To Kill A Mockingbird Sexism

The act of prejudice is one that everyone experiences. Whether it be, a person who is distributing hate, or a person who is receiving hate, everyone has contact with it. Although it is present all over the globe, it is prominent in the United States. Both in the present and the past, endless acts of discrimination have taken place and left a monumental impact on the country. The effect that it leaves can be seen in the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. In this story, sexism, racism, and isolation, are demonstrated in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930’s. As the story progresses, Lee compares these concepts to one another and uses them to make a statement about the problematic nature in America.

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.

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.

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

People are not born prejudiced. “It is something that is learned". It can be learned in the same way other attitudes and values are learned, primarily through association, reinforcement and modeling. For example, children may learn to associate a particular ethnic group with poverty, crime, violence and other negative things” (2006 Anti-Defamation League). Also, prejudice in “children may be reinforced by listening to derogatory ethnic jokes, especially when others laugh along or think they're cool”. Lastly, children may simply imitate the prejudices of their older family members and popular friends. Prejudice is to pre- judge. “Prejudice is a baseless and usually negative attitude toward members of a group. Common features of prejudice

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

The first homosexual to speak out publicly in defense of homosexuality was a writer named Karl Heinrich Ulrichs on August 29, 1867. So while most people say the gay rights movement is something that's fairly recent, that is untrue. People have been judged for being homosexual for a very long time. Prejudice is something that can cause people to be violent, hateful, and act differently towards certain people to fit in, as shown in To Kill A Mockingbird and in society today towards supporters of gay and trans rights.

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

Although someone might appear to be free, events or situations in life can restrict one in ways that others cannot see. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird, set in Maycomb, Alabama in the early 1930s, Harper Lee illustrates the experiences of several characters who are both literally and metaphorically imprisoned. It focuses on Atticus, an attorney, defending an African American charged with the rape of a white girl, Mayella Ewell. In a society like Maycomb, racism, sexism, and poverty affect the lives of minorities, as African Americans are seen as inferior to white people and women are treated less than men. Both Tom and Mayella find themselves in the real world and figuratively in prison. Tom is in jail, and Mayella is stuck in her father’s

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee instills the old idea that all women should be homemakers. They should be caring mothers. They should be obedient wives. These are old, sexist views, set in stone by the simple passing down of values; some of which still occur today. Considering that the Finches lived in Maycomb, Alabama, these ideas are all around them, but it’s not until Scout and Jem’s

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

In To Kill a Mockingbird, gender roles don’t only apply to Scout, as she isn’t the only one growing up and learning how their gender effects how they are viewed and how they should portray themselves in their community. Jem too is learning that he can’t always be playing with Scout, as he’s growing older too, and viewing Scout in a different light. He’s starting to boss Scout around and use gender stereotypes against her as

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.