Theme Of Gender Segregation In To Kill A Mockingbird

The literary classic To Kill a Mockingbird is the well known story of Jean Louise Finch as she grows up in the town of Maycomb, Alabama. The book follows the trial of Tom Robinson, an african american male accused of sexual assault by a woman named Mayella Ewell. Mayella Ewell is a young poverty-stricken woman who is mainly controlled by her father. In a town divided by gender, race, and class, Mayella does not have a large amount of power over her own life as well as other’s.

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 the book, you can often see sexist beliefs. Written in the 1950s, based in the 1930s, Harper Lee wrote To Kill A Mockingbird to challenge and expose many injustices occurring in society in those time periods. One of those injustices is Sexism. Sexism is the discrimination of someone based on their gender. In the 1930s, the sexism was usually towards women. Sexism often promote discrimination in jobs, discrimination from men to women through comments, and discrimination from every one through actions.

Imagine being persecuted your entire life. Having to constantly respect someone even though they were rude to you. This is what many African-Americans had to go through during the 1930’s. Racism is a major aspect in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The main character, Scout, has to deal with this problem everyday. Bob Ewell, Mr. Cunningham, and other characters are very racist, and don’t approve of Atticus defending a “Negroe”. This causes Scout to be bullied in school and even attacked by Mr. Ewell. Also, characters such as Tom Robinson are negatively affected by racism in Maycomb. Tom is killed just because of his skin color. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee’s use of point-of-view, irony, and symbolism help to develop

To begin, sexism is widespread throughout the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This book tells the story of Scout throughout a part of her childhood in Maycomb. A lot happened in this time; meeting new friends, a trial, and her aunt moving in. Scout is one main target of sexism in the book. She is either seen as too girly or not girly enough. One example of this is, “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” (Lee 58). This demonstrates sexism because Jem uses the term “more like a girl everyday” to offend Scout. He believes that in order for her to be able to do everything that they are doing, she has to abandon her femininity and become more like a man. This is because women are perceived to not be as physically and emotionally tough to do the things men do. In To Kill a Mockingbird, it is clear that Scout

On Earth there is around seven billion people and in the US only there are 318.9 million people. From those 318.9 people there is bound to be discrimination and separation between races, beliefs, and sexuality. Segregation is when society separates a group of people based on their beliefs, race, or sexuality. Segregation affects all kinds of people and can deeply wound the person being discriminated against. It has made a huge impact worldwide, especially toward the black community.

In today’s world power is everything. Power is having control over one’s life, and sometimes even controlling the lives of others. In Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” power is one huge factor in the story. You see when Tom Robinson, an African-American male, is wrongfully accused and later convicted of “raping” Mayella Ewell, a poor white woman, both his and her’s power is put to the test. This leads to two questions. Does gender, class, and race determine how powerful you are? And if it does; is Mayella powerful? In my opinion, she is both powerless and powerful. She is powerless when it comes to class and gender. Yet she’s powerful when it comes to race.

In To Kill A Mockingbird depicts the story of a southern childhood. Though, this isn’t your typical childhood tale. The young girl and protagonist, Scout faces many different situations of racism and prejudice throughout the novel. This is similar to the racism and prejudice that came along with the making of Jim Crow Laws.

Brown vs. Board outlawed segregation in schools, but discrimination still remained in the school systems for years to come, and though segregation was outlawed in schools, people were still small minded and not open to change. Hostility between the two races were still very high, making the desegregation process much more dangerous. Owing to the fact of the new law, the desegregation process caused many schools to become very resistant, especially in the south. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Separate but Equal, along with the Ruby Bridges story: problems such as discrimination were very much present in the school systems. Not only did the case open the doors to change, it also opened up resistance even more hostilities.

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.

In 1960 the book To Kill a Mockingbird was published. Based off of the author’s childhood in a rural town in Alabama in the 1930s, To Kill a Mockingbird depicts many of the struggles and obstacles at the time, including gender roles, racism, and educational opportunities. Out of all of these To Kill a Mockingbird most accurately reflects the historical reality of the tensions between blacks and whites at the time in rural areas in the Deep South. In the 1930’s African Americans were forced to have separate facilities, churches, and neighborhoods.

The definition of our future is written by the past and only after we understand the past can we better ourselves for the future. We can see Scout Finch is evolving from a child to a young adult as the world around her is crumbling as racism is in full swing. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee paints the effects that prejudice and segregation have on a society that continues to repeat its own history while the outrageous actions of the community continue to affect developing children such as Scout and Jem.

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.

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.