Gender Standards In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

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

The main issue of the section we are acting out of Chapter 11 in “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is the prejudice that Ms. Dubose holds. She is both sexist and racist, both forms of prejudice that were common back in her generation, but were finally starting to change at that time. Aunt Alexandra and Ms. Dubose, most likely having been raised in the same time period, were both offended by Scout wearing pants. Ms. Dubose specifically asked ‘What are you doing in those overalls? You should be in a dress and camisole, young lady!’ (Lee, 101), which is greatly reminiscent of what Alexandra said at Christmas. Obviously, they were both raised with the same morals about having to wear dresses, causing them to be unintentionally sexist and myopic.

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 theme in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is women and femininity. This theme enhances the story because Scout is reluctant to be feminine because she wants to grow up on her own terms. She looks at femininity as a trap. A quote from the story that illustrates the theme is “well you won't get very far until you start wearing dresses more often.” (Chapter 24, Page 230) The quote I chose from the story that best supports my detail by stating how Scout doesn’t wear dresses and until she set her goal to just being a lady proves that she is a tomboy because instead of wearing dresses she wears other clothes. Another reason the theme enhances the story is because being a girl has been what happens when Scout fails to live up to Jem’s standards

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 To Kill a Mockingbird, prejudices against gender roles are evident in a multitude of ways. For example, Scout states, “Until it happened I did not realize that Jem was offended by my contradicting him on Hot Steams..” (41). Scout saying this establishes the idea that girls are not to suppose to contradict boys. Dill is embarrassed and ashamed that a girl is not believing him and he takes offense to that. Miss. Maudie Atkinson is faced with the stereotypes of being a woman. Everyone expects her to stay inside and do housework. In fact, Miss. Maudie Atkinson declares, “I hate my house: time spent indoors is time wasted.” (47). Here it is evident that Miss. Atkinson is breaking her gender role. During this time period, women were viewed in a way

In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, sexism is a prevalent issue that has yet to be tackled. In Chapter 4, Scout relates a comment made by her brother, Jem, saying, “I was not so sure, but Jem told me that 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” (Lee, 54). This instance is one of many in which women are being degraded by fellow males. Due to the constant and never-ending harassment by Jem, Scout is convinced that “acting like a girl” is unfavorable, seldom wearing dresses or practicing ladylike qualities. This issue of sexism is still very much present in today’s society, because, based upon an article published by the National Partnership for Women & Families, “In Kentucky, median annual pay for a woman who holds a full-time, year-round job is $33,704 while median annual pay for a man who holds a full-time, year-round job is $42,203. This means that women in Kentucky are paid 80 cents for every dollar paid to men, amounting to an annual wage gap of $8,499” (“Kentucky Women and the Wage Gap”). With this difference in pay rates between men and women, Kentucky women lose a combined total of around five billion

From the 1960s Novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird', Scout is forced into the gender stereotypes that

Throughout the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee challenges the societal norms of gender roles, within the character “Jean Louise,” also referred to as her tomboy name “Scout.” Scout battles the society-defined roles in many ways throughout the text. Many factors lead to Scout redefining femininity, including Jem and Dill’s coming-of-age dilemma. An exploration of gender roles and inequality throughout the text and this time period will allow one to understand how Scout was able to overcome gender stereotyping.

As girls grow in life, they mature and change into women. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Scout, the main character, begins to mature into a woman. In the beginning of the book, she is a tomboy who cannot wait to pick a fistfight with anyone, but at the end, she lowers her fists because her father, Atticus, tells her not to fight. Scout's views of womanhood, influenced by how Aunt Alexandra, Miss Maudie, and Calpurnia act, make her think more about becoming a woman and less of a tomboy.

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

When the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, was written by Harper Lee, the Southern United States was still clinging tightly to traditional values. Southern societies pressured men to behave as gentlemen, and women were expected to be polite and wear dresses. These stringent gender roles were adhered to in small southern towns because they were isolated from the more progressive attitudes in other areas of the United States. Harper Lee documents the life of one young girl growing up in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. Jean Louise Finch, also known as "Scout," is a young girl searching for her identity. Scout, a young tomboy, is pressured by adults who insist she should conform to the

Although both writings had a negative depiction of women, To Kill a Mockingbird also represents another version of women and feminism. Scout’s original thoughts on women were derived from the thoughts of her brother and other people of the town. It was not until she started to see the women around her that she realized the true meaning of being a

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.

Throughout the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, there is a strong sense of gender discrimination. First, Scout is mocked against for being a Tomboy. A woman in the story is believed to need to act, speak, and dress a sure way to be considered a lady. Scout shies away from the perceived way a lady needs to act and therefore is not considered to be a lady. Characters in the story like Aunt Alexandra and Ms. Stephanie give Scout a hard time for not acting a way a lady is supposed to act in Maycomb, and they make it their mission to fix it. They say things like “It would be best for you to have some feminine influence” (Lee 140) and “Don’t talk like that in front of them.”(172) and “If you never start wearing dresses, you will never become a lady” (191.) Scout is discriminated against the entire book for being a Tomboy and not