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Atticus Finch Sexism

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Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” presents readers with many life lessons. The book is set at a very controversial time period around the World War II era. The time period is one which is simply black against white. The book is narrated by a tom-boy, Scout, growing up in her early ages of life. Her father, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer, who defends a black man named Tom Robinson, who is being treated unfairly in court. The reader has the privilege to experience an authentic point of view of what kids living in the 1930’s were exposed to. Over the course of the book, Harper Lee exposes the reader to the hard and controversial time, filled with prejudice and injustice. Throughout the story, the reader is exposed to the hardships of being an …show more content…

This is a very sexist time period. Basically every woman in the story does not have a job, except for Calpurnia. Women are discriminated frequently in the book, especially Scout for being more masculine. “Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants,” (pg. 92). Although Scout was not like other girls her age, she was not given freedoms for what she wanted to do or wear. Aunt Alexandra goes crazy when she see’s Scout wearing breeches. Scout wants to play outside and do normal boy things, which she cannot do in a dress. Aunt Alexandra then told her that she is not supposed to be doing anything that required pants. This is saying that women are not supposed to be doing anything in society. This is very sexist, especially for a kid, even though she is very different from girls her age, she should be able to do whatever she wants and do whatever she wants to. “Stay with us, Jean Louise,’ she said. This was part of her campaign to teach me to be a lady,” (pg. 262). It is clear that Atticus’ intentions on bringing his sister, Aunt Alexandra, into the house is to “teach” Scout to be more like a

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602 Words | 3 Pages

Scout’s Aunt Alexandra want her to be more like a girl and start dressing like one. " Women were treated as delicate, fragile creatures, and they were expected to act with that treatment. Scout was anything but delicate and fragile, and a good deal of the story focuses on her attempts to fit into a world that expects tomboys to wear frilly dresses and maintain a dainty disposition. Scout always like hanging with the boys and she really didn’t like wearing girl clothes.

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523 Words | 3 Pages

“After all, if aunty could be a lady at times, so could I” (Lee, 318). Scout was a tomboy because there was mostly boy in her life there was no girls in her life to show her what being a girl is like. Once aunt alexandra cAME her daily life she was showing scout what is what like to be a girl she needed aunt alexandra to show her what it would be like to wear a dress. though mostly having males influenced in her daily life, scout only needs one permanent role model to show her what becoming a lady signifies.

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930 Words | 4 Pages

The main characters Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Bob Ewell face moments that deal with racism all told from the perspective of a six year old girl, Scout. The intended purpose of expressing racial relations in Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,”

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594 Words | 3 Pages

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” In life, one cannot back down once they are faced with adversity. There is no better statement than King’s that relays the message of upholding your beliefs. In “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, the theme of standing up for what you believe in is developed through Atticus Finch, Calpurnia, and Scout Finch.

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744 Words | 3 Pages

The author demonstrates the problems in the school systems when Scout enters school she is reprimanded by her teacher, Mrs. Honeycomb for reading proficiently. She is commanded to “tell [her] father not to teach [her] anymore” and stop reading outside of school. Lee’s incongruity of the situation alerts her readers to the flaws within the school system. Lee satirizes the church when Scout and Jem are taken to church by Calpurnia, their black housekeeper, when the children’s father is unavailable. At this Christian church, the children are ridiculed for being white.

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781 Words | 4 Pages

In To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, it is vivid that gender roles were part of society in the 1930s. Scout Finch, a little girl, shows that being a girl doesn’t define her personality or actions. Although this book was published in 1960 and was set in the 1930s, the contention of gender roles is still prominent in today’s civilization. All the way through chapter five, it is well known that gender roles are a part of mankind during the Great Depression. Scout narrated, “I was not so sure, but Jem told me I was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, that’s why other people hated them so, and if I started behaving like one I could just go off and find some to play with” (45).

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1177 Words | 5 Pages

Although Aunt Alexandra does not possess the strength to detach from the social customs, Scout and Calpurnia are able to cast off the conventional roles despite society’s wishes. Calpurnia’s act of successfully living in black and white communities and Scout’s act of defying typical gender roles illustrates to the reader how immensely society pressures women. Although the expectations of women in modern times are not the same as in southern Alabama, women are still oppressed today. It is not always clear to see, but women today are so used to acting a certain way, they are unable to recognize the inequality between genders and races. Through Aunt Alexandra the reader is able to grasp, that not every woman is capable of having the incredible amount of strength it takes to break away from the socially accepted roles.

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712 Words | 3 Pages

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

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737 Words | 3 Pages

“I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, [Alexandra] said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants” (Lee 67). Aunt Alexandra expects Scout to fit into the role of a woman, even at such a young age. Another example of the harsh standards placed on Scout is shown when Alexandra is having tea with her friends in chapter 24. Miss Stephanie says, “well, you won’t get very far until you start wearing dresses more often”

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912 Words | 4 Pages

By criticizing her “girliness” he was essentially telling her she was incapable of participating, and Scout was even more fired up to prove the boys wrong. Scout attempted to break this mold by “fitting in” right along the boys, and having fun. The story line elucidates how women were treated as second class citizens, during this period of time. In conclusion, the book depicts race and ethnicity as enormous issues that impact our society.

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1099 Words | 5 Pages

Scout said, “"Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants. Aunt Alexandra’s vision of my deportment involved playing with small stoves, tea sets, and wearing the Add-A-Pearl necklace she gave me when I was born; furthermore, I should be a ray of sunshine in my father’s lonely life. I suggested that one could be a ray of sunshine in pants just as well, but Aunty said that one had to behave like a sunbeam, that I was born good but had grown progressively worse every year...." (108). This quote illustrates how Scout pushes against gender stereotypes, and this is the root of conflicts between her and Aunt Alexandra.

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727 Words | 3 Pages

She is teaching Scout to be a lady as she grows older and matures. Society's idea of women's roles in Maycomb county remain the same through the story According to the book every lady has a job within their household. An example of this would be Aunt Alexandra doing her clubs and begging scout to come speak with the ladies rather than play outside; "Jean Louise come speak to these ladies." (Lee 134).

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531 Words | 3 Pages

Scout was more of a tomboy than a girly girl. Aunt Alexandra didn’t like how she didn’t act like a proper lady, and would ask Scout to act more ladylike. As she grew up, she was able to understand things a lot better. She began acting more grown up in situations like Aunt Alexandra’s dinner party.

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106 Words | 1 Pages

Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, illustrates how women are restricted by societal expectations. Women and girls are expected to act a certain way, to be feminine and docile. After an argument between Jem and Scout, Jem goes as far to shout, “‘It’s time you started bein’ a girl and acting right!’” (Lee, 153). Jem believes that Scout should be cooperative and malleable to be a typical girl.

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859 Words | 4 Pages

All of my goals derive from my passion for problem solving and helping others. As a result, I aspire to be a psychiatrist in order to help the mentally ill and help remove the negative connotations associated with mental disorders. In order to achieve these goals, I have dedicated myself to my academics and participated in extracurricular activities that develop my talents and allow me to solve problems creatively. By taking advanced courses I have expanded my knowledge and equipped myself with the necessary skills to succeed in a college environment. I have also dedicated myself to the engineering pathway courses, which have taught me to think creatively and resourcefully, and have improved my skills as a problem solver.

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