Sexism In To Kill A Mockingbird Analysis

Imagine one day you wake up and many of your constitutional rights, such as the right to vote, are gone. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Sexism plays a huge role in many scenarios throughout the story. For example, a quote in the novel states, “ ‘Scout, i’m tellin’ you for the last time to shut your trap or go home- I declare to the lord you’re gettin more like a girl every day.’ With that, I had no option but to join them.”(Lee Pg.69). This quote represents the fear that scout shows while trying to hide her femininity. It shows that scout believes that women have a minuscule amount of power, and that she needs to act like a boy for her to even be recognized by Jem as a member of the group. Gender equality is not fully intact, as shown explicitly throughout the novel.

Scout is not the only woman who feels the impact of sexism in the novel. Especially in that time, women were not treated as equals in many circumstances. Women are also set a standard to be ladies, doing things such as wearing dresses and not playing outside like males are allowed to. A quote in To Kill a Mockingbird states, “Miss Maudie on a jury would be impressive. I thought of old Mrs. Dubose in her wheelchair- ‘Stop that rapping, John Taylor, I want to ask this man something.’ Perhaps our forefathers were wise.” (Lee Pg.296). This means that women are known as “delicate” and that they need to be protected from doing stressful jobs such as being on a jury. Maybe they just don 't want women