Agency In To Kill A Mockingbird

Everyone has a certain level of Agency to them. Agency is the ability to talk about their behavior and actions. Agency is the ability to influence personal thoughts and behavior. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, everyone has a certain amount of agency. Scout shows less agency due to her gender and high education.
Scout shows less agency because of her gender. Scout allows Dill and Jem to use her gender against her when trying to get her to do something. Before going to the Radley’s house Jem had convinced Scout to come with him and Dill, “ ‘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!’ With that, I had no option to join them.” (Lee 58). After

She did not display any agency during the situation. Scout had to move away from Jen and Dill because they said she was too girly. Scout was forced to start talking to Miss Maudie because she was the only other lady in the neighborhood, and she had nowhere else to turn to when Jem and Dill started excluding her. “Until Jem and Dill excluded me from their plans. She was only another lady in the neighborhood but a relatively benign presence.” (Lee 47) After Jem and Dill started to leave her out because of her gender, Scout turned to someone who was also a girl. Miss. Maudie became someone Scout could hang out with, but she never mentioned Jem or Dill. Scout kept her ideas and morals to herself from Jem, Dill, and Miss Maudie. Because of her gender, Scout kept to herself when Jem and Dill parted from her because of her gender. When Jem peer

Scout's ability to read at an early age lowered her agency. On the first day of school, Miss Caroline expresses dislike to Scout because she knew how to read, “ ‘Your father does not know how to teach. You can have a seat now.’ I mumbled that I was sorry and retired, meditating upon my crime.” (Lee 19). Scout's higher education caused Miss Caroline to yell at her, but she did not fully defend herself and let Miss. Caroline says these things to her. Scout gave up trying to defend herself, keeping ideas to herself. Scout knowing how to write and getting ‘caught’ lowered her agency. Miss Caroline had caught Scout writing and began to scold her, “ ‘Miss Caroline caught me writing and told me to tell my father to stop teaching me. ‘Besides,’ she said. ‘We don’t write in first grade, we print. You won't learn to write until you are in the third grade.’ “ (Lee 21). Scout knew how to write, and Miss Caroline did not like it because it was something for two grades higher. Scout did not say anything after this interaction. Scout keeps any internal thoughts to herself rather than speaking up about what she knows is true. Scout has a hard time defending her high education out loud. She kept to herself when told that she was too advanced for her current level. Instead of speaking up, she obeyed what Miss Caroline had said, keeping morals to