well, changes the way people behave in society. This has been seen in society a lot in the past. Some examples in the story of this happening is seen with many different characters like Scout, Mr. Dolphus, Boo Radley, and The Cunninghams. All of these characters force themselves to act differently because of society’s expectations of them. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee argues that Social Expectations change the way people behave in society. One event that shows social expectations change the way people behave in society is when Mr. Dolphus has to pretend to be drunk so that people do not judge him because of his behavior. Also, Dolphus has to be judged by the other white males in town for the fact that he lives with a black woman. In chapter 20, Dolphus says, “‘Some folks don’t-like the way I live. Now I could say the hell with ‘em, I don’t care if they don’t like it’”(Lee 268). Due to the prejudice that existed during this time period, not everyone could be comfortable with who they …show more content…
For example, in the past, women were always expected to take care of children all day while men were expected to work at their jobs all day. These social expectations made society very different from how it is today. Not everyone could be what they wanted to be because of these social expectations. Thankfully, these social expectations of women and men have disappeared and anyone can be what they want to be. Though there are still some negative social expectations that exist today that have to do with race, gender, and age, the social expectations that forced women to take care of children and for men to work at their jobs all day was worse than social expectations today for
Social classing systems, also known as social hierarchy have been around since the beginning of time. In such a system those of the upper class take advantage of the classes below them; whether it is kings and their servants or a boss and their workers. This social hierarchy has a profound effect on society and the events in Harper Lee 's novel To Kill A Mockingbird. There are four classes in Maycomb; they are distinguished in the Tom Robinson case and in the crowd who attend his trial. Due to the social structure of Maycomb, Tom Robinson, a black man, is unjustly accused and convicted of a crime he does not commit.
Anthony Storr says that, “Originality implies being bold enough to go beyond accepted norms “ Social norms imply that everyone is the same or does something the same way, to break that you need to go out of your comfort zone and be bold enough to break those norms. Although it is very common for there to be social norms in society, when someone breaks one it can be the very first step to making the world a better place.
How far do you think Harper Lee has effectively shown social class and family groups to be important at that time? The rigid class structure and social stratification of Maycomb County had a profound effect on the events in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The impact of this class structure was especially evident in the trial of Tom Robins on, a Maycomb Negro. The extreme prejudice of the town eventually led to the unjust conviction of Robinson for a crime he did not commit.
Social inequality based entirely on race affects people who don’t deserve it. To Kill a Mockingbird original publication was in 1960, it is a classic novel written by Harper Lee, the book is set in 1933 to 1935. To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in a small town called Maycomb, Alabama and follows two years in the life of 7-year old Scout Finch, her brother Jem, and their father Atticus, an attorney who hopelessly strives to prove the innocence of a black man accused of rape. The book also talks about Boo Radley, a mysterious neighbour who saves Scout and her brother Jem from being killed. The definition of social and legal codes are social codes made up of rules and standards, and a legal system is a code of laws made by a state or nation. Throughout the book, social and legal codes are exploited by people to help maintain their social status. In Maycomb County, social and legal laws harm black people to protect white people, such as Atticus Finch, Bob Ewell, and Tom Robinson.
Social norms are apart of every society in some way, shape, or form. Issues occur off these social norms when there are outcasters who don’t exactly fit in with society's expectations. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout was pressured by many relatives and neighbors to “act like a girl”. Accept, Scout wants to be her own person. She wants to play in the dirt and have fun. Although, one particular person keeps putting her down, and that is Auntie Alexandra. Alexandra tries to play a female role for Scout and tells Scout how she is suppose to act. Scout however is very similar to Juliet capulet in this way. In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet was pressured by her mother to be more like other girls and to get married. Scout and Juliet,
It is important to put yourself in one’s shoes. By doing so, you can understand that person’s situation better. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Aunt Alexandra is prejudiced towards social classes, and Bob Ewell is prejudiced towards people whose skin color is different than his.
Society makes judgements and has certain expectations for each person. These expectations that are given dictate how people should live, act, look, and where a particular person is as far as status. Everyone is affected by society whether they welcome society or are completely against the expectations. Those who are against the expectations of themselves often find that they are not associated with as much or are judged by others for the fact that they do not follow the standards made for them by society. Society affects people in so many ways and is shown through books, magazines, and all other forms of media. Some of the forms of writing that portray society’s expectations are The Crucible, The Scarlet Letter, and Of Mice and Men.
Emma Hughes Mr. Menarndt English 8G January 27, 2017 A Cage of Social Expectations People, sadly, have a better chance of success if they meet that community's social expectations. In Maycomb Country, if you want to success you have to follow the many social expectations, you have to be white, rich, racist, and Christian. To fit in, you have to remove your authenticity, and follow whatever the leaders of the community do.
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee, tells the story of the fictional town, Maycomb, Alabama. It’s a story about the racial and social divisions that were present during the time, with Atticus Finch and his children Scout and Jem the caucasian family from the “right side of the tracks,” the Ewells a lower-class Caucasian family from the “wrong side of the tracks,” and Tom Robinson, Calpurnia and other African-American town residents at the very bottom of the social ladder. Lee shows this theme in many places in the novel, one, when Atticus describes what it means to be a Finch to Scout and Jem. A second time when Calpurnia takes Scout and Jem to her African-American church.
Social class has been in existence since the beginning of the first civilization. It determined how luxurious one’s life would be, and how one would be treated in his community. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, social class played a major role in how the story unfolded. Depending on a certain character’s status, he/she could become bitter or make the best of his/her situation.
One of the first major examples of how social class affects a society is how Atticus shares how the Ewells are very different in their society. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird Scout was talking about what Atticus said about the Ewells. Atticus said the Ewells had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations. None of them had done an honest day’s work in his recollection” (40). Here Atticus is talking about how the Ewells aren’t structured at all and have no work ethic. Atticus also said “they are people, but
My presentation document was focused on social attitudes because I know in our society that is kind of an issue. In my presentation, I touched on a lot of issued about prejudicial attitudes and how that affects our society in general. For the movie presentation, I used "To Kill a Mockingbird" and explained the many connections it had with social attitudes. I found that socials attitudes still need to change in our society, a lot of people, in general, think issues like this is fine which not the case is. There are still many examples like the YouTube clip I found that unconscious and institutional racism is still a problem in our society.
In the book ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee, racism and social inequality are two central themes. Many different forms of social inequality coexist in the society depicted in the book, as the people of Maycomb are very rigid in their ways. This is because the book takes place in a time at which there was much racism and social inequality. In Maycomb, firstly there is discrimination between rich and poor white people, who do not often interact with each other. There is also racism against blacks by all white people in society, both rich and poor. Black people are denied basic rights and discriminated against in this town. Lastly, there is racism between the lowest classes of the community: poor white people and
What is classism and what does it have to do with To Kill A Mockingbird? Classism is prejudice against or in favor of people belonging to a particular social class. Classism plays a somewhat critical role in To Kill A Mockingbird as there was a caste system.
There are many different social classes in “To Kill A Mockingbird.” The factors that separate people into these social classes are their skin color and their occupation. For example, Atticus, Scout, and Jem are part of the highest social class. They are part of this social class because Atticus is a lawyer, which makes him a highly respected person in the community. He is also white, which, at that time was a very important factor that chose who belonged in what social class. Scout and Jem are his children and therefore are also part of this social class.