Eng.1/Per.2
Mrs. Marechal
17 Dec. 2015
To Kill A Mockingbird
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus and his two kids Jem and Scout live in a small town called Maycomb. Atticus a lawyer, raises his children without a spouse. Scout struggles to act like a proper girl because of the absence of a mother figure in her life and makes it harder for her to act like a young women. Lee shows how women in Maycomb are under pressure to meet the stereotypical standards of a proper women.
Growing up without a constant mother/woman figure causes Scout to adapt to her brother, and father 's ways and routines. Scout was unsure how to act among women, and really did not picture herself as one. As …show more content…
This is a difficult task for her, and it causes her much anguish. Eventually, Scout begins to feel some approval from Calpurnia, her housekeeper, “when she sees [Scout] appear in the kitchen” dressed in a pink classy dress. Scout admits that “there some skill involved in being a girl” (166). Calpurnia is a good role model for her and is a substitute for a mother figure in Scout’s eyes. Scout begins to feel trust, love and acceptance from Calpurnia. The attire Scout wears makes her feel confined in the “pink cotton penitentiary [that] closes in on [her]” (183). Scout begins to realize the duties she will need to develop as she matures further. As Scout observes her elders and admires their behavior her perspective on women 's actions change. This could be a good change for Scout because once she is all grown up she will be a role model for all the little girls to admire and have determination to adapt to the proper ways of life. Scout must become a passionate, hard working lady to show support for not only herself but her family. Her peers are trying to teach her the correct ways of acting because all of her life she has been left to discover things on her own, but with some male input to influence …show more content…
For example, all women are expected to stay home and take care of the kids, do chores, and most women do not have an imput on group decisions which frustrates Scout because she feels as if she should be able to occupy what her heart desires. Women “can’t serve on a jury” which demonstrates inequality and the unvalued opinions of women (307). Inequality and other sexist laws are just other reasons why Scout does not want to act like a women. Being a female in all communities can be difficult because of the stereotypical standards that women are expected to meet. Scout struggles to envision herself as one to fit these expectations, but she knows that all women must behave the same and do all the same things. This restriction on Scout to be like everyone else has her needing to be different. She is stuck wondering who she really is and what is it that she really wants. In addition, the perfect woman standards do not fit