Theme Of Sexism In To Kill A Mockingbird

Discrimination is prevalent in the story “To Kill a Mockingbird”, the most obvious being the excessive amount of racism (Lee). Racism is the easiest to see but there are more forms of discrimination (Lee). Boo Radley is ostracized from the community when truly nobody really knows him (Lee). People discriminate Scout for being a tomboy not a lady (Lee). The last one that no one ever thinks about is how reverse racism is seen when people threaten Atticus for defending Tom Robinson in court (Lee). Discrimination in any form is a controversial topic but everyone knows that it is not right to discriminate against people.

Throughout the book To Kill A Mockingbird Lee discusses the effects of ignorance and the toll it takes on people such as Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, Scout herself, and many more. Through her examples of sexism, prejudice, and racism, from the populist of poverty stricken Southerners, she shows the readers the injustice of many. The victims of ignorance are the ‘mockingbirds’ of the story. A good example of this injustice is the trial of Tom Robinson, who is falsely accused of raping a white girl and is found guilty. The book is from the point of view Scout, a child, who has an advantage over most kids due to her having a lawyer as a dad, to see the other side of the story. Her father tells her in the story, “you never really know a man until

Racism is a big issue in this novel, Even though racism is not as bad as it used to be it is still something that is causing a lot of pain to dark-skinned people.

In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the women in the novel feel like they don’t fit in because of the gender stereotypes that have been placed in their lives. Scout is a young girl who lives with her Dad and brother because her mother has passed away. In the novel she misses opportunities to play with her best friend, Dill, and brother Jem, because of the gender stereotypes that are in place. Scout doesn’t understand why being a girl is so bad “[Scout] was not so sure, but Jem told [her] [she] was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, that’s why other people hated them so, and if [Scout] [starts] [to] [behave] like one [she] could just go off and find some to play with.” (54) Scout doesn't realize what being a girl actually means because her information is coming from the opposite gender. She is taking everything that Jem says word for word and doesn't talk to anybody else about it, because she is surrounded by boys. Jem has his own opinions of what a girl means and Scout does not want to meet those standards, because when Jem says these hurtful things to her, she feels like she is being insulted. Consequently Scout thinks that in order to play with the boys she needs to act like one which is changing her overall personality to fit in. Lee uses Scout and Jem to show the differences in the opinion of genders and how gender stereotypes are ruining the relationships between the opposite genders.

Going back only a few decades, sexism and gender roles were very apparent, especially during times such as the Great Depression. In that time, the women were not allowed in the workplace, but only the home. With these restraints placed on them, the woman of this time learned to deal with their placement, and to look at the positive side of things. This same situation occurs in To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. In this book, a girl named Jean Louise Finch, nicknamed Scout, slowly comes of age throughout the book. Scout shows she is doing this when she realizes the true meaning of being a lady, reacts to Tom’s death in a non-aggressive way, and wears a dress.

The 1930’s, the era of the Great Depression, is a time where the distinct separation of gender roles in society sees the beginnings of unraveling. In the south, Southern Tradition dictated the ways women and men behaved and what their respective responsibilities were to their family and their community. Black women were expected to take care of their own families and then also raise the white children of the families of their employ. White women were to keep opinions and issues of the day to themselves, as they play hostess to their other female neighbors and their community. Women were praised by society on keeping a proper house, which meant keeping a clean home, providing family meals, and the family being properly attired. However,

Harper Lee's To kill a Mockingbird addresses many forms of discrimination. Scouts father, Atticus is a lawyer defending the whites and blacks in his community. People discriminate by gender, race, religion, sexual preferences, social class, wealth class, and by disabilities. Many and if not all are shown is this book. Racism, sexism, and social class are the most significant form of discrimination in the book and the most actively used form. According to Rezazade blacks have been “considered as the inferior creatures who are socially, politically, and culturally deprived of their rights as human beings” (1). This is completely true and is shown in To kill a Mockingbird.

throughout the novel that is set in the 1930s, in a quaint town in Alabama called Maycomb. Scout Finch, the narrator and protagonist of To Kill a Mockingbird, is a seven-year old girl whose top priority isn’t about being a lady. In the book, the gender that faces the most discrimination are females. Scout has multiple bonds with females and views them as a gender who cannot have fun. Although she is too young to even comprehend what sexism is at such age, the thoughts those around her have on females impacts her thoughts on women. Throughout the last 87 years, you see how the expectations our society had, specifically on females, has evolved completely, and since society’s views have altered, I believe that if To Kill a Mockingbird were set in today’s times, Scout would not face the same level of persecution women had back then.

Have you ever realized how far society has come in accepting others and their differences, or saw that behaviors haven’t changed, but have gotten worse. In To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, these issues are displayed. This literary merit showcases these social injustices form a child’s point of view, in order to make the author’s purpose for writing stronger, as well as an eye opener. In society, there is a divide of the sexes, races, and within those divisions is a dimension between financial standings.

“A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing” is describing the word stereotype. There are many kinds of stereotypes. For example, there is gender stereotypes, racial stereotypes, physical appearance stereotypes, economical stereotypes, financial stereotypes, and they go on and on. But, I am going to be focusing on gender stereotypes. From the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and from the article Young Children Must be Protected from Ingrained Gender Stereotypes by Laura Bates, we learn that they both address the sexist assumptions about girls and boys that have long-lasting effects on human beings. Even though the settings are in different time periods from these two writings. From

It is not fair that women must go through these circumstances of being discriminated against. In the world, there are many stereotypes based on women and they affect how women succeed in life because they are called “weak”. Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, presents various topics, including sexism against women, which, in America has not changed from past to present, based on the lack of change of many stereotypes about women which limits women’s freedom and the unfair treatment being done on women which is gender discrimination. In the past, women were often stereotyped and discriminated against. Dennis mentions in the Encyclopedia of the Great Depression states that at an early age children would grow up to follow their gender

Imagine if one day a “no women allowed” sign appeared in the library, a place frequently visited by all genders. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee gives many examples of gender bias. This book takes place in the 1930’s when women are seen as elegant, composed ladies, staying home and taking care of children. Few dare to challenge this concept. Those who disregard these notions face much scorn and opposition.

Imagine a box, this box has one label on it, and the label has one word to describe yourself. Choosing one word to describe yourself is nearly impossible for most. Jean-Louise “Scout” Finch the main character in To Kill a Mockingbird is a tomboy. She wears overalls rather than dresses, and she plays with boys rather than tea sets, a traditional “girl” toy. In the iconic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, the main character, Jean-Louise “Scout” Finch struggles with traditional gender roles.

It was a different time in the 1930s, children acted like children, women had their own set place, and racism and social classes were the norm. The classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, follows the lives of the Finch family and the attitudes of the town and people around them. Harper Lee illustrates important themes throughout her telling of Scout in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird where she expresses the theme of innocence through Scout at the jailhouse scene, gender roles within her relationship with Aunt Alexandra and the missionary, and social inequality when she invites Walter Cunningham over. Scout shows the theme of innocence especially in the scene at the jailhouse when she speaks up. Mr. Cunningham makes an appearance

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.