ipl-logo

The Effect Of Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

793 Words4 Pages

In current society, prejudice is easily seen. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows the effect of prejudice on the Identity of Scout in her society of judgmental people always expressing their opinions even if they might be hurtful. Harper Lee proves that gender prejudice affects identity and how the person being prejudiced, grows and matures. She does this by Showing scout struggling with the loud opinions of her neighbors, disapproving of who she is because she is not ‘’ lady like ‘’ enough for them. Scout has grown up behaving how she wants to and doing what she pleases. She has heard the disproval from her neighbors but it has never really had an effect on her, then out of the blue, her aunt comes barging in making changes to her …show more content…

It messes with her confidence in who she is and who she is growing up to become. It is the kind of comment that makes her feel like she is wrong or doesn't belong. She is at a delicate place in her life with figuring out who she is and then she is subject to this disapproval Scout is trying to balance the wishes of her family with still keeping true to herself and then her father goes and says ‘’ she asked me to tell you to try and behave like the little lady that you are ( lee, pg 133 ). These kinds of comments destroy the spirits of those subject to it. It is a double standard because Scout is told to be herself and ignore any disheartening comments about her personality in that society and then when she does ignore it, she gets called out for being disrespectful and needs to listen to her family. These kinds of comments and thoughts that Scout is being …show more content…

Scout is a young girl trying to find out who she is meant to become and she is living in an unforgiving society. We see Scout being raised by Atticus to voice her opinions, when appropriate and fight for what she believes in even if she is met with resistance Scout isn't afraid to speak her mind and voice her opinions, she is stubborn and feisty and doesn't get told what to do by people who do not have authority over her. ‘’ Im going with you, if you say no, you're not, Im going anyway. Hear ( Lee pg 149 ). Scout isn't afraid to let her voice be heard and is protective of her family. She knows the neighbors that are talking bad about her behind her back are behind her for a reason Furthermore Scout shows how she is raised and the positive effect it has had on her by showing her, fighting to protect her family. She won't let people overpower her even if they are stronger than her ‘’ Dont you touch him! ‘’ ( Lee pg 152 ). Other young girls during that period in time would be afraid to yell at a grown man but not Scout, she takes the prejudice and makes it make her stronger because she knows what her people expect of her and she rises above it and does more to prove than she CAN do more. Scout shows that if you put her prejudiced and doubt her about something, she will rise about, and that prejudice changed who she became because without it she would not be as mature

Show More
Related
487 Words | 2 Pages

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’

Read More
738 Words | 3 Pages

But for Scout, it doesn’t matter to her as she’s already used to it. Above all else, Scout isn’t aware of her actions and the possible harm she is causing to others. Scout is an independent girl. Doesn’t like to be controlled by others. But Scout also has this tendency to get involved in arguments leading to fights.

Read More
588 Words | 3 Pages

You can tell that Scout was very innocent in some things and she didn’t quit understand them. But this quotes explains to the audience, that when a child is curious about something or is asking you about something, you need to answer them. They’re children who are full of curiosity and when they notice something weird they try to find a way to answer the questions they have. In this quotes it explains how Scout began to wonder about things, she noticed that in Maycomb it was very difficult for people to get along because of the diversity.

Read More
603 Words | 3 Pages

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

Read More
707 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the novel, Scout gets made fun of because of the fact that her father is defending a black man. Scout’s classmates treat her as though something is wrong with her father and often refer to him using racial slurs. Even though she gets mistreated, Atticus reminds Scout it's not worth it. This is shown on page 87 Atticus says, “Hold your head high but keep those fists down.”

Read More
1051 Words | 5 Pages

Even when Scout is called a girl or young woman she is disgusted. This behavior is seeming to arrive or be exposed while aunt Alexandra is in town. Scout states “I felt the starched walls of a pink cotton penitentiary closing in on me, and for the second time in my life I thought of running away, Immediately”. (155) (The Artifical) This is

Read More
1030 Words | 5 Pages

She challenged Aunt Alexandra by stating that she can “be a ray of sunshine in pants just as well” (89). This often got her into trouble throughout the story. However, toward the end of the story one can see the significant change in her personality. She tends to be more thoughtful. Along with that, Scout would try to steer clear of fighting if it was possible.

Read More
729 Words | 3 Pages

At that period in time, a white child going to the black neighborhood to visit the help was a disgrace to the family. The fact that Scout didn’t think about the social consequences of her actions shows how she hasn’t yet been tainted by the views of that

Read More
719 Words | 3 Pages

In the beginning of the novel, Scout did not care about other people 's feelings, but she developed that in chapter three. Scout was in school when her teacher Miss. Caroline was verbally abused by Burris Ewell. Burris said “Report and be damned to ye! Ain 't no snot-nosed slut of a schoolteacher ever born c’n make me do nothin’!

Read More
726 Words | 3 Pages

This valuable lesson helped Atticus later in the story because she stood up to a lynch mob to protect Jem and Tom Robinson from being hurt. If Scout didn’t know what real courage was, she may not have stood up for Tom and he could have been killed right there by the mob. This was a very valuable lesson that helped shape Scout into the courageous young girl she was later in the

Read More
576 Words | 3 Pages

Scout is being ripped from her childhood knowledge by being placed in an environment that has no problem making it clear that they don’t see eye to eye with

Read More
1386 Words | 6 Pages

Kellman states, “It is all right to run up to the porch of a recluse, as a game; it is all right to rub a poor boy’s nose in the schoolyard dirt; it is all right to make a snowman in the image of a neighbor; and it is all right to make fun of crabby old ladies” (1472). All of these actions are just every day, normal things in Scout’s eyes. Believing that there is nothing wrong with treating others this way, she continues to do these things. One day, she finally realizes that she cannot treat others that way. Realizing this begins to show that she is maturing.

Read More
792 Words | 4 Pages

“If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view [...] until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (Lee, chapter 3,). This quote reveals, to place yourself in their shoes and see things how they see it. It is revealing Scout’s coming of age moment because she is learning to put herself in someone else's position and try to understand

Read More
1099 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
615 Words | 3 Pages

When Jem says this it aggravates Scout because she thinks that Jem and her are equals, and everything he does and he knows she does as well. Scout isn't old enough yet or mature enough to realize that she can’t do everything Jem is able to do and she doesn’t know everything that he knows. Her immaturity leads her to doing many things that if she were older and more experienced would know it’s not polite or right to say and do some of the things she does. As the book progresses she does show slight advances in her maturity level, but Scout still hasn’t grasped the fact that she is younger and will not comprehend everything as well as all the people in her life that are older and more understanding of the world around them. She still talks back to anyone who tries to tell her what to do even if it’s for her own benefit.

Read More

More about The Effect Of Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Related Topics

Open Document