Gender Stereotypes In To Kill A Mockingbird, And The Odyssey

“People share a common nature but are trained in gender roles” (Blake). If a human being is exposed to gender stereotypes, they may become a victim to them. Although Fences, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Odyssey all take place during different time periods, similar gender roles are prevalent in each text. These ideals impact the plot lines by influencing characters to act like their gender stereotype.

To begin, in The Odyssey Odysseus was the the daring hero, while Penelope was the faithful wife at home. Odysseus, when narrating about his time with Calypso, stated: “[she] loved me excessively and cared for me, and she promised to make me immortal and all my days ageless” (7.254-258). Because Odysseus was a male and a hero, it was acceptable

for him to sleep with Calypso as long as he remained “faithful in his heart” to Penelope. Penelope as a woman, in contrast, is was expected to remain at home and stay true to Odysseus. This is important because it depicted the gender roles in Greek society: confident males and submissive females. Furthermore, gender roles carried a huge influence on The Odyssey’s plot because they determined how the male and female characters were portrayed during the text, ultimately choosing who the hero of the story was.
Secondly, in The Odyssey Penelope was too weak to dispose of the suitors without the help of Odysseus and Telemachus.

When he arrived home, Odysseus taunted at the suitors: “You dogs, you never thought I would anymore come back from the land of Troy … and [you] sought to win my wife while I was alive” (22: 35-41). This quote illustrates how the gender roles in the Odyssey chose who would be able to fend off the suitors, which would be the male head-of-household. Because Penelope was a women, it would be inconceivable for her to be able to remove the suitors herself, according to the beliefs of ancient Greek

society.
In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus brought Aunt Alexandra to raise Scout as a woman. Scout narrated: "Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn't supposed to be doing things that required pants" (Lee 93). This quote demonstrates how gender roles impacted what Maycomb society expected young ladies to act like. Scout is not chastised for going out and playing like her brother Jem does. Ultimately, gender roles impacted Scout’s actions in To Kill a Mockingbird, as Scout is stubborn and these criticisms only make her more determined to continue everything her brother does.
Another example of gender roles in To Kill a Mockingbird that impacted the plot was Scout’s brother, Jem, yelling at Scout whenever she showed her more feminine side.

Scout recalled Jem screaming: “Scout, I'm tellin' you for the last time, shut your trap or go home—I declare to the Lord you're gettin' more like a girl every day” (Lee 24). Of course, after hearing this, Scout was determined to stick what Jem was doing to “prove herself.” This impacted the plot by letting Jem’s crazy schemes occur; perhaps, if Scout had left instead of going along, Jem would have reconsidered his actions. But, since Scout hated to be called a girl, Jem and Scout ended up sneaking into the Radley yard to peer in, which ended in them almost being killed. Thus, gender roles have impacted the plot of To Kill a Mockingbird by encouraging Scout to be tough and provoking the

Radleys.
In the play Fences, the gender role for males makes Troy want to be the main provider for his family. Troy exclaimed: "If my brother didn't have that metal plate in is head...I wouldn't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of” (Wilson 18). Troy’s brother, Gabe, earned money from fighting in the war, but returned so mentally ill that the money was turned over to Troy. In society, men are expected to be powerful and the main provider for their family, so Troy is upset that his wife and son needed his brother’s money to not be homeless. This is important because it shows how impactful stereotypes are to both genders; it is not only females that feel pressure to live up to gender expectations. Additionally, it shows how gender roles can affect everyone in society; Troy, a garbage collector, who probably should have been grateful for the money, is instead resentful that he could not provide it himself.
Another example of gender roles in Fences is apparent when Troy leaves Rose out of making major decisions. When Cory is recruited for a college football team, Troy vetoes the idea immediately even though his wife Rose is in favor of it (Wilson). This is a result of Troy believing the gender stereotype of the male being the head of household. If this gender role was not so prevalent, Cory may have been allowed to play football and pursue his dreams.
In conclusions, gender roles affect many people, even in vastly different time periods. In Fences, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Odyssey, characters actions are directly influenced by gender roles, which drives the plot.