Stereotypes In To Kill A Mockingbird

Stereotyping, a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing, plays a big role in “To kill a Mockingbird”, and it’s also a big role in the thirties when everyone was different. In the story there are three different groups of people, the wealthy, the poor, and the black. Each of these group with some exceptions like the Finch family, looks at each other with offset opinions. The stereotyping in this story makes it come true and really plays a big part in character development.

The characters of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird are all different in their own way. Sometimes they can seem like the most infuriating people in the world, but then again they can be helpful, loving, and caring. The citizens of Maycomb County are stereotyped a lot throughout the book. They are labeled as many different things, but some of the stereotypes made aren’t entirely correct. A lot of people in To Kill a Mockingbird stereotype others by the way they look or talk based on what society considers normal. Two of the main characters in the book are stereotyped; Scout and Atticus Finch.

there to spread the word of their god, but are being mocked while they do.

Today, if one was asked about racism, ageism or stereotypes,  most likely their reaction would be to think about the news reports and stories appearing daily. The issues themselves, however, are not new as shown in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. In the book, the main character Scout retells experiences she had as a child with these same prejudices. Racism, ageism and stereotypes are all significant components in both the novel and modern life.

Throughout the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, one of the main characters, Scout, is impacted by sexism from her family, peers, and community. The book is set in the 1930’s when women were definitely not thought of as equal. There were certain social rules that girls should follow and the ways that society told them to act. The scout is a character that is impacted by sexism throughout the story. She is a young girl that changes because of the oppression that is placed on her by her family and peers. The character Scout is affected by sexism, which Harper Lee uses to develop the reader’s perception of Scout from indecisive and confined to determined, criticized, and conflicted and finally to confident, conflicted, and decisive.

One big theme in To Kill a Mockingbird is stereotypes. First of all there is a stereotype that scout should wear a dress and act more like a girl because she is a tomboy. Aunt Alexandra says this. “Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I

The novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is set in a small town called Maycomb in the 1930s. In this novel the people of Maycomb discriminate against people that they have no background information about or people that are different in some way. An innocent black man is convicted of a crime he never commits, a man is stereotyped to be dangerous and scary and there are gender stereotypes.

Racial stereotypes are things where a person talks about how the other person’s race is. It describes all the “nasty” things in another person’s race. It’s basically gossiping about someone else’s race and ethnicity. Back then, in that time period, there were high amounts of racism and stereotypes, so in that case, a lot of African American people were most likely convicted for doing something they didn’t do. Even though the court is supposed to equally convict or release people who have commited a crime whether it’s Black or White people.

Discrimination, it has been part of human nature for a long time, especially relevant subject in literature such as To Kill a Mockingbird. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the main character of Scout Finch was exposed to different types of discrimination as she grows up. Discrimination affected the lives of characters in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird because of society’s prejudicial views of race, gender, and class.

She feels like she must “deny” and “refuse” her family because they expect so little of her and see her as nothing but a financial gain. In another light, as time has gone by in Scout’s life she has found that she feels more drawn to men than to women, which is most likely the reason she is more masculine. She says herself that men do “not trap you with innocent questions to make fun of you”, meaning that she finds women to be more manipulative, sinister beings, even calling them “‘hypocrites’” (Lee 313). Despite her more negative outlook on women, she still finds solace in the men in her life, saying that she is “more at home in [her] father's world” (Lee

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.

Stereotypes have been around for hundreds of years, from the “savages” in 1492 after european colonization, to gender and racial stereotypes during the 1930s, and many more still in place today. Everyone has to deal with them, and we all do it in a different way. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee includes characters that break stereotypes to show how they are restricting and harmful.

Scout is an intelligent, perceptive child and her observations often contain a sensitive awareness to the situation. This might be because she is only six years old or it may be because she is a born lady. In every part of the novel one would see Scout's perspective on the world. As each situation matures and becomes more serious, Scout becomes one step closer to womanhood and maturity. As a child, Scouts appearance seems rough and because of this some people tried to change her, such has Aunt Alexandra and the Missionary Ladies but as the book quotes itself Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up peoples gardens, don't

In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the obvious lack of the female gender is surely evident. The main character in this novel, Scout Finch becomes influenced in the ‘wrong way’ as a result of the lack of female role models in her life. She associates and accompanies herself with males a majority of the time. The times she is accompanied by mother-like figures she widens her perspective for only a short bit of time and it makes her realize that being a girl is not half as awful as she has been influenced to think. Scout is impacted by Atticus’s views on how women should be treated, Jem’s teasing towards her for being a girl, and by the few women in her life that accompany her from time to time.

First, throughout the course of the novel, Scout refuses to act like ladylike and she is unwilling to let go of masculinity. This decision is influenced by the usual company of Jem, her elder brother, and Dill. Since, she spends most of her time with Jem and Dill, she has developed an interest in activities that don’t usually involve ladies. Throughout her life, Scout looks up to her brother because she has no on else, this causes her to follow in his footsteps. In addition, Jem and Dill begin to avoid her because they feel she is acting like a lady. This statement encourages her to become more like them, so she can be a part of their group. From her surroundings, Scout develops a ‘tom-boyish’ attitude towards the things around her. The effect of Scout’s