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Examples Of Gender Equality In To Kill A Mockingbird

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How has equality become such an impact on modern times? In recent years, there has been worldwide debate on the rights of different genders, races, and sexualities. Modern times are much more successful at granting equality to oppressed groups than ever before. For gender standards in the 19th century, women were treated as less than men. However, in the early 20th century, gender equality started to round the corner, with women gaining more rights in the workplace. The book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee takes place in the 1930’s centered around the female youth, Scout. Scout must learn about societal standards with her brother Jem, as they grow up and start to understand a realistic standpoint on the world. Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird …show more content…

When Aunt Alexandra told Scout to stay away from Walter Cunningham, she explained that “there’s a drinking streak in that family a mile wide. Finch women aren't interested in that sort of people." "Aun-ty," said Jem, "she ain't nine yet." “She may as well learn it now” (Lee 224). Jem point out that Scout is still young, but Aunt Alexandra wants Scout to grow up to become a Finch woman. In other words, Aunt Alexandra wants Scout to become a woman and carry the family name. She expects Scout to continue the line of women in the family, and understand the other families. This event in To Kill A Mockingbird resembles women banding together to fight for their rights, and continue this legacy. In the 1930’s a program that was known as “The New Deal, a field dominated by women, led to the appointment of more women in high government positions than ever before. As feminists, these women used their government posts to work on behalf of other women” (Baughman). From this evidence, women may want to make growing girls part of their unions to help future female equality and carry on the legacy. If women continue to fill up government posts, this will lead to greater female rights. As a growing white female, Scout is a candidate for helping other women. Aunt Alexandra wants to show her “the correct path”, so she talks to Scout to convince her to be a change in the world. Alexandra’s quest to teach scout about her role in society is an example of women starting to convince other women about the importance of female

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479 Words | 2 Pages

Alexandra would then make her wear and do things that she didn't want to do and this greatly upset Scout. But it wasn't to long before Alexandra realized that everyone is different and Scout didn't want to live like a lady. Alexandra accepted that idea and backed off of Scout. She would even bring her a pair of overalls to mark her forgiveness.

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531 Words | 3 Pages

Scout learns a few things from them, as they are ladylike in a sense but what is important here is that the things that make them ladies isn’t as admirable as a lady would seem. Scout learns that being a lady means gossiping and talking behind people's’ backs and acting like a good person but being hypocritical about it. It easily meant that being a lady was just a pretense and facade about the simplest things. It meant while drinking tea to make polite, fake remarks about the little things. It meant guising in an uncomfortable dress to impress people.

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916 Words | 4 Pages

Aunt Alexandra is a conservative woman who is conscious of propriety and class. So she wanted Jem and Scout to live in a certain way especially Scout, She was worried Scout was too much of a tomboy. Aunt Alexandra was also concerned that Atticus was too careless in his parenting. He allowed his kids to do whatever they wanted. She was also concerned that Calpurnia had too much say and authority over the lives of the children with the absence of their mother.

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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

She must to be charming, submissive to the men around her, and always in need of a man’s protection. Scout’s Aunt Alexandra is unable to separate herself from society’s traditions, leaving her dependent on

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1914 Words | 8 Pages

How is the racial problem of the southern states of USA in the 1930s portrayed in To Kill a Mockingbird? INTRO In the 1930s the Southern states of America suffered from a strong discrimination and racial hatred towards colored people. They had no rights, no respect and were not allowed to go places white people went. In other words they were segregated from the rest of the society.

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737 Words | 3 Pages

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, is set in the 1960’s, a time when men and women had specific and restrictive roles in society. Men were the ones to work and earn money for their families and women were expected to a caring and obedient homemakers. In many ways, those gender stereotypes are still very present today. The contrasting opinions of Atticus Finch and Aunt Alexandra provide the reader with the different views on how men and women should be raised, which in turn, affects the readers thoughts and opinions on the gender expectations and roles that are present in today’s society.

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1173 Words | 5 Pages

Women are strong, stronger than most men if you ask me, not necessarily physically, but emotionally, able to handle more pain. You don’t believe me? Here are a few examples: women carry around a baby for nine months, they work/walk in high heeled shoes for days on end, they are amazing multi taskers, struggling to live up to the standards that society has set up for them, how to look, how to act, who to marry, what job to have, and countless other representations. In the time period of To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Scout, our main character and narrator, combats with wanting to be who she wants, a “do what I want” tomboy, while society tries to make her a nice southern lady. Scout commonly wrestles with feminism throughout the story.

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1317 Words | 6 Pages

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee takes place in the town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. The author Lee demonstrates some major themes such as social inequality, intolerance, education, legal justice and bravery through this character. The title To Kill a Mockingbird symbolises innocence where Lee explores this through the eyes of Jem and Scout who are kids of Atticus Finch. He is one of the most honest, patient, kind, fair, respected and admired men in Maycomb during the Great Depression. Atticus is known for his moral character throughout the book.

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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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1076 Words | 5 Pages

Aunt Alexandra thinks that Scout needs to “have some feminine influence” (170). Being a typical southerner woman, she's the ideal person for this role. Therefore, she decides to come live with the family for a while. Aunt Alexandra represents the old-fashioned southern person.

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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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1514 Words | 7 Pages

Marxist Within the Mockingbird Today the world is open to people of all races, economic classes and much more, but in the 1930’s the world was not as accepting. To Kill A Mockingbird, is a book by Harper Lee which takes place in the 1930’s. Throughout the story there are issues with feminism, racism, and injustice. It starts with a young girl and her family, and as the book progresses the reader gets to find out some of the things that go on in their life and around them. Such as a stressful case which includes, a black innocent man who is accused for something he did not do.

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