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Gender role theme statement about to kill a mockingbird
Gender role theme statement about to kill a mockingbird
To kill a mockingbird gender roles
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In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee surreptitiously reveals the inequalities between two women with similar interests. Lee establishes a submerged message in her writing, which mysteriously disseminates the idea of conformity, which varies based on the social class of an individual. Miss Maudie and her nobility, genuinely provides a distinctions between two levels of conformity. Thus,In the novel, the life and characteristic of Miss Maudie, composes a contrast between Mayella Ewell the "white trash" and Maudie herself. Throughout the novel, Lee portrays some similar traits of personality to both of her minor characters but in different settings, which vigorously suggests the struggle between two different classes of women in a …show more content…
very traditionally established society. Miss Maudie is very approachable when it comes to prejudiced society.
Her modern lifestyle is quite accepted by an intolerable town, Maycomb County. Furthermore, Maudie prefers to live her life in a ‘boyish' manner when in the garden and not attending "church [to] worship God" in the way she is expected to, this purposes the idea of Maudie's freedom within “white” Maycomb. Maudie's gratitude toward her charming little garden appears to be very appreciative and demonstrated her flexibility toward "Foot-Washing Baptists" who frequently harasses her. When her insults were questioned by Scout, Miss Maude briefly explained that those strict baptists were antagonistic toward anything anyone had enjoyment out of. They feels that the time she spent to take care of her plants were time wasted from reading Bible. On the other side of the town, the red geraniums cultivated by Mayella Ewell were a recurrent motif to establish her isolation and strictness. Mayella lives in squalor, in a dilapidated farmstead, a wretched place described as "the playhouse of an insane child", with random car parts, broken tools , and other detritus strewn about. The "red geraniums" represents Mayella's greediness to find some beauty and power in her woeful life, which was designated by Maycomb's discriminations. Mayella cultivates the flowers as she yearns for a more genteel lifestyle, unfortunately, it is almost as impossible to achieve, especially when one has to live by
poverty. When the “fire [was] spewing” from Maudie's , instead of spreading her weakness and let her tears to take over, she chose to get back on her feet the next day, restoring her house and her garden. She is thus a symbol of strength,integrity and Independence. Maudie is the female counterpart to the noble Atticus Finch, and a great neighbor to Finches family. Mayella, on the other hand, is the epitome of an abused child. She seeks attention, she is terrified of her drunken father, and she lacks self-esteem. Mayella is too frightened to let her imprisoned voice out, and let the community know what her father has done, and for her to admit what he's done to her would be far more shameful and unbearable than to convict an innocent ‘’black’’ man. Lee, therefore, chose to respectfully illustrated the weak side of the town, the side where they have to live among their reputation.
This highlight's how prevalent and ordinary racist discrimination was. The way Scout felt it was wrong to be talking to Mr Raymond also indicates how he was omitted from the community. Racial prejudice divides the town and allows people to be excluded and discriminated against. When Miss Maudie says, "You are too young to understand it." she is discriminating against Scout's age. The use of this cliché illustrates how common it was for adults to not explain things to children because they assumed they would not understand. It also displays how age discrimination was something that happened regularly. Scout often has different views on topics and if she was included in more conversations people within the community could see things from a different vantage point. In this way To Kill A Mockingbird outlines how gender, age and racial prejudice impacts individuals and communities in a damaging
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one of the most successful works of fiction in American Literature. Although To Kill a Mockingbird is classified as a work of fiction, there is evidence to support the claim that To Kill a Mockingbird was modeled after the Scottsboro Trials of 1931. There are many parallels between the trial of Tom Robinson and the Scottsboro Trials. The Scottsboro Boys were nine, young, African American men who were falsely accused of raping two white women while illegally riding a train in Alabama. Harper Lee was also about six years old when these trials took place. This is the reason why Harper Lee chose to write her novel through the eyes of a six year old. The trials inspired her to write To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper
Frances O'Grady, the first woman to be General Secretary of the Trades Union of the UK once said "You just wish sometimes that people would treat you like a human being rather than seeing your gender first and who you are second." To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was about how evil human behavior can change people for the worse in many different cases for example Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. Both were hurt by the evil doings of others around them. Boo by his own father and Tom by the Ewells and their supporters. Scout and Jem's father Atticus was a young black man named Tom Robinson's lawyer in the trial after he was falsely accused by the Ewells who said the he raped 19 year old Mayella Ewell. Sadly he was charged with rape and sentenced
She was our friend.” (Lee 59) This was how Scout described Miss Maudie, Scout was explaining her perspective of herself and that she wants to be treated like an adult and that the only one to do so was Miss Maudie. Consequently, this helps the reader understand Scout. Also, Miss Maudie helps to develop Jem’s character by giving him a big cake when he’s supposed to have a small one like Scout and Dill.
In the novel, Miss Maudie symbolizes a pink azalea flower. “ She was a widow, a chameleon lady who worked in her flower beds…” (pg.56). She is stronger than most women in Maycomb. She always remains positive about things. When her house was burning down, she still showed how she always remains positive no matter the situation. It also shows that she is a very simple person who likes simple things, and does not expect a lot of exceptional things from life. She enjoys and appreciates things she already has.“Always wanted a smaller house, Jem Finch, Gives me more yard.” (pg.61). She wants more yard so she can have more room to plant her flowers. She lives alone, so she does not really need a lot of room, nevertheless, she never achieves to get bored being alone. She fits in with the other
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
In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird three characters, Scout, Jem, and Atticus Finch, experience the many hardships and difficulties of human inequality in their community, Maycomb County. Scout, the narrator, gives insight to readers about the many different characters of Maycomb, yet two are alike in many ways. Mayella Ewell is a 19-year-old girl who is considered white trash and lacks education, love, and friends. Dolphus Raymond is a wealthy white man who is married to an African-American and has mixed children. Although these characters may seem different, they share many of the same advantages and disadvantages of human inequality.
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.
...r strong theme she teaches them to consider every person as an equal. Her specific employment of the similarities and differences of Judge Horton and Judge Taylor, Victoria and Mayella, and the atmosphere of the courtroom are most prevalent. She uses these elements to plaster her message in the minds of all who read To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee stood for racial impartiality, and so she wrote her most memorable line: “I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks” (Lee 304)
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
Therefore, through the uses of character foil, characterization, and the theme of society in equality, Lee was able to accurately depict her view of the white society in Maycomb by the characters in this novel. The difference in level of politeness, occupation, and behaviors implies how people like the Finches are representing higher social class in Maycomb, because they do not prejudge people based on their skin color.
Harper Lee has a number of characters that contribute to the novel and violent scenes in To Kill a Mockingbird, some that have meaning and some that do not. Some characters that appear often and some that have a minimal role in being seen in the novel, but the characters that do not appear often seem to have the biggest impact on the novel. There are three characters that are looked down on by society around them, one because of race and two because of their morals. Society disregarded these people simply because they were afraid that they could be like them and the unknown. Lee uses violence and alienation to help depict the things that are wrong within the small society.
Scout's narration and the character's dialog prove that Alexandra is characterized by her traditional values while Miss Maudie is characterized as a modern woman. The issues of gender roles are still a large part of society today and it affects a majority of adolescents because they feel the need to conform and ignore their individualism and that is why this novel is still relevant to society today.. The lesson to be learned here is to be comfortable in one's own skin and don't listen to negative feedback if it is not constructive. Works Cited Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird.
Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, teaches about compassion and carefreeness, and empathy. Miss Maudie Atkinson developed these ideas wonderfully. She was the best developed character in the novel and taught the reader many things. Miss Maudie’s character represents a carefree attitude, compassion, and empathy.
When the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, was written by Harper Lee, the Southern United States was still clinging tightly to traditional values. Southern societies pressured men to behave as gentlemen, and women were expected to be polite and wear dresses. These stringent gender roles were adhered to in small southern towns because they were isolated from the more progressive attitudes in other areas of the United States. Harper Lee documents the life of one young girl growing up in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. Jean Louise Finch, also known as "Scout," is a young girl searching for her identity. Scout, a young tomboy, is pressured by adults who insist she should conform to the traditional role of a southern lady. Harper Lee establishes and promotes Jean’s masculinity through the use of nicknames, fighting, and masculine clothing, while contrasting her with women that fit the stereotypical female model.