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Miss Stephanie Crawford In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

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To Kill a Mockingbird Character and Theme Analysis: Stephanie Crawford
Even in modern times, gossip is a prominent element of small town life in the United States. Gossip influences behavior and reinforces the dynamics that put the power in the hands of a vocal few who have social status. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Miss Stephanie Crawford is a minor character who plays an important role in the prejudice and social class hierarchy of Maycomb. She is best described as gossipy, manipulative, and judgemental as she clings to a set of social norms and prejudices that continue to divide the town.
After the trial, the town is washed in gossip when Bob Ewell spits in Atticus’s face, and it is Miss Stephanie’s compulsion to gossip …show more content…

After the trial, Miss Stephanie is overheard deep in conversation with Miss Gates who makes statements like, “It’s time somebody taught ’em a lesson, they were gettin’ way above themselves, an’ the next thing they think they can do is marry us” (331). By simply being part of the conversation, Miss Stephanie is part of the narrow-minded population who continue to judge others based on color. She feeds off of the misery of others and uses it to spread negativity throughout Maycomb. And her actions are not limited to questioning and belittling adults. In chapter 24, at Aunt Alexandra’s Missionary Circle meeting, Miss Stephanie shames Scout not only for how she dresses but also for having been at Tom’s trial sitting in the colored section. She mockingly questions Scout about wanting to be a lawyer because she’d “already commenced to going to court” and continued with telling her, “Well, you won’t get very far until you start wearing dresses more often” (308). Facing the judgement of others can chip away at one’s confidence, but luckily Scout is hard headed and has Miss Maudie to help deflect the negative attention away from

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Another way Scout has changed since the beginning of the book is she understands people have both good and bad qualities that coexist within them, as she becomes closer to an adult and encounters evil in the world. 20. Miss Gates’ lesson to the class about Hitler’s prosecution of Jew’s is ironic, because she herself came out of the courthouse after the trial ended and responded by telling Miss Stephanie Crawford that “it was about time that someone taught them a lesson” when referring to the blacks in the town. It reveals that most people during that time where racist and prejudice to some extent in Maycomb. An example that is similar in our current society portrayed in this chapter is how white males get paid the highest salary, but people of other races and women get paid lower salaries for

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The ladies seem to believe that Tom is the one that needs to know that he is forgiven. “If we just let them know that we forgive ‘em, that we’ve forgotten it, then this whole thing’ll blow over,” said Mrs. Merriwether (310). In this quote it becomes obvious that Mrs. Merriweather and the ladies of Maycomb believe that even though the black community contains perfectly respectable people, because the black community is black then the ladies believe that they are automatically higher in social ranking and generally better than the black community. Not only is the social hierarchy viable in relations between black and white people it is also obvious that there is a lack of respect within whites that associate with african-americans. When Scout meets Mr. Dolphus Raymond he explains to her that the people of Maycomb need a reason for a perfectly respectable white man to have children with a black woman.

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U3EA2 The“Queen of the Tomboys” grew up during the Jim Crow era; seeing justice unsatisfied in the Scottsboro trial at the tender age of five. Her father is a lawyer who was given a case to defend two African Americans in court, but he was unsuccessful due to racial norms in their home of Monroeville, Alabama. Many years Years later she was known by her peers as an individualist at the University of Alabama. While staying there she started by studying law but; first studying law and then then switched ing majors to become the aspiring writer known as Harper Lee, author of To Kill A Mockingbird (TKM). In Chapter 9 of said novel, Lee’s young character Scout confronts a classmate who had “announced in

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Maycomb Miranda Mixner Have you ever wondered how people's words or actions will affect someone in the long run? In the book To Kill A Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, the main character Scout and her brother Jem live in a town called Maycomb. The town of Maycomb is a small neighborhood where everybody knows everybody. But every town has its peculiarities. Down the street from Scout and her family, there is another family known as the Radley’s.

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She first shows signs of being a mentor when Scout is excluded from playing with Jem and Dill. Scout asks about the mysterious Arthur “Boo” Radley and Maudie responds by trying to have her understand that the Radleys are very religious and she should not judge so harshly. Miss Maudie says, “ That is a sad house. I remember Arthur Radley when he was a boy. He always spoke nicely to me, no matter what folks said he did.

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Jean Louise Finch (Scout) is a captivating narrator who compels the reader to listen to the story through her personality. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the author, Harper Lee, uses narration, dialogue, and setting to unravel Scout’s courageous, touchy, and rather inquisitive nature in an inventive and thrilling way. In order to adequately understand Scout as a character, the reader must look deeper to look into her mind rather than skimming the first layer. “‘You never really know a person until you consider things from his point of view...’” (Harper Lee 39).

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A young girl who realizes the truth of society. A mature father who fixes the wrongs of society. A misjudged man who doesn’t realize how society has judged him. Throughout the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” written by Harper Lee, prejudice and discrimination occurs in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. As social injustice continues to spread during the civil rights movement, the main character, Jean Louise Finch also known as Scout, is exposed to racism as she sees multiple unjust situations happen right before her eyes -- causing her to mature and come of age.

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Miss. Maudie is referring to the fact that Scout is too young to understand what is occurring or that she is not old enough to understand the ordeal with Mr. Arthur. Scout is still a young girl, who is still trying to comprehend the world. Nevertheless, Scout is misjudged by Miss. Maudie based on her age.

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She teaches her to live life to the fullest and the ways of Maycomb. There are many interactions between Scout and Miss Maudie and all of them are positive. Scout is guided by Miss Maudie’s manner and looks up to her. When she is first introduced, Miss Maudie is described as, “a widow, a chameleon lady who worked in her flower beds in an old straw hat and men’s coveralls, but after her five o 'clock bath she would appear on the porch and reign over the street in magisterial beauty,”(Lee 56). Scout loves that Maudie is able to get her hands dirty during the day and become ladylike at night, and nobody judges her for it.

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You should be in a dress and camisole young lady! You’ll grow up waiting tables if somebody doesn’t change your ways…”(135). This shows that Mrs.Dubose also stereotypes that Scout isn’t ladylike and

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“I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, [Alexandra] said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants” (Lee 67). Aunt Alexandra expects Scout to fit into the role of a woman, even at such a young age. Another example of the harsh standards placed on Scout is shown when Alexandra is having tea with her friends in chapter 24. Miss Stephanie says, “well, you won’t get very far until you start wearing dresses more often”

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If not for the major characters, the minor characters have played an equally important role in Maycomb with their contrasting views. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is mainly about Jem and Scout growing up under the difficult situations created in Alabama during The Great Depression. Stereotypes and discrimination are major problems in Maycomb. Scout and Jem Finch are raised by Atticus, with the help of Calpurnia, their maid. In the first part of the book, Scout, Jem and Dill are fascinated by Boo Radley because of the rumors they hear about him, and they try everything to make him come out of his house.

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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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Scout remembers and controls herself for the sake of Atticus’ request to not fight and retains herself. Later on, at the missionary tea circle party, all the women in Maycomb were at the Finch’s house. Miss Stephanie is making many jokes pointing at Scout and laughs. She is clearly getting irritated, but she refrains herself from saying anything. “Miss Maudie’s hand closed tightly on mine, and I said nothing.

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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.

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