Absolutely revolting. These were the thoughts that came to Scout Finch's mind when she was compared to the stereotypical “girl” standards in the timeless classic,”To Kill a Mockingbird”. How is it exactly that young Scout defines being a woman? Throughout the whole novel she has collectively put together the pieces of femininity. Yet this is extremely challenging for her because it could be described as two puzzles being mixed together, and in this, trying to distinguish which is right and which is wrong. Her brother, Jem, has put the image of a women into Scout’s mind as weak and incapable while on the other hand Scout’s discoveries tell a whole other intriguing story. Yet growing up with two males has definitely altered her viewpoints that …show more content…
not even Calpurnia could change. Perhaps if you were to look at it as though you were a child who had grown up believing that slavery and racism wasn’t an atrocious thing because of the people around you. With this in mind how could you convert your views easily? Almost this same thing happened to Scout, she was being directed to not want to be a girl, whether that was on purpose or not, it still occurred. Throughout this story a huge contributor to Scout’s beliefs towards women she had her older brother, Jem, to thank.
“I was not so sure, but Jem told me 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 Ch. 4 Pg 41). These sexist jabs that Jem makes towards women not only add onto Scout’s way of thinking but practically create it. Have you ever had an older sibling and followed them around because you wanted to be just like them and for them to accept you? Well this was simply-put what went down with Scout. She learned that things girls traditionally did were bad and the only way to avoid these terrible things, was by just not acting like one. No matter what she was born it seemed apparent that she could avoid her own gender based on her …show more content…
actions. Being anything but a girl was completely and utterly on Scout’s mind. If she ever did anything that was too “girly” or anything at all that was wrong for that matter, she was called out on it by Dill and Jem. “Scout, I’m tellin’ you for the last time, shut your trap or go home - I declare to the lord you’re getting more like a girl every day!” (Lee Ch. 6 Pg 51). Scout couldn’t back out of anything without being told that she was turning into girl. How bad would that be? In this situation Scout would have needed a girl as a friend in her life so that she could see both sides of this gender argument. Her lack of a mother definitely left a gap that only another girl could have helped her to perceive. Without this opportunity at such a young age she had to keep this “honor” that she had by doing things that according to Jem, weren’t girly things to do. “Don’t pay any attention to her, just hold your head high and be a gentleman” (Lee Ch.11 Pg 101). This quote directly implies that you have to act like a man to get any respect at all. Being a gentleman seems to be more significant in showing honor than a lady ever could according to Jem. Well then this would make one think, how does a lady show honor? By the things they do? Or by the things they don’t do? Women completely and positively had no skill, or at least that was the impression Scout had first had because of Jem’s crude remarks. Yet when watching Calpurnia a new thought came to the surface in Scout’s mind that was clouded by Jem’s accusations and judgement. “Calpurnia seemed glad to see me when I appeared in the kitchen, and by watching her I began to think there was some skill involved in being a girl” (Lee Ch. 12 Pg 115 and 116). What a melancholy and sorrowful and frankly quite pessimistic this statement is from the young Scout. She only has Calpurnia to judge, and finally she sees that not all the wonders that Jem spill from him are true. What she realizes from this experience is that being a girl involves having many positive traits, and that there is not a thin standard line for all girls. On a whole other aspect of this messy and very sexist situation it is shown that there isn’t just prejudice about blacks in this time period, but also about women. “For one thing, Miss Maudie can’t serve on a jury because she’s a woman-” (Lee Ch 23 pg 221). This seconds Jem’s claim that women are too weak. That they are delicate and need to be protected. Why is this the case? Maybe it’s just the fact that if the women got the power they would use it in a way that men wouldn't like. Nevertheless the outrageously sexist themes in this piece of literature interwove with the time period perfectly.
This shows the further depth yet to this wonderfully heartfelt and emotion-striking novel, “to kill a mockingbird.” The innocence that is the representation of the Mockingbird is furthermore importantly connected to femininity by showing Scout’s lack of knowledge and her innocuous wide-eyed vision on the world. After all, she was just a young girl who wanted to fit in. On a relatable standpoint it's hard to not see where she was coming from. Her discoveries may or may not finally kill this mockingbird of innocence that seems to perch in the foreseeing tree keeping alive a lingering bit of
childhood.
In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout Finch tries to please her father, but living with no mother it’s hard to know how to act. It’s natural to follow Jem, her brother, when that is her only friend through out the years. Imagine hearing gossip about your father from friends, neighbors, and even your own cousin. Scout had to push through all of the gossip and believe in her father. Throughout the novel Scout shows how social she can be. To Kill a Mockingbird is a great novel that keeps you reading. Scout has a positive effect on events such as at the jail, she was the reason that the mob left. She also always curious so she is more mature than most kids her age. Through the journey of the trial she shows how hot-tempered, tomboyish, and mature she can be.
Sexism greatly affects Scout's future in To Kill A Mockingbird. Jem frequently tells her that she "acts more like a girl every day," and means this as an insult. Both Scout and Jem want Scout to act more like a traditional boy in their town, and any sign of fear, vulnerability, or a supposedly feminine trait is looked down upon. Scout is expected to grow up, become a lady, marry, and start a family. She should wear dresses, not overalls. She should learn to cook and clean. If she does get a full educatio...
Most girls that grew up in the time that Scout did would be wearing dresses and acting in a more feminine manner. Some of this can be credited due to Atticus’s hands-off parenting style, he doesn’t push Scout towards stereotypical gender roles. Scout seems to represent a very early and mild form of feminism in the south. When problems arise in the book she often questions or examines them as a personal responsibility and seeks a resolution. This is a key difference because in feminism ethics, men often view something right or wrong instead of seeking a resolution. Scout’s moral development is probably a blend of feminism and Atticus’s ethics of virtue (Solomon, 323-325). As morally developed as she is at such a young age, Scout doesn’t always grasp basic social etiquette (she tells her teacher that one of the students is too poor to pay for lunch). Human behavior can confuse her, this is especially true in the case of race and racism. She is
While the women in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird come in a variety of personalities and backgrounds, all of their lives are led by one constricting factor; their gender. Scout's upbringing as a young woman greatly contrasts that of her brother Jem. Jem is educated as a young boy growing into a man while Scout’s journey is taken as a woman. The manacle of womanhood is but a concept if one does not consider the harsh faults and inhibiting limits of men or rather the struggle for “masculinity” that men are similarly constrained. Though she is repeatedly told to have ladylike manners and to dress in more feminine way, Scout mostly denies this norm but is still able to become a young
As a child grows, many people influence their development as a person. Some people impact more than others, and a select few really leave their mark. In Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” several characters play this role. Among them, Miss Maudie Atkinson, a woman who proves herself a strong character, prevails as the one who has the greatest impact on Scout Finch, the protagonist of this novel. As Scout matures and grows up, her views on the world around her change. Through subtle yet effective ways, Miss Maudie teaches Scout many life lessons about being humble, judging, and attitude, all of which ultimately have a great effect on the kind of person Scout develops into and her outlook on the world.
In conclusion, To Kill a Mockingbird is a book about growing up and taking other people into consideration. Scout Finch is the main example of this. She starts the novel as a naive, ill mannered, tomboy. By the last page, Scout has transformed into an understanding, empathetic, polite, young lady. There is not a specific age where a girl turns into a woman or where a boy turns into a man. Maturity is reached through experiences and how they are handled.
Harper Lee is an author that most people know of due to her writing controversial novels and her novels also being classified as classics. It seems like most middle school and high school book lists consist of Lee’s most famous novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, which is about a single father with two children, the Finches, who fights for the rights and lives of black Americans. When the novel was published, it was considered very controversial because it dealt with white Americans fighting for black Americans, which was not the norm at the time the book was published in 1960. Her novel To Kill a Mockingbird was not her only controversial novel though; she released a second novel titled Go Set a Watchman in 2015 which is also about the Finches, just when the children are adults, and with a twist that the beloved audience of Lee’s first novel do not approve of ever so slightly. Although the books are very different with the aging of characters and opposing views from the characters in the first novel, there is one theme that is very prominent in both novels. The common theme between the novels is gender equality. Harper Lee uses gender inequality in both novels to show her readers
No matter where or who a person is, they are always learning something, either about themselves or about the environment around them. In Harper Lee's heartwarming novel titled To Kill A Mockingbird, the main characters Jem and Scout grow and mature throughout the story as they learn both more about themselves and the world around them. As the story progresses, they learn many life lessons including those about prejudice, people and how they have been categorized and judged, and, last but not least, gender issues.
One way Harper Lee develops gender inequity through stereotypes is through Scout’s experiences with the women in Maycomb. Scout is laughed at for wearing pants under her dress. Scout prefers pants over dresses because she’s a tomboy and can be more active in “britches.” On Sunday, Scout dressed up, but still had pants under her dress. When Scout is at the gathering with the women, Miss Maudie says, “‘You’re mighty dressed up, Miss Jean Louise,’ she said. ‘Where are your britches today?’ ‘Under my dress.’ I hadn’t meant to be funny, but the ladies laughed. My cheeks grew hot as I realized my mistake” (Lee 307). Because Scout is laughed at for wearing pants and not for something she thought was funny, she feels singled out and degraded. The ladies of Maycomb laughed at her because she had done something “wrong” in their eyes. She wore pants
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the main character and narrator, Scout Finch, embarks on her own adventure throughout her childhood years to learn more about the world around her as well as herself. As the novel progresses, she continues her process of coming of age as she faces troubles, explore new areas, and interacts with her community. On her journey Scout grows and matures, realizing who she is and how she feels about her place in the world. Harper Lee masterfully represents the challenges in the coming of age process through Scout. Thus, through transformative conflicts, symbolic setting, and a critical first person narration, Lee reveals how as one grows up, one must face the injustices and normalities
Prior to the feminist movement of the 1960s, women had to follow strict gender roles. Scout is a prime example of a female child struggling to fit these roles placed upon her by not only males in society, but women too. The moment Aunt Alexandra enters Maycomb, she places it upon herself to mould young Scout and Jem into their societal roles. Scout especially suffers a great deal of criticism and pressure from her Aunt to be the stereotypical girl;
To Kill a Mockingbird’s relevancy to today’s society In To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee uses characters to explore the different stereotypes in the Southern United States of the 1930s. Through the eyes of Scout Finch you learn how these stereotypes are so absurd and fabricated they really are. The novel also portrays numerous examples of racism, sexism, in creative ways. The stereotypes and themes portrayed in this novel are exactly what makes it so relevant to today’s society. An important reason why To Kill a Mockingbird is relevant today is the ever-growing resurgence of racism throughout the country.
In most countries, women only earn between 60 and 75% of men’s wages, for the same work. Sexism is still a problem in today’s society, but it has improved since Scout’s generation in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Scout believes from an early age that girls aren’t good, and that she can avoid the judgement that comes with being a girl by not acting like one. Being a girl for Scout is less a matter of what she's born with and more a matter of what she does. Scout’s elders influence her perception of womanhood by putting preconceived sexist views in her head. In “To Kill a Mockingbird” Harper Lee shows the reader how all women are expected to act lady like and be proper through the actions of Mrs. Dubose, Jem, and Atticus.
Even though many social forces impact Scout in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, gender impacts Scout the greatest. It affects her in how other people treat her. Unexpectedly, Aunt Alexandra shows up at the Finch household, and Scout asks why she had just shown up. Aunt Alexandra replies, “We decided that it would be good for you to have some feminine influence. It won’t be many years, Jean Louise, before you become interested in clothes and boys” (127). After Alexandra says this, Scout becomes puzzled because she does not think she needs a “feminine influence”. But, as she becomes older she is expected to act more lady like. Since she is a girl, she is expected to act prim and proper. Her being raised around men is acting against these stereotypes. Certainly, it is obvious that boys are more daring than girls. So while Jem and Dill want to get a sneak peak inside of Boo Radley’s house, Scout gets a little apprehensive. Jem shouts out, “Scout I’m telling you for the last time shut your trap or go home. I declare to the lord you’re getting more like a girl every day,” (51-52). After Jem said this, she decides she has no option but to join them. She does...
Therefore, the author favors Scout's unique personality and implies women do not have to act in a stereotypical manner. The book might inspire young girls to become independent and create their own unique personalities. To Kill a Mockingbird emerges as an important novel that contradicts female society and suggests that girls should not feel pressure to act in scripted "womanly" roles.