How Does Lee Use Gender Stereotypes In To Kill A Mockingbird
A Mockingbird Learns to Sing
Over the course of three years, a seemingly quiet town faced the unexpected. A fruitless trial was held, innocence was lost, blood was shed, and an unlikely friend emerged. Written by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the city of Maycomb during the 1930s. The book tells the story through the childish views of Jean Louse Finch (Scout), as she and her brother Jem face instances of human evil. Alongside the two is their father Atticus, who gradually teaches the two to fight against their own well-being and do what they feel is right. In the story, Lee demonstrates Scout’s personality growth through her newfound morals, ability to look past misconceptions morals, and rejection of gender stereotypes. Scout gradually acquires moral values by learning how to reduce her urge to resort to …show more content…
Thinking over gender stereotypes, Scout talks to herself about not being handle the huge shift: "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" (Lee 136). Scout takes Aunt Alexandra's actions against her pants as being against her freedom. For Scout, being a lady-in-training means giving up all the things she likes to do and replacing them with what others expect her to do, and she'll have none of it. When Aunt Alexandra returns to her tea party with a serious look after hearing about Tom’s death, Scout sets her as a new example: "After all, if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I" (Lee 237). Looking at Aunt Alexandrea, Scout took pride in following her lead. Though she still isn't comfortable with the guidelines that ladies must follow, Scout does pick up on the examples of the strong women in her life. Scout doesn’t ever abandon her tomboyish ways, but she does come to recognize that being a lady has some
Over the course of three years, a seemingly quiet town faced the unexpected. A fruitless trial was held, innocence was lost, blood was shed, and an unlikely friend emerged. Written by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the city of Maycomb during the 1930s. The book tells the story through the childish views of Jean Louse Finch (Scout), as she and her brother Jem face instances of human evil. Alongside the two is their father Atticus, who gradually teaches the two to fight against their own well-being and do what they feel is right. In the story, Lee demonstrates Scout’s personality growth through her newfound morals, ability to look past misconceptions morals, and rejection of gender stereotypes. Scout gradually acquires moral values by learning how to reduce her urge to resort to …show more content…
Thinking over gender stereotypes, Scout talks to herself about not being handle the huge shift: "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" (Lee 136). Scout takes Aunt Alexandra's actions against her pants as being against her freedom. For Scout, being a lady-in-training means giving up all the things she likes to do and replacing them with what others expect her to do, and she'll have none of it. When Aunt Alexandra returns to her tea party with a serious look after hearing about Tom’s death, Scout sets her as a new example: "After all, if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I" (Lee 237). Looking at Aunt Alexandrea, Scout took pride in following her lead. Though she still isn't comfortable with the guidelines that ladies must follow, Scout does pick up on the examples of the strong women in her life. Scout doesn’t ever abandon her tomboyish ways, but she does come to recognize that being a lady has some