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What Is Conforming To Society's Standards In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Not conforming to society's standards. This is something people have struggled greatly with since the beginning of time. Why does it seem that so often we let what society says is right dictate the way we see the world? Why do we let others viewpoints control our actions? Harper Lee gives the reader a lot of insight into how these issues have been present in our society throughout the years. Taking these issues straight on through the unbiased innocent eyes of a young girl in the 1930’s is very beneficial to the reader in understanding the issues that were present at that time. Seeing the characters development and how they reacted to these issues in their time helps the reader understand more about the issues we have in our society today and …show more content…

If Atticus wouldn’t have stood up for Tom Robinson and refused to take the case then the people of Maycomb never would have seen a change in the way they thought they would not have even questioned whether or not Tom was guilty. Atticus’s failure to follow the social norm created a small ripple of change in the sleepy southern town of Maycomb. In a time and …show more content…

Scout held Atticus in the highest esteem. At the beginning of the novel Scout was a very headstrong, tomboy, who tried to solve everything with her fists but when asked by Atticus to stop fighting her respect for him made her walk away from a fight something that the reader knows took a lot of willpower and courage for her to do. “Somehow, if I fought Cecil I would let Atticus down. Atticus so rarely asked Jem and me to do something for him, I could take being called a coward for him. I felt extremely noble for having remembered...”(Lee, 77). Being called a coward was probably the worst insult young Scout could imagine. It really shows her maturation and her love for Atticus when she says that she was okay with being called a coward for

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Scout is very passionate about who she is, and what she believes in. Throughout the timeline of the book, she doesn’t let anything or anyone change that. For example, she believes Arthur is a good man, although Bob Ewell tries to tell her differently. Scout says, “If you shouldn’t be defendin’

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Atticus brought a female figure as an influence for Scout in her life. As we read, we can tell that Scout didn’t agree with her father, she didn’t like the idea, but she lied anyways. She’s growing up in the way where she is being able to think things through herself. She is able recognize that sometimes you don’t have to always tell the truth. There are times where you have to tell a little lie.

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Scout is a very outspoken girl throughout the book. This is obvious to see in (lee 112) “ she called me a whore lady and jumped on me, is that true scout, said uncle jack. I reckson so.” Scout is in trouble she does not care she still chooses to smart off. Another way

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While she does love a good fight, Scout cares more deeply about her father and pleasing him than whatever taunting she may face. Additionally, Atticus is teaching his children morals and values by taking this case, as shown above, the benefits of which greatly outweigh any negatives from taking the

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For instance, Scout is shown to have an unwavering pride in herself and her father as she beats up Francis after having “called Atticus something”(Lee 98). Scout even went as far to explain that she’ll “swear before God” before she lets someone speak ill of her family (98). When confronted with situations that hurt her pride, she loses her head and will do anything to get revenge. Her character’s personality primarily is egotistical. Lee strategically included Scouts enormous moral compass to suggest that even those with good intentions must learn to stay in control of their emotions.

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493 Words | 2 Pages

Atticus had shown empathy for the man even though, he had no choice but to defend him. Scout had many troubles with people at school calling Atticus unmentionable names which she encountered even after the trial of Tom Robinson.

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981 Words | 4 Pages

Out of the Normal Society has a set of actions as what they see as “normal” and socially acceptable. They define this set of unspoken rules as social norms. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, a reader will often find many characters breaking the social norms of Maycomb County, Alabama. The defiance of these social norms help the young protagonist, Scout, learn valuable life lessons of equality.

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1166 Words | 5 Pages

Despite racial inequalities in the South, Atticus sticks to his own morals and agrees to be the defending lawyer for Tom Robinson, a black man being accused of raping a white woman. Although Atticus’ defense in court was thorough and clearly proved Tom’s innocence, the jury was prejudiced towards black folks and convicted Tom as guilty. Nonetheless, Atticus is still a hero despite losing the case. He has the courage to stand up for what he believes in, fights with reason rather than guns, and has utmost determination, making him a hero despite being just an average human being. Ultimately, his thoughts and actions set the stage for major changes in the meaning of equality throughout Maycomb County, changing lives of numerous people.

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Conformity exists all throughout society and is demonstrated in books like To Kill A Mockingbird. My essay will talk about conformity and how it affected Maycomb’s people. To Kill A Mockingbird is a book written by Harper Lee and it is very popular. It teaches teens many lessons like to be yourself. Conformity is when you act a certain way to fit in with others.

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977 Words | 4 Pages

Social prejudice is shown throughout Harper Lee’s award winning book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee powerfully analyses the theme social prejudice, and its effect on people. Such as how the Social prejudice is discrimination based on your status in society. An example of social prejudice would be the Radley family, which consists of Boo Radley, Nathan Radley and Arthur Radley. As they haven’t been out of their house in years people are lead to believe the rumours.

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1253 Words | 6 Pages

Cultural norms are what make and shape a society. They are the guidelines, and or patterns, that are to be followed, in order to be considered a normal, typical, everyday citizen. As such, it does not matter if the norms are right or wrong. As long as the citizen is still a part of their society, right and wrong does not matter, as far as they are concerned. In the case of To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the cultural norm, of Maycomb County, embraces the wrong, in the form of extreme prejudice behavior.

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Harper Lee touches upon many social issues in To Kill a Mockingbird. Among these issues is the matter of racism in America during the 1930s. This novel focused on the issue of racism through the case of Tom Robinson which conveyed the strong hostility towards African-Americans in Maycomb, Alabama. Other various occasions in the novel exhibit racism’s potential and influence in this country including Aunt Alexandra's disapproval of Calpurnia, and Mr. Dolphus Raymond’s hidden life. Through the results of these instances, Harper Lee shed a new light on racism and how it will always persist in America.

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Atticus tells Scout to keep her head up and avoid any fights when anyone is saying something bad about Atticus. Keeping this in mind, when Cecil Jacobs is intimidating Scout by calling her Atticus a nigger-lover. She refused to fight thinking “Somehow, if I fought Cecil I would let Atticus down. Atticus so rarely asked Jem and me to do something for him, I could take being called a coward for him. I felt extremely noble for having remembered, and remained noble for three weeks” (77).

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Although this bothers Scout, Atticus tells her “you just hold your head head high and keep those fist down. No matter what anyone says to you, don't let ‘em get your goat”(76). What Atticus is trying to tell Scout is not to fight no matter what they tell her because he knows that they're going to nag her about the case. She shows integrity by holding back and not fighting although that is the only way she know how to defend herself. Integrity is

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766 Words | 4 Pages

In spite of Scout’s inability to fully comprehend the significance of what Atticus is doing for Tom, she readies herself to defend Atticus, which ultimately portrays that she does not regard society’s expectations on how she should

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