Yes, some girls don’t look and act like your typical modern day princess, or wear pretty dresses and read the latest article on Kim Kardashians hair, but does that make them any less than a girl who does? Of course not! Here’s to the girls who would rather use mud to make mud pies rather than use it to moisturise their skin. To the girls who would rather sneakers instead of heels and jeans instead of dresses. Girls like Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch’.
Harper Lee uses Scout as an image of herself, growing up in Alabama in the 1930s as a tomboy. Her father was a lawyer, always working, and her mother was very distant from her family. Her childhood friend, Truman Capote was similar to Dill in the way that he returned back to Alabama each summer to spend time with his aunty. Although Lee denies that these aspects of her childhood were almost paralleled into Scouts childhood, her personal experiences are what make the novel so compelling.
Woman were discriminated against in Alabama during the 1930s. They had only recently been given the right to vote and were not allowed to serve on juries. They were not expected to have a career, but instead get married and have children. Woman had stricter moral and behaviour codes than men, and were expected to follow them appropriately.
An example of gender stereotyping in the novel is portrayed through Scout’s Aunt Alexandra, who has a tendency to lecture and confront Scout on her behaviour and non-lady-like manners, which annoys Scout and makes her angry. Alexandra has a strong opinion on what makes a girl and how they should behave, which is shown throughout the book. She believes girls should only wear dresses, play with tea sets and dolls and have appropriate behaviour and manners. Scouts character is the complete opposite of these expectations.
I was not so sure, but Jem told me I was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, that's why other people hated them so, and if I started behaving like one I could just go off and find some to play with. (4.119)
Scout believes that there is nothing wrong with the way she acts, that she is completely normal. She believes from an early age that girl things are bad (and probably have cooties) and boy things are good, and that she can avoid the badness of girls by not acting like one. She is highly offended by being called a girl, which can be seen when Jem accuses her of acting like one during their dare to touch Boo Radley’s house.
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. (9.74)
Another example of gender stereotyping in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is the conversation between Atticus and Jem about Miss Maudie and her inability to sit as jury in the trial, because she was a woman. Jem is already upset and angry that the jury has convicted Tom Robinson, and this information regarding Miss Maudie angers him further. The idea that women were not allowed to sit as juries, further displays the gender inequality in this period of time.
'… Miss Maudie can't serve on a jury because she's a woman.'
'You mean women in Alabama can't -?' I was indignant.
'I do. I guess it's to protect our frail ladies from sordid cases like Tom's. Besides,' Atticus grinned, 'I doubt if we'd ever get a complete case tried - the ladies'd be interrupting to ask questions.'
Jem and I laughed ... Perhaps our fore fathers were wise.'
Lee uses techniques in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ which emphasise the subject of gender stereotyping throughout the storyline. One of these techniques is characterisation. Characters such as Aunt Alexandra, Atticus and Scout all influence the perspective that is portrayed throughout the novel relating to gender stereotyping. By creating and using these strongly opinionated characters, Lee can show the thoughts and ideas behind gender stereotyping in the 1930s. These characters all have their own unique views on what roles each gender should portray, and what they can and can’t do, which adds conflict and disagreement in different parts of the storyline.
The addition of gender stereotyping to ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ reflects the context and background of the novel, which sets the tone of the story. The stereotyping of genders is still seen commonly throughout our world today, whether it be in the field of politics, careers, sports or even just in everyday life. Both boys and girls should be allowed to act and look as they please, regardless if it goes against what is expected of their gender. Each and every one of us uses gender stereotypes every day, on purpose and sometimes without even knowing. The sooner the world learns to put its priorities in order, the happier it will be. Because in the end gender equality and stereotyping is not a woman’s issue it’s a human issue. It affects us all.
Harper Lee uses Scout as an image of herself, growing up in Alabama in the 1930s as a tomboy. Her father was a lawyer, always working, and her mother was very distant from her family. Her childhood friend, Truman Capote was similar to Dill in the way that he returned back to Alabama each summer to spend time with his aunty. Although Lee denies that these aspects of her childhood were almost paralleled into Scouts childhood, her personal experiences are what make the novel so compelling.
Woman were discriminated against in Alabama during the 1930s. They had only recently been given the right to vote and were not allowed to serve on juries. They were not expected to have a career, but instead get married and have children. Woman had stricter moral and behaviour codes than men, and were expected to follow them appropriately.
An example of gender stereotyping in the novel is portrayed through Scout’s Aunt Alexandra, who has a tendency to lecture and confront Scout on her behaviour and non-lady-like manners, which annoys Scout and makes her angry. Alexandra has a strong opinion on what makes a girl and how they should behave, which is shown throughout the book. She believes girls should only wear dresses, play with tea sets and dolls and have appropriate behaviour and manners. Scouts character is the complete opposite of these expectations.
I was not so sure, but Jem told me I was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, that's why other people hated them so, and if I started behaving like one I could just go off and find some to play with. (4.119)
Scout believes that there is nothing wrong with the way she acts, that she is completely normal. She believes from an early age that girl things are bad (and probably have cooties) and boy things are good, and that she can avoid the badness of girls by not acting like one. She is highly offended by being called a girl, which can be seen when Jem accuses her of acting like one during their dare to touch Boo Radley’s house.
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. (9.74)
Another example of gender stereotyping in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is the conversation between Atticus and Jem about Miss Maudie and her inability to sit as jury in the trial, because she was a woman. Jem is already upset and angry that the jury has convicted Tom Robinson, and this information regarding Miss Maudie angers him further. The idea that women were not allowed to sit as juries, further displays the gender inequality in this period of time.
'… Miss Maudie can't serve on a jury because she's a woman.'
'You mean women in Alabama can't -?' I was indignant.
'I do. I guess it's to protect our frail ladies from sordid cases like Tom's. Besides,' Atticus grinned, 'I doubt if we'd ever get a complete case tried - the ladies'd be interrupting to ask questions.'
Jem and I laughed ... Perhaps our fore fathers were wise.'
Lee uses techniques in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ which emphasise the subject of gender stereotyping throughout the storyline. One of these techniques is characterisation. Characters such as Aunt Alexandra, Atticus and Scout all influence the perspective that is portrayed throughout the novel relating to gender stereotyping. By creating and using these strongly opinionated characters, Lee can show the thoughts and ideas behind gender stereotyping in the 1930s. These characters all have their own unique views on what roles each gender should portray, and what they can and can’t do, which adds conflict and disagreement in different parts of the storyline.
The addition of gender stereotyping to ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ reflects the context and background of the novel, which sets the tone of the story. The stereotyping of genders is still seen commonly throughout our world today, whether it be in the field of politics, careers, sports or even just in everyday life. Both boys and girls should be allowed to act and look as they please, regardless if it goes against what is expected of their gender. Each and every one of us uses gender stereotypes every day, on purpose and sometimes without even knowing. The sooner the world learns to put its priorities in order, the happier it will be. Because in the end gender equality and stereotyping is not a woman’s issue it’s a human issue. It affects us all.