In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the women have to decide to conform to society’s expectations or break away from the social norm of the 1930s. Jean Louise Finch (Scout) finds it difficult to please her Aunt Alexandra and her traditional values. As the story develops, Scout takes this issue head-on and never gives into stereotypical women’s roles. She decides to stay true to her bold and outgoing personality, no matter what others around her think. Thus, Lee uses Scout’s behavior and appearance to challenge feminist views. To begin with, Scout’s behavior demonstrates her opposing view on typical women’s mannerisms. Scout is portrayed as an intense character that has a masculine side. When her family comes into town, Scout becomes very defensive about her father Atticus. Francis, Scout’s cousin, goes around calling Atticus a “nigger-lover” (84) and Scout can’t help but get into the mind set of fighting, “I split my knuckle to the bone on his front teeth. My left impaired, I sailed in with my right…” She chooses to fight because she feels it’s the only way to get her point across. Rather than ignoring it like other women would, she isn’t afraid to fight over what she believes in. Traditional women’s roles of the time would have suggested she be submissive to the subject and move on. However, she challenges the status quo and is defiant by standing up for what she thinks is inappropriate and offensive behavior. Actions speak louder than words do. While saying something to a person can affect them for a short period of time, the actions one takes in life can perceive them in a certain way for the rest of his or her’s life.
Additionally, Lee portrays Scout’s un-ladylike attire through dialogue and thoughts. Aunt Alexandra believes in women being proper, having good social manners, and dressing appropriately. However, Scout is more free-spirited, independent, and in general, a tomboy. Whenever her Aunt Alexandra comes into town, there is immediate tension between the two. When Alexandra comes in for Christmas, she and Scout instantly clash, “Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire” (81). From reading this passage, it becomes evident that Aunt Alexandra is against the way Scout dresses. Lee uses the word fanatical to show the foil between the characters. Scout believes that Aunt Alexandra is overstepping her boundaries because of the interest she has in what Scout wears. Aunt Alexandra believes that women should dress maturely in a “Sunday corset”, “protective garments that drew up [the] bosom”, or something “formidable” (128) and women are not “supposed to be doing things that required pants” (81). Alexandra then goes on to say that Scout “could
Lindsey Congdon Mrs. Peterson Period 7 December 1, 2009 To Kill a Mockingbird Essay The Dictionary defines prejudice as, “an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason.” There has been prejudice known throughout history, mostly against the blacks during and before the time of Martin Luther King Jr. In The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee there is clear evidence of prejudice against the blacks. In…
To Kill A Mockingbird Jem, Scout, and Dill live in Maycomb, Alabama around the 1930’s, having to struggle through slavery and the poor family’s trying to scrape by. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem, Scout, and Dill have some great courage throughout the novel as they have loyalty in their relationships as seen in character, conflict, and symbolism. The main characters in the story show relationships throughout the novel. There is a tight relationship between Jem, Scout, and Dill; they show courage…
Tyler Provinsal November 27, 2012 Biography The Roman writer Publius Vergilius Maro, or as he is more commonly known as Virgil, was born on October 15, 70 B.C. in a small village near Mantua, Italy. He was born to a successful landowner, who was wealthy enough to afford a proper education for Virgil. He was there by sent to Cremona, Milan, and then Rome, where he studied mathematics, medicine, and rhetoric, and then completed his studies in Naples. Now having completed his education…
This film takes place during the great depression of the 1930’s in the small Alabama town of Maycomb. The story centers around a lawyer named Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) who defends a black man named Tom Robinson (Brock Peters) who is accused of beating and raping a white girl named Mayella Violet Ewell (Colin Wilcox). Atticus is a widower with two young children named Scout (Mary Badham) and Jem (Philip Alford). He has a housekeeper named Calpurnia (Estelle Evans) who helps him raise the children…
To Kill a Mockingbird In "To Kill a Mockingbird" Scout feels bad at the end of the book because she believes that neighbors give in return and she did not give her neighbor, Boo Radley, anything in return for all of the things that he did for her. This comment comes from a child Scout narrator because she does not fully understand what Jem and her really gave Boo in return. Scout believes that Jem and her never gave anything to Boo in return, but they don’t understand that they gave Boo something…
thing based on their skin complexion. The history of man is severely tainted and splashed with the racist actions that are once preconceived thoughts. The great barrier of white people and black people is very evident in history. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by the author Harper Lee, the theme of prejudice between the white and the black people is evident. This novel takes place in the town of Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930’s. This story is told in the first person and is narrated by Jean Louise…
The quote “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.”(p.283) is a climactic moment in Harper Lee’s Novel To Kill a Mockingbird as it represents Scout finally growing up and understanding the significance of seeing things from other people’s perspective. This theme is portrayed in the book through many characters. Atticus, Miss Caroline Fishure, Calpurnia, Miss Dubose and Jem…
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is set in Alabama in the 1930s. This time period was an era when racism and segregation were prominent factors in everyday life. Atticus Finch lives with his children in the privileged part of their town, Maycomb. Their fellow white community looked down upon the colored members of their society, and thought that they were entitled to fewer rights. Atticus does not believe this, and does his best to mold his children into open minded members of the otherwise…
To Kill a Mockingbird Practice Essay How does Harper Lee convey the difficulties in overcoming prejudice in her novel? Harper Lee wrote the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird during the 1930s, a time of immense racial and class prejudice towards coloured people. Throughout the novel Harper Lee demonstrates many difficulties that coloured and white people had to overcome when confronted with prejudice. Another prejudice explored by the novel is that against those who simply do not conform to society’s…
through the novel innocence is experienced. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, symbolism plays an important role. There is one symbol that Harper Lee incorporated into the novel and that helps develop ideas by Scout and Jem; a mockingbird. In my life I have gone through many situations where I have been innocent and it has moved on to experience. Multiple characters in this novel are innocent but their innocence is destroyed by evil. The mockingbird is the symbolism of the innocence in this case…
