Harper Lee writes To Kill A Mockingbird staying true to the sexism that took place during the period of the 1930s. At this time, how women were viewed was a paradox. While women were seen as pure, perfect, and dainty, they were also highly disrespected by men, labeled as dumb, and forced to work in the home and bear children. This paradoxical treatment of women was convenient for men who desired to control women and maintain their submissive demeanor. This mistreatment was highly integrated into society and Harper Lee gives both antagonists and protagonists moments in which they disrespect or otherwise criticize femininity. Jem, Scout’s older brother and young boy growing into adolescence, frequently comments on Scout’s gender, at one point…
“You sissy! Stop being such a girl! What are you afraid of?” These condescending remarks bounced through out my mind as I looked over the edge of a 30 foot cliff into the cold water. Soon the loud voice of my brother yelled at me from bellow-- “Just Jump.” I knew that I was going to live but I was held back by the harsh remarked thrown at me from my friend. I couldn’t comprehend what they were saying. Girls were afraid? That couldn’t be true, women had jumped off before I had. The misconception that the word “girl” is a symbol of weakness and fear, can only be labeled as gender bias. Equally so, examples of gender bias can be found in in the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. From Scout and Mayela to the missionary society , gender bias sticks out as one of the large underling concept in this book.…
The Stereotyping of women is common in literature and it is not any different in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The ladies of Maycomb are excellent examples of stereotypical roles women play in a "man's world. Scout's observation of the ladies of Maycomb is ..."Ladies seemed to live in faint horror of men, seemed unwilling to approve wholeheartedly of ...[men]." " ...There was something about...[men] that I instinctively liked...they weren't---" "Hypocrites," page 234…
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout is victimized by sexism. Aunt Alexandria, a model of the traditional southern lady, believes in dressing well, using manners and being social are necessary to be a proper lady. She argues that Scout should “wear dresses, attend tea parties, and speak only when spoken to,” (Lee 108). Even Atticus- a man who stands for equality- says men should “protect our frail women” (Lee 221). Alexandria shows discrimination though her attempts to “womanize” Scout and in the way she doesn’t accept her for the way she is instead of imposing her feminist ideas on Scout. Jem and scout are exposed to the sexist ideas about women, and even though Jem doesn’t see Scout as weak because she is a girl, they look at women with the same prejudice and…
How often do you see sexist remarks about women anywhere? Not as often as you would have 20 years ago and beyond. Though the thought that women have to take on certain roles has faded it’s not the only gender stereotype out there. The rise of feminism has brought forth both good and bad ideas as well as change towards a brighter future. To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel, by Harper Lee, which takes place during the Great Depression. Around this time there were a lot of different stereotypes about different kinds of people such as, Racial, Gender, Class, and Social stereotypes just to name a few. The main character, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, is a girl and as a result faced a lot of Gender related stereotypes which still appear in today's society…
Women are strong, stronger than most men if you ask me, not necessarily physically, but emotionally, able to handle more pain. You don’t believe me? Here are a few examples: women carry around a baby for nine months, they work/walk in high heeled shoes for days on end, they are amazing multi taskers, struggling to live up to the standards that society has set up for them, how to look, how to act, who to marry, what job to have, and countless other representations. In the time period of To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Scout, our main character and narrator, combats with wanting to be who she wants, a “do what I want” tomboy, while society tries to make her a nice southern lady. Scout commonly wrestles with feminism throughout the story.…
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…
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…
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.…
Children will always begin in the world with a fresh slate, A start to life where there are no prejudices or horrible life experiences to corrupt their conscience. However as people grow and change, They learn about the values and morals of their society. Such values, pertaining to “To Kill a Mockingbird”, by Harper Lee, include the essence of courage, the ability to “look the other way”, and finally the compassion to be able to see the world in someone else’s eyes. To Kill a Mockingbird focuses on the depravity of American society and beliefs, and the capacity it takes to overcome it. Scout learns valuable life lessons through her own experiences as well as the people who surround her, and as a result is an understanding, unprejudiced girl.…
Scout Finch and Miss Maudie are two women who are supporting the feminist perspective of Maycomb, Alabama. Scout takes umbrage at being called a girl, and loves to play with her brother, Jem, and friend, Dill. Scout refused to be considered a girl. When Jem and Dill were going somewhere, and Scout didn’t want to because she was scared, Jem called her a girl and Scout felt she had to join to prove to them otherwise. “’I declare to the Lord you’re getting’ more like a girl every day!’ With that, I had no option but to join them.” (52). Scout wears overalls and plays in dirt, unlike the rest of the young girls in Maycomb. Miss Maudie Atkinson is an older…
Society today is quick to stereotype those with a quiet disposition as boring, hermits, misanthropes, inferior, self-conscious, serious, sensitive, shy, lack sociability, lack assertiveness and introversion is considered ‘second-class’ personality trait. Characters such as Atticus Finch in ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ published by Harper Lee in 1960 and an influential individual named J.K. Rowling prove these accusations to be wrong. Without these quiet contributors, our society would not have been blessed with inventions such as the Law of Gravity, Harry Potter, Chopin’s Nocturne, Peter pan, Charlie Brown and Google. Those who are quiet usually are thinkers, reflective and concentrators. They dislike…
To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee is taking place during a time where colored people were considered "equal" but separate from everyone else. However, being separate does not and should not mean being equal. To Kill a Mockingbird was set in the 1930's Maycomb, Alabama where race, inequality, and divisions within human society was a major problem. Examples of these issues are shown numerous times throughout the novel. Many in which can be related to the way society is currently set up. In addition, the novel brings up situations where stereotypes and sexism was as abounding to race and inequality. Lee portrays these topics in a serious, yet creative way.…
One of the most widely read novels in the past fifty years is To Kill a Mockingbird, which was written by Harper Lee in 1960 (Bernard 8). The story is about Atticus Finch’s defense of a wrongly accused black man while the story is told through the perspective of his daughter Jean Louise Finch, called Scout, and about her life as she grows up in a close together but racist community (Bloom 11). Since it is told through a young girl’s perspective, it is a story about a trial, yet also a childhood and growing up involving games and first days of school (Bernard 9). Scout keeps her charm as a “classic American tomboy” throughout the novel even if some of her elders disapprove of it (Bloom “Introduction”, par. 2). Harold Bloom described her as “Harper Lee’s book, being not only the narrator but much of its most interesting consciousness” (par. 2). As Scout becomes more mature, she has to come to new understandings of prejudice in a small community in the south, the natures of good and evil, and about compassion, hatred, and justice (Bernard 9).…
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee that takes place during the 1930’s in Maycomb County, Alabama. The book tells the story of a little girl named Scout Finch, who is growing up in a world with a harsh reality, more specifically, prejudice. Whether it be prejudice based on gender or prejudice based on race, this book encompasses it all. This can be easily identified by anyone reading the novel in a multitude of situations. However, although prejudice occurs all throughout the book, it is most noticeable with Aunt Alexandra’s incident with Calpurnia, Tom Robinson’s trial, and Jem’s realization of gender inequality. These three events are all examples of racial and gender discrimination, which can be argued as the main forms of prejudice in the town of Maycomb County and the main forms that are still alive today, which is the message Harper Lee is trying to convey.…