To Kill A Mockingbird Essay Gender Roles and Feminism

Gender Roles and Feminism in To Kill a Mockingbird When the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, was written by Harper Lee, the Southern United States was still clinging tightly to traditional values. Southern societies pressured men to behave as gentlemen, and women were expected to be polite and wear dresses. These stringent gender roles were adhered to in small southern towns because they were isolated from the more progressive attitudes in other areas of the United States. Harper Lee documents the life of one young girl growing up in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. Jean Louise Finch, also known as Scout, is a young girl searching for her identity. Scout, a young tomboy, is pressured by adults who insist she should conform to the†¦show more content†¦This idea might influence Jean Louise to accept her nickname and act in a boyish manner. The author emphasizes Jean Louises masculinity with the unique nickname and influences her to act in a similar style. Throughout the novel, Lee gives Scout certain male characteristics. A significant trait involves her initiation of physical altercations with other classmates. Catching Walter Cunningham in the schoolyard gave me [Scout] some pleasure, but when I was rubbing his nose in the dirt Jem came by and told me to stop. Youre biggern he is, he said (22). Traditionally, young girls do not participate in fistfights. Instead, many girls play games with dolls, take ballet lessons, and wear dresses. However, Scout partakes in many fights and finds pleasure in beating her fellow classmates. When Scout fights with Walter Cunningham, her older brother, Jem, feels obligated to scold his little sister and stop the brawl. Jems reaction seems significant because usually females rebuke males for fighting, whereas Jem must restrain his little sister. Lee uses fistfighting to create a masculine aura for her main character. Throughout the novel, Scout encounters various people she does not necessarily like. Her only young friends are her older brother Jem, and Dill, a boy who visits Maycomb during the summer. She spends most of her time with these two boys and does not associate with many girls. Therefore, Scout often wearsShow MoreRelatedLiterary Theories And Literary Criticism1318 Words   |  6 PagesExamines the functions of social and political power to sustain colonialism as well as neo-colonialism. †¢ Questions the way in which a culture is seen by challenging the narratives explained during the Colonial era. 2. †¢ Literary context/work: To Kill a Mockingbird. †¢ Based on the Post-colonial theories of Fanon, Foucault, Said. †¢ Harper Lee, the author, reveals the attitudes of white people towards the black people, showing how prejudice the white people are towards the black people. Existentialism 1Read MoreAnalysis Of Harper Lee s Kill A Mockingbird 1878 Words   |  8 PagesFinal Essay Rough Draft Throughout the years women have always been seen as a lesser value on comparison to men. Women are always shaped and molded a certain way to society’s liking. They have been told to act and behave a certain way because that is what is expected of them. Of course there is also the view of certain women that like to fit those expectations. Yet for men, they are influenced and respected when they act as they please and stand out from other men. It is extremely unfair to discriminateRead MoreRay Bradbury s Fahrenheit 4514443 Words   |  18 Pagesaffect when used correctly. Chapter 1 -- Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It’s Not) The five aspects of the QUEST are a quester, a place to go, a stated reason to go there, challenges en route, and a real reason to go there. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the quester is Atticus Finch who is a lawyer in Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. He has to go to court to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman. The challenges he encounters is the town’s racist white