To Kill A Mockingbird Tradition Analysis

Society has evolved over hundreds of years to be where it is now. Throughout that time, people have created thoughts and opinions about many topics such as how one should live, the way people should act, and how to treat others. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird is set during the Great Depression in the 1930s. During this time, whites were superior to blacks. Lee uses the case against Tom Robinson to depict the impact slavery has had on racial views towards blacks. Tradition, being the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, is an example of how previous ways of life effect the present. Through the experiences of the Finch family during the time of the Tom Robinson case, it is evident that tradition affects the lives of individuals in a negative way because it shapes the way a society thinks, leaving long lasting views of racism, sexism, and classism. Classism is the prejudice against or in favor of people belonging to a particular social class. In Maycomb County, it is known, according to Jem, that “There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the
Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, people constantly stress the idea that Scout must wear a dress to be a lady. Mrs. Dubose says, “What are you doing in those overalls? You should be in a dress and camisole, young lady! You’ll grow up waiting on tables if somebody doesn’t change your ways” (Lee 135). This quote implies that if Scout does not wear a dress she will not be successful. Femininity, according to the town, means to wear a dress, do what you are told and never talk back, and never work outside or get dirty. It is seen this way due to many previous years of sexism and inequality. The town runs on traditional ideas, not leaving any room for change. This creates the image they know of women, making anything else seen as