ipl-logo

Examples Of Feminism In To Kill A Mockingbird

1829 Words8 Pages

Frederick Hartman American Studies Ms. Pickford 24 May 2023

Feminism in the 1930s: How a Young Girl Paved the Way by Being Herself Anyone can name a feminist who is shattering the glass ceiling of patriarchy today, but when did feminism begin? Was it a single moment? Was it a series of planned events? And, who gets credit for the progress? While it certainly was not a single person, it is meaningful to identify those who contributed. An example of one of these foundational feminists is Scout Finch, a young girl in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird is set in a traditional southern town in Malcolm County, Alabama where the reader is immersed in the patriarchal society of the 1930s American South. …show more content…

Since Atticus is busy fighting the case, he invites his sister Alexandra to help with his children. Aunt Alexandra and the Malcolm community pressure Scout to stop engaging in traditional boy activities and conform to standard girl behaviors. Despite this, Scout does see signs of social progress in Malcolm, encouraging her to stick to her true self. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee characterizes Scout to demonstrate the importance of emerging feminism during the 1930s. The most prominent way Scout's feminist traits are shown is through her pushback against Aunt Alexandra’s attempts to instill traditional gender norms in her. Aunt Alexandra comes into the Finch household to work with Calpurnia, the black housekeeper, “...and is persuaded that Atticus and Calpurnia are raising Scout to be unladylike” (Shaffer). Aunt Alexandra and her brother Atticus were raised to adhere to traditional Southern gender expectations. Following their childhood, Atticus began living a more progressive life defending a black man and allowing his daughter, Scout, to be a tomboy. When Aunt Alexandra joins the family, she uses the opportunity to try to teach …show more content…

Merriweather, nor is she a member of a mob or married to one. She is wise; rational; aware of issues of gender, race, and caste; reverential of the innocence of children; and saddened by the tendency of individuals and society to urge children to commit the sins of their fathers.

Show More
Related

How Does Scout Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird

1235 Words | 5 Pages

While one of the main themes of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is understanding another human’s perspective. Scout Finch, the story’s protagonist, shows growth and maturity as she learns to deal with the injustice of a prejudiced society. Scout is a young girl from Alabama whose father, Atticus Finch, is asked to defend an African-American man who is charged with rape. The southern way of life during the Great Depression would not allow Tom Robinson a fair trial, and Scout and her brother Jem are forced to deal with a county’s ignorance and racist attitudes. While in the beginning of the book Scout seems to be an innocent, naive little girl, she matures as time goes on and ultimately learns the lessons her father wants her to understand.

Read More

Atticus Finch Quotes

1492 Words | 6 Pages

Atticus stands up for what he believes in and demonstrates how important it is to sacrifice everything in the search for the truth. When Aunt Alexandra, Atticus’s sister comes to visit during the family visit to Finch's Landing at Christmas, she disapproves of Atticus’s parenting style. Aunt Alexandra believes that Calpurnia, the Finch’s housekeeper is a bad influence on the children and wants Atticus to fire her. Atticus defends Calpurnia by saying “If anything, she's been harder on them in some ways than a mother would have been... she's never let them get away with anything, she's never indulged them the way most coloured nurses do” (Chapter 14 Page 151).

Read More

Breaking Social Norms In To Kill A Mockingbird

766 Words | 4 Pages

Breaking Social Norms In To Kill A Mockingbird In To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, Lee depicts the main character Scout Finch as the primary feminist who defies social norms despite several influences in Maycomb County. Scout displays her feminist qualities throughout several occurrences in the novel. She continues to stay true to herself and fights for how she desires to act, while occasionally experimenting with her femininity.

Read More

Examples Of Stereotypes In To Kill A Mockingbird

708 Words | 3 Pages

Not only against Cecil Jacobs, Scout also fought her cousin Francis (who spewed similar comments). Scout’s anger led Aunt Alexandra to notice her unruly behavior, which made Aunt Alexandra to chastise her niece for not behaving like a lady should. To conclude, the racial, sexist, and behavioral stereotypes in To Kill a Mockingbird affect how Scout and Atticus act, and thus shape the overall plot of the novel through how the Finch family endured

Read More

Societal Expectations Of Women In To Kill A Mockingbird

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.

Read More

Examples Of Social Justice In To Kill A Mockingbird

801 Words | 4 Pages

One of the most recognizable forms of social justice is the character of Atticus Finch in the 1930’s setting of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. In To KIll a Mockingbird, the author, Harper Lee’s ideas on social justice are revealed through detailed representations of wisdom, loyalty, and selflessness

Read More

How Does Harper Lee Use Gender Stereotypes In To Kill A Mockingbird

685 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the portrayal of gender roles and femininity challenges the social norms and shows a subtle perspective on the complexities in the novel. While the novel is known for its exploration of racism and moral integrity, it also provides a critical examination of gender roles and the expectations of femininity. Through characters like Scout Finch and her aunt Alexandra, Harper Lee challenges traditional norms of what it means to be a woman in a patriarchal society. Throughout the book To Kill a Mockingbird, the reader can see the biased treatment against women and men. In chapter 14, the imbalance between genders is evident.

Read More

How Does Mrs Maudie Show Courage

1353 Words | 6 Pages

Scout states, “But the only time I ever heard Atticus speak sharply to anyone was when I once heard him say, ‘Sister, I do the best I can with them!’ It had something to do with going around in my overalls” (Lee 108). Scout overhears their discussion and mentions how she has never seen Atticus become aggravated before, showing that Aunt Alexandra must have commented on Scout poorly to the point where Atticus strays from his composure. The main reason they argue is because

Read More

Examples Of Sexism In To Kill A Mockingbird

803 Words | 4 Pages

“The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.” This is a quote from Atticus Finch, a courageous and wise character from Harper Lee 's novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. The story is told through the perspective of a young girl, Jean Louise ¨Scout¨ Finch. She lives with her older brother, Jeremy, and widowed father and prominent lawyer, Atticus, in Maycomb, Alabama during the time of the Great Depression. Throughout the novel, the children experience the injustice and prejudice of society through a tough case that their father was appointed to and are taught to respect and tolerate all people, despite their differences.

Read More

Examples Of Maturity In To Kill A Mockingbird

1286 Words | 6 Pages

First, as Jem grows older, Aunt Alexandra helps Scout understand that she needs female influence in her life. She does this because the Finches’ don't have a mother to look up to. “‘Jems growing up and you are too,’ she said to me. ‘We decided it would be best for you to have female influence. It won't be many years, Jean Lousie, before you become interested in clothes and boys’”

Read More

Sexism In To Kill A Mockingbird Analysis

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

Read More

Southern Womanhood In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird

730 Words | 3 Pages

In Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird”, the issue of Southern Womanhood is brought up many times throughout the novel. Lee uses many different characters to help show how she viewed Southern Womanhood. Specifically she uses, Scout, Mayella Ewell, and Scout’s Aunt Alexandra. In "To Kill A Mockingbird", Harper Lee uses specific characters to show how negative of an impact Southern Womanhood used to have. Harper Lee uses Scout in many cases to show how she thought Southern Womanhood used to have a negative impact.

Read More

Gender Roles In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird

737 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel, Lee uses Scout to demonstrate how the expectations of society are pushed onto girls at a young age. One of the characters who forces these expectations onto Scout is Aunt Alexandra. Often times she ridicules Atticus for allowing Scout to wear breeches and be “unladylike.” During the Christmas party at Finch’s landing, Scout and Alexandra have a conversation about what is proper to wear.

Read More

Theme Of Gender Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird

849 Words | 4 Pages

To Kill a Mockingbird suggests that women should be able to have equal opportunities to men. Through Scout’s tomboyish attitude,Harper Lee is able to highlight to wrongs in forcing a girl to

Read More

Examples Of Feminism In To Kill A Mockingbird

1229 Words | 5 Pages

Killing a Mockingbird What would it feel like to be a woman who is undervalued by the other men and women around her? To Kill a Mockingbird is about a family who lives in the South in the 1930’s. It is told by a young girl named Scout Finch. Throughout the book we learn many things about her family and the other people around her. Females in this novel are undervalued and looked down upon because of the roles they are expected to portray.

Read More

More about Examples Of Feminism In To Kill A Mockingbird

Related Topics

Open Document