Sexism In To Kill A Mockingbird Essay

The Role of Sexism in To Kill a Mockingbird

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many themes throughout the story. One of them is the theme of deception. An example of deception is when Mr. Dolphus Raymond drank Coca-Cola from a brown paper bag, which people would infer to be alcohol. Another theme is the role of parenting and how Atticus has a different view of parenting. The children call him Atticus, not dad. A major theme is the role of sexism and how it works with the characters Jem, Aunt Alexandra, and Dill.

Jem matures a lot throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. At the beginning of the novel, Scout and Jem played together pretty well, not counting the occasional fights. Jem likes playing with Scout and plays with her as if she is his little brother rather than his little sister. Over time, Scout starts to take offence at being called a girl. One time, Jem

He even proposes to her! After Dill proposes to her, though, he starts ditching Scout to hang out with Jem. Scout feels insulted because he only proposed to her to get closer to her brother. In another example, in chapter 20, Dill asked Mr. Dolphus Raymond, “‘Cry about what, Mr. Raymond?’”, which Scout describes as, “Dill’s maleness was beginning to assert itself.” (Lee 201). In this statement, Scout is stating that Dill’s maleness is beginning to show, because Dill is, in a way, saying that men do not cry and that he will not in the future.

Although the theme of racism is more pronounced in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the theme of sexism is definitely there as well. Even Atticus, along with some other characters, said some sexist statements. In the end, Scout seems to accept the fact that she is a girl and she will always be one. She starts to accept Aunt Alexandra’s ways and embraces being a lady. By the end of the novel, Scout figures out what being a lady means to certain people and starts learning to live with