Societal Standards In To Kill A Mockingbird

Theo Gryler
Millett
Honors Freshman English
1 May 2023

Prompt: Choose a character from the novel and write an essay in which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards.
Title
As German philosopher and moral-cultural critic Friedrich Nietzsche wrote in his 1881 book The Dawn of Day, “The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.” Societal standards and pressures placed on children during formative years of their lives can deeply affect their perspective and morals. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that explores the

Lee uses characters such as Mrs. Dubose to show that even those oppressed by the stereotypes still conform to and perpetuate them. Mrs. Dubose, an old, grouchy neighbor of the Finch’s, is used by Lee to represent those who are set in their ways, and who think that their way is the only way. One day as the Finch children walk by her house, she yells at Scout, “‘what are you doing in those overalls? You should be in a dress and camisole, young lady! You’ll grow up waiting on tables if somebody doesn’t change your ways’” (Lee ). While generally critical of the Finch family, this particular comment of Mrs. Dubose’s highlights the expected roles of girls, even in matters as simple as clothing. Lee uses the dress and camisole that Mrs. Dubose suggests to represent the typical feminine roles that society imposes on girls during the setting of the novel. The overalls which Scout chooses, however, symbolize her individuality and her refusal to let society’s expectations take priority over her personal preferences. In defiance of Mrs. Dubose’s demands, Scout chooses activities deemed inappropriate for girls. In addition, Mrs. Dubose finds it horrifying that a girl of Scout’s privileged status wait on tables. Being a member of the older generation, she likely grew up with certain expectations about social class and the role of women in society. In

Dubose embodies the external pressure that Scout faces from her community, pressure from inside one’s own family is often more significant. Aunt Alexandra, who comes to live with the Finch family to give the children a “feminine influence,” has orthodox southern societal views that she tries to impose upon the family. Similarly to Mrs. Dubose, Alexandra disapproves of Scout’s refusal to present herself in a feminine way. As Scout tells the reader of Aunt Alexandra’s opinions, she says, “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” (Lee 92). Not only does Alexandra believe it unladylike to wear boy’s clothing, but she also tells Scout that she shouldn't do things that require pants. Demanding that a child wear different clothing is one thing, but limiting their activities based on their gender is on another level. While Alexandra’s intentions are not meant to be inherently evil or sexist, it is clear that she truly believes that what she tells Scout is for the best. In the fictional society of To Kill a Mockingbird (and in many southern towns during the great depression), focusing on motherhood, marriage, and domestic duties may very well have been the best way for a woman to be monetarily and socially successful in