Theme Of Gender Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee was born in Alabama in 1926. She was the youngest of four and considered herself a tomboy (similar to Scout). Her mother suffered from a mental illness and rarely left the house (similar to Boo Radley). Lee studied law (similar to atticus) and then published To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960 during the Civil Rights Movement. Her novel went on to win the Pulitzer Prize a year later. In her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the social and gender inequalities are the main issues. Lee approaches these themes with the perspective of Scout, juxtaposition, symbolism, and foreshadowing. Scout is young girl who is intelligent for her age and is very observant. Her judgement can be poor at times however it is often needed. When Scout ran out to Atticus, she didn’t know what she was going to say or do, she just knew something was wrong based on her judgement, “‘So it took an eight-year-old child to bring ‘em to their senses, didn’t it?’ said Atticus” (Lee, 157). When Scout spoke to Mr.Cunningham, the mob silenced and listened instead of threatening Atticus to get his kids to go home. Using Scout to break up the mob is an example of social inequality in that they did not listen to Atticus, the defender of a “negro,” but they would listen to Scout, a young and naive girl. Lee uses this the night before the trial to show the …show more content…
Juxtaposing Tom and Boo show the social inequality and Scout and Jem represent the gender inequality. Lee uses good beings and children to present these themes so the reader can draw connections and emotions to her novel. By foreshadowing Tom Robinson with Tim Johnson, Lee is able to show that the outcomes of life and death end up being determined by society. Lee’s strategies are effectively used to show readers how that time period affected a person because of social and gender