To Kill A Mockingbird Gender Roles Quotes

Although it is not the most pressing matter of the novel, sexism is touched on during several occasions. During the 1930’s, it was not uncommon for unfair treatment of women. Lee hints at this by subtly incorporating acts of sexism into the text. For instance, throughout the story, most women are denied the rights that men have. One of these rights is having the opportunity to work. This can be seen in Miss. Maudie’s character who “can’t serve on a jury because she’s a woman,” (Lee 296). Even though she is more trustworthy than most and is suitable for the job, the reality of that happening is little to none because of her gender. Lee also weaves sexism into the novel by using women as an insult. During one of their many childhood outings, Jem

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.

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.

Scout is stereotyped by her gender because she is a female and Scout feels like the only way she can fit in is if she acts like a boy because all of her friends are boys. “I was not so sure, but Jem told me I was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, that's 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. This shows how scout thinks that acting like a girl is bad and it’s better to act like a boy.

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.

The quote “Show me the guy who’s afraid to look bad, and I’ll show you a guy you can be beat every time.” ,said by Lou Brock is something that the beloved character Eddie Rake, from the novel Bleachers written by John Grisham, would say in one of his pow-wows to his players. However, quite the contrary could be said about him.

Throughout the book, Scout was being discriminated because she was a girl. Dill said, “Jem, you and me can play and Scout can watch if she’s scared” (Lee 51). This demonstrates that Dill and Jem think she can't do certain things just because she is a girl. Scout was always convinced that being a girl was a bad thing and by doing boy things, she could avoid being a “bad girl”. “I was not so sure, but Jem told me I was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, that’s why other people hated them so, and if I started behaving like one I could go off and find some to play with” (Lee 54). This justifies how Scout is doing everything she can to not become a girl, even if it means hanging out with Jem and Dill. When Jem and Dill were going to peep in Boo Radley’s window, Scout got nervous because she was afraid that they would get caught, and how Boo would respond. Jem said, “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 every day” (Lee 69). This proves that Scout is getting yelled at for thinking like a girl. She is noticing Jem’s recklessness ideas. This states that sexism is a notable topic in To Kill a

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.

In the beginning of the novel, Scout acts masculine and is unable to stand being called a girl by Jem, creating a negative connotation with being a girl. “‘Scout, I’m tellin’ you for the last time, shut your trap or go home- I declare to the Lord you’re getting more like a girl every day!’ With that, I had no option but to join them” (Lee 69). To Jem, calling Scout a girl is insulting, and indicates uselessness and weakness. He stereotypes all

Scout does not conform to the typical standards of southern girls in the 1930’s: she does not act like a lady, gets in fights, and curses. Scout especially hates dresses. She loves her overalls, and will do anything to avoid wearing a dress. At one point, Scout actually considers running away from her family: “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” (Lee 182). Scout harbors so much hatred towards the stereotypical feminine attire that she contemplates running away. This quote demonstrates the level of distaste she truly has for dresses, and the overall confines of femininity. Scout persistently defies gender roles and acts differently from the conventional woman. This defines Scout’s personality and shapes her adventures throughout the entirety of the

During the times of slavery, Sykes and Delia would have to work for whites, and for him, nothing has changed. Furthermore, in an attempt to regain some control and boost his damaged ego, Sykes acts out by harassing and cheating on his wife. Likewise, in “To Kill A Mockingbird,” Scout does everything she can to avoid being called a “girl”. On page 119 Lee writes, “I was not so sure, but Jem told me I was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, that 's why other people hated them so, and if I started behaving like one I could just go off and find some to play with.” Being a girl for Scout is less of a matter of what she’s born with and more a matter of what she does. To avoid undertaking society 's expectations of girls, Scout acts out and does ‘boyish’ things. In all these works, a main character is seen undergoing oppression from society or peers and because of this, the character retaliates by attempting to empower himself or herself: Dave buys a gun, Sykes abuses Delia, and Scout acts like a boy.

females aren't "supposed" to do hands-on jobs. Even back then, Scout is well aware of what she is expected to, although never following the rules. The book clearly recognizes the gender stereotypes of the time. Scout doesn't approve of the female and lady-like ways she has to act and dress. When she says to her aunt that she can't do nothing in a dress, she replies that Scout shouldn't be doing things that require pants. Scout consistently defines the expectations of girls by being a complete tomboy, wearing pants and playing with boys. She looks up to her older brother and follows in his footsteps, striving to be like him and not her aunt.

As a young girl in the 30’s Scout could have been defined as the exact opposite of what a proper lady was supposed to act like. She used crude language, had a strong opinion, and was willing to to get her hands dirty. For all these reasons Scout was deemed unladylike. Sadly, as time passed on, even her unbothered older brother Jim told her that "It's time you started bein' a girl and acting right!" (Harper Lee, Pg. 153). This quote shows that even the most tolerant people could be eventually worn down by society and pushed into believing that certain people should act a certain way. Another example of Scout defying the expectations of her gender was when she was troubled by the sudden young ladylike behavior she was exhibiting, yet was still filled with a “ vague apprehension and a firm desire to be elsewhere.” (Harper Lee 307) when ladies were around. This shows that Scout at least internally was not comfortable with changing herself into society's woman and therefore changing herself completely. Although as Scout grew up, she eventually became more tolerant of the behavior expected from her, with the reassuring support of Atticus, she remained strong in her opinions and didn't try and change herself into what everyone else wanted her to

In the beginning of Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the still young and naive Jem and Dill excludes Scout because of the social stereotype that women can only do feminine acts, and because they lack empathy, Jem and Dill continue to segregate her. “They spent days together in the treehouse plotting and planning, calling me only when they needed a third party. But I kept aloof from their more fool-hardy schemes for a while and on pain of being called a girl” (41). Jem and Dill can’t empathize what it feet like to be a girl, they can’t understand that Scout just wanted to fit in with them. Jem and Dill fall into the stereotype that she was just a girl, and scout just“ [keeps] aloof from their more fool-hardy schemes for a