Gender Norms In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Gender Norms in Maycomb

Harper Lee in To Kill a Mockingbird proves how gender norms are often rebelled against, and this can also be connected to the women in Iran who are rebelling against their societal standards.

During Scout’s childhood, she experienced many different opinions on how she should dress, which causes her to rebel against them. During Scout’s summer break from school, she often wears overalls and a t-shirt while walking around town with her brother, Jem. To get to town, Scout and Jem have to pass by an older lady’s, Mrs. Dubose, house. One afternoon, Mrs. Dubose yells out to Scout, “‘And [Scout] -‘ [Mrs. Dubose] pointed an arthritic finger at me- ‘what are you doing in those overalls? You should be in a dress and camisole!’”

Although, Scout prefers men’s clothes because she can do anything she wants in them. Mrs. Dubose also says that Scout should wear “a dress and camisole”. This provides a description of what women are expected to wear while out of the house. A camisole is a piece of clothing that covers most of the upper body, they are often very frilly and decorative as well. Scout sees this as restrictive and feels like she cannot be herself when wearing what was seen as “normal” in Maycomb. Another stereotypical activity for women is to gather in missionary circles. These gatherings are often a time to gossip and to catch up on how each other’s week has been. Since her arrival, Scout’s aunt holds a missionary circle at the Finch home. Despite not enjoying them, Scout is asked to attend the gathering and to socialize with the women. As she surveys the women and what they say to her, Scout forms the opinion, “But [Scout] was more at home in [Scout’s] father’s world. Mr. Heck Tate did not trap you with innocent questions to make fun of you,” (Lee 313). During the missionary circle Scout is asked “innocent questions”, which she perceives as the ladies just being polite and including

In the article it is explained that in Iran, women are required to follow strict modesty laws. BBC News states “Under Iranian law, which is based on the country's interpretation of Sharia, women are obliged to cover their hair with a hijab (headscarf) and wear long, loose-fitting clothing to disguise their figures.” (BBC News). These laws are strict, if any hair is able to be seen under the hijab, the women could be punished. This is similar to how the women of Maycomb have their own ideals about modesty. The women of Maycomb believe that they should be modest but beautiful, which Scout decides is not for her. In both, modesty is seen as preferred, but there are many women going against these expectations. Between the novel and article, there is another connection. The article also discusses the history of modesty rules in Iran. Along with describing how the rules changed, Mrs Kar states in an interview with BBC that ”’The fight against the mandatory hijab continued on individual levels. We were creative in wearing the headscarf or not covering our hair properly,’ Mrs Kar said. ‘Every single time they were stopping us, we were fighting.‘“ (BBC News). The word “fight” is specifically used to shed light on how women in Iran were