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Gender Roles In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Gender Speech

Since the early days in history, gender inequality is an issue being fought constantly. Women have always been treated as they are inferior compared to men, and don’t deserve to have as many rights. One of the definitions of gender is “either the male or female division of species, especially as differentiated by social and cultural roles in behavior.” Being defined based on your social role seems excessive, but that’s how it’s always been for women.

To Kill a Mockingbird was based during the 1930’s where gender roles were especially prominent. To act feminine was to be proper, calm, an understanding housewife, and act less superior than men. If you were not feminine, ladies would often shun and judge you. In ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Jean Louise Finch was perceived as a tomboy. She would wear overalls, scheme with the guys, and use “unlady-like language”. Seeing the world in black and white, Scout struggled to meet society’s standards on how a lady should look and act. …show more content…

Within peers, social media, parents, and even schools. Men are expected to pay the check for the family, while women are presumed to balance work, and children. Since infancy, gender roles are shown in children’s toys. Boys have more advanced toys such as legos to build with, while young girls have more toys that require more imagination such as barbies, and kitchen sets. ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ had examples of how younger girls were being raise to be a “proper southern-woman”. This meant to grow up to clean the house, learn to cook, be organized, and do whatever necessary to have a loving

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Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee has her protagonist, Scout, explore the southern expectation of women. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Aunt Alexandra tells Scout to act like a lady and wear dresses so she can “Be a ray of sunshine in her father’s lonely life.” (Lee, 108). Scout takes this harshly, claiming that she can “be a ray of sunshine in pants just as well” (Lee, 108) Actually, Scout does not respond well to any suggestions of femininity, preferring to read instead of sew, pants instead of dresses, and playing with balls instead of dolls.

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Growing up in the early 1930s as a tomboy can be hard, especially in a prejudice society where there is gender discrimination and people constantly telling children and young adults to dress a certain way or to act a certain way. Through Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout confronts gender stereotypes with her dedication to remain a tomboy. She does not act like the typical, young Southern lady whose ways are always proper, causing women, such as, Mrs. Dubose and Aunt Alexandra, to take the situation into their own hands. For example, on Dill’s last night in Maycomb County, Jem and Dill decide to take a walk south, towards the Radley house.

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Life is overfilled with messages, like weeds in a sea in unmaintained grass. Whether it’s warning a person, or pointing out a flaw; these little lessons are there to further grow the positive parts of that person’s personality. A simple demonstration of this is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An old, children’s book serving no meaningingful purpose is what it may seem, nevertheless, it actually is a novel that offers a unique outtake on all aspects of human life. In the book, two children Jem and Scout, who learn about equality, racism, and social class through court cases, tea parties and more.

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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

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