It is commonly believed that males and females have certain “jobs” given by society, known as gender roles. While some people try to stray away from these gender roles, most people end up obeying them, whether they want to or they were forced. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a young tomboy, Scout Finch, witnesses and learns of the horrific racist ways of a small Alabama town in the 1930s when a young black man, Tom Robinson, is falsely convicted of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell, because of his race, even though the evidence clearly supports Robinson’s case. Scout’s development as a character helps deconstruct gender roles in To Kill a Mockingbird because of her behavior and her acquaintances.
Scout’s actions deconstruct the traditional …show more content…
When Aunt Alexandra has all of her friends over, Miss Maudie realized that Scout was wearing a dress for a change. “‘You’re mighty dressed up, Miss Jean Louise,’” Miss Maudie notices and asks “‘Where are your britches today?’” (Lee 229) Scout always wears britches, not dresses, so Miss Maudie finds it a bit shocking to see Scout in a dress, even if she is with a large group of grown up women who have already succumbed to the gender roles of society. Scout is trying to change to listen to others and act more grown up, but dresses don’t really define adults. They actually are a sign of one of the most classic female gender roles ever - women must wear dresses. Similarly, Scout also goes outside with her brother a lot, and ever since they were very little. Mrs. Dubose, a neighbor of the Finches, sees the two of them heading to town and makes her disapproval very clear. To defend himself and his sister, Jem told Mrs. Dubose, “‘Mrs. Dubose, we’ve been goin’ to town by ourselves since we were this high.’” He then “placed his hand palm down about …show more content…
She puts much of her trust on her father, Atticus, constantly looking to him for help or advice. On her very first day of school, Scout is told by her teacher, Miss Caroline, that she had learned how to read “incorrectly.” So that night, she goes to her father and complains, “‘[Miss Caroline] said you taught me all wrong, so we can’t ever read any more, ever’” (Lee 29). Whenever Scout has a problem, she goes to her father Atticus, not Calpurnia or Aunt Alexandra, the two women who are the closest to motherly figures in her life. It is commonplace to hear of a father-son talk or a mother-daughter talk, but father-daughter and mother-son talks aren’t commonly heard of. This is because it is believed that fathers will know more about a son’s problems and mothers will know more about a daughter’s problems and how to solve them. However, because her mother died at a young age, Scout goes to her father for advice. Atticus is considered a very respectable man in the entire town, and Scout has learned that his answers are very valuable lessons. Although she has little choice but to go to a father figure instead of a mother figure for help, Scout is still dismantling female gender roles by doing so. On the other hand, Scout’s two closest friends are Jem and Dill, both of whom are male. One summer, they took special amusement to
Scout’s actions deconstruct the traditional …show more content…
When Aunt Alexandra has all of her friends over, Miss Maudie realized that Scout was wearing a dress for a change. “‘You’re mighty dressed up, Miss Jean Louise,’” Miss Maudie notices and asks “‘Where are your britches today?’” (Lee 229) Scout always wears britches, not dresses, so Miss Maudie finds it a bit shocking to see Scout in a dress, even if she is with a large group of grown up women who have already succumbed to the gender roles of society. Scout is trying to change to listen to others and act more grown up, but dresses don’t really define adults. They actually are a sign of one of the most classic female gender roles ever - women must wear dresses. Similarly, Scout also goes outside with her brother a lot, and ever since they were very little. Mrs. Dubose, a neighbor of the Finches, sees the two of them heading to town and makes her disapproval very clear. To defend himself and his sister, Jem told Mrs. Dubose, “‘Mrs. Dubose, we’ve been goin’ to town by ourselves since we were this high.’” He then “placed his hand palm down about …show more content…
She puts much of her trust on her father, Atticus, constantly looking to him for help or advice. On her very first day of school, Scout is told by her teacher, Miss Caroline, that she had learned how to read “incorrectly.” So that night, she goes to her father and complains, “‘[Miss Caroline] said you taught me all wrong, so we can’t ever read any more, ever’” (Lee 29). Whenever Scout has a problem, she goes to her father Atticus, not Calpurnia or Aunt Alexandra, the two women who are the closest to motherly figures in her life. It is commonplace to hear of a father-son talk or a mother-daughter talk, but father-daughter and mother-son talks aren’t commonly heard of. This is because it is believed that fathers will know more about a son’s problems and mothers will know more about a daughter’s problems and how to solve them. However, because her mother died at a young age, Scout goes to her father for advice. Atticus is considered a very respectable man in the entire town, and Scout has learned that his answers are very valuable lessons. Although she has little choice but to go to a father figure instead of a mother figure for help, Scout is still dismantling female gender roles by doing so. On the other hand, Scout’s two closest friends are Jem and Dill, both of whom are male. One summer, they took special amusement to