What Is Aunt Alexandra's Transformation In To Kill A Mockingbird

The Manifestation of the South: Aunt Alexandra By: Shruti

In her riveting novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee embarks on a journey to a land not-so-distantly in the past, and she singlehandedly replicates the bigotry and haughtiness of the hushed little town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. Aunt Alexandra is the very manifestation of the Southern lifestyle at it’s most superficial, the very example of how after being born into conformity, it can be very hard to break out, and that some choose to stay within its boundaries. Through clashes with her niece Scout about “attire” and “womanhood”
All the same, she ends up fitting perfectly, like a “glove” into society; the smoothness with how she integrates reiterating her comfort with the standards of society and her own bubble. Playing the perfect hostess, Aunt Alexandra quickly wins over Maycomb and it’s ladies, as well as judges and gossips with them. With her “whispering” and “sipping”, Aunt Alexandra never fails to point out the faults of others if it only means she will be able to elevate herself on the social ladder, and get the ‘greater glory” for her family name. She creates baseless blether on all the families, utilising her pompous and bossy Southern style in exchange for facts. Her outlook on the secret caste system is the methodical view expected as illustrated by her aversion to Walter Cunnigham, a young boy not of their “kind”. In any case, there is never uncertainty in Aunt Alexandra’s mind that even if he washes till he “shines”, he will never amount to her level because he is a “trash” Cunnigham and that is all he can ever amount to. What lies between them is the invisible boundaries created by none other than Aunt Alexandra herself, with Walter being on the “trash” side. On her side, only the people of “gentle breeding” may reside, setting all others up for failure and no hope to climb the social ladder simply because of their
Maycomb conveys itself as “uptight” and uncompromising” in regards to race, as well as social standards, and Aunt Alexandra just serves to personify the ambience of the “disease” that plagues them. The “protective garments” that cause her to be “pinched” reveal the bone-crushing constructs of society and how they are all forced into this mold, and cannot escape it due to their own will. Different people in a society like Maycomb can only hope to submit to the label of being a “problem” whether that be their femininity or their social status, or even the name of their family. Even Atticus Finch’s efforts in the Tom Robinson case is not enough to crumple their principles, with Aunt Alexandra apologizing to Atticus, but nevertheless donning her “corset” underneath everything, emphasizing her unwillingness to change. Scout foreshadows the strife to come as she looks at Aunt Alexandra and deems her “formidable” implying that the road to acceptance will be a long and hard fight for Maycomb and Aunt Alexandra, who wish to “preserve” their values. Despite all the court drama throughout, Aunt Alexandra deliberately refuses to ever break out of her shell, and that itself is the true “disease” of Maycomb and the people