To kill a mockingbird

Written by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird is set in a Southern Alabama county during the 1930s. During this time period, women did not have a significant influence on society but shared their voice in any possible way. Although readers of this novel may initially perceive women as innocent and kind-hearted, as the story develops, this point of view changes as the harsh nature of these women is revealed.
As Miss Caroline Fischer enters her classroom full of eager students for the first time, Scout and her classmates excitedly chat and converse about their past summer adventures and thrills. Something about Miss Caroline’s youthful and cheerful appearance made Scout excited to begin her first year of school. However, the author, Harper Lee, notes that Miss Caroline previously lived in northern Alabama, which was significantly different than the southern county she was now teaching because these counties aligned on opposite sides of the civil war which created a permanent division between them. Lee adds, “The class murmured apprehensively, should she prove to harbor her share of peculiarities indigenous to that region” (Lee 2:21). Miss Caroline yells at Scout for being able to read and demands that she stops learning at home. Scout becomes disgusted and furious at these comments and hurries home to vent to her father. This is one example of Miss Caroline’s appearance blinding her students from the actual way she spoke and acted.
Miss Stephanie Crawford is an important character in To Kill a Mockingbird because town gossip starts and is spread by her. These rumors have a significant negative impact on the individuals she describes because most of her statements are untrue. To illustrate this point, Jem and Scout believe these rumors started by Miss Stephanie about a mysterious figure by the name of Boo Radley.
"So Jem received most of his information from Miss Stephanie Crawford, a neighborhood scold, who said she knew the whole thing. According to Miss Stephanie, Boo was sitting in the living room cutting some items from 'The Maycomb Tribune' to paste in his scrapbook. His father entered the room. As Mr. Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent’s leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities”(Lee 1:13).
This passage is one of the many examples of Miss Stephanie’s passion to create false stories about people living in the town. Miss Stephanie appears to be an innocent old lady but that perspective is shown to be inaccurate after her untruthful secrets are unveiled to the reader. Harper Lee’s portrayal of women in To Kill a Mockingbird can best be described by the common phrase “innocent until proven guilty”. Characters such as Miss Caroline Fischer and Miss Stephanie Crawford are perceived as innocent and sweet women but are quite the opposite when their true character is revealed. One exception to this view is Mrs. Dubose because beginning with the introduction of her character, the reader does not perceive her as innocent but rather cruel and unpleasant. Mrs. Dubose is described as having a “wrathful graze and ruthless interrogation”, which are not innocent characteristics (Lee 11:131). So therefore, the underlying harsh opinions of most of the women in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird are shaded by their innocent appearance.