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Examples Of Double Standards In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Throughout the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, one can see double standards for men and women frequently. Gender expectations took a hold of the Maycomb, Alabama; the fictional county in which this novel takes place. Looking back in history, it was always the women staying home, cleaning, cooking and taking care of the children. Men were always perceived as the superior sex. It was abnormal to see females wearing breeches or pants. They normally wore dresses. It wasn’t until the 60s and 70s when women started to join the workforce. To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, told the story of a girl named Jean Louise - Scout Finch; she was expected to clothe herself in dresses, prepare food and think the way that women were taught to …show more content…

It was almost impossible to see girls strolling the sidewalks in shorts or pants, it was looked down upon. Scout’s Aunt Alexandra feels the need to enforce these double standards. During Christmas break, Alexandra told Scout that she needs to be wearing dresses, “...when I [Scout] said I could do nothing in a dress, said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that involved pants” (Lee, 108) Jean Louise did not like this response, as she was raised with Jem and Dill. Growing up with two boys is not easy, but she had gotten used to playing games and wearing shorts. Changing who a person is or what they wear just because it doesn’t occur often is not okay, it i not an issue that needs immediate attention - in fact it doesn’t need any bad …show more content…

In To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout was persistently criticized for playing, acting and thinking as if she was a boy. At one point in the novel, Jem says “It’s time that you starting bein’ a girl and actin’ right!” (Lee, 153) Jem doesn’t realize that he is telling Scout to be different from who she currently is. If she started acting the way that he implied, Jem would be a very lonely boy. He is unintentionally lowering his little sister’s self-esteem. Limiting the way humans can act based on what gender they were born has no logic,

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