Gender Discrimination In To Kill A Mockingbird
Although gender discrimination is hidden with the other social norms, it is present and has a great impact on the daily lives of both men and women. Sexism has a similar effect on society like bacteria; while it may be beneficial for some, it can be harmful to others. This concept is what creates the significant gap between genders, while giving the impression that one gender, generally the male, is superior to the other. Sexism has made its way into a part of daily life; it is simply inevitable for the general population to follow the typical roles, established since the beginnings of the development of humanity. The basic foundations of the roles of men and women are heavily influenced by sexism; therefore, gender discrimination is clearly
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One particular book that contains the topic of sexism embedded inside is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. In the novel, Scout who is a tomboy, is constantly reminded to be a lady (Lee 50), as if being a lady means to be proper. Scout is expected to act like a lady, which means that she cannot go around playing outside with the other kids in the neighborhood. Later on in the book, without even realizing it, Atticus, who is a lawyer and Scout’s father, makes a remark about the ladies of Maycomb. Atticus says to Scout, “‘I guess it’s to protect our frail ladies from sordid cases like Tom’s’”(Lee 296). He implies that women are not strong enough to serve on the jury and that they need to be protected from the harsh truths found in court. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is another novel that uses gender inequality to get a point across to readers. Curley’s wife, who has been called a tart numerous times, is the only woman on the ranch. She has no one to talk to besides Curley, who is an aggressive man that doesn’t understand her. Whenever she tries to approach other men on the ranch, she is called out and is disrespected because a “‘ranch with a bunch of guys on it ain’t no place for a girl’” (Steinbeck 57). When she marries Curley, all of her previous identity is gone; she is only referred to as Curley’s wife. In literature, sexism is a popular yet effective material because authors are able to embed it into their own writing
One particular book that contains the topic of sexism embedded inside is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. In the novel, Scout who is a tomboy, is constantly reminded to be a lady (Lee 50), as if being a lady means to be proper. Scout is expected to act like a lady, which means that she cannot go around playing outside with the other kids in the neighborhood. Later on in the book, without even realizing it, Atticus, who is a lawyer and Scout’s father, makes a remark about the ladies of Maycomb. Atticus says to Scout, “‘I guess it’s to protect our frail ladies from sordid cases like Tom’s’”(Lee 296). He implies that women are not strong enough to serve on the jury and that they need to be protected from the harsh truths found in court. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is another novel that uses gender inequality to get a point across to readers. Curley’s wife, who has been called a tart numerous times, is the only woman on the ranch. She has no one to talk to besides Curley, who is an aggressive man that doesn’t understand her. Whenever she tries to approach other men on the ranch, she is called out and is disrespected because a “‘ranch with a bunch of guys on it ain’t no place for a girl’” (Steinbeck 57). When she marries Curley, all of her previous identity is gone; she is only referred to as Curley’s wife. In literature, sexism is a popular yet effective material because authors are able to embed it into their own writing