The 1930s were tough because of the Great Depression, racism was still clearly present and sexism was also shown. Many people in Maycomb still felt that white people were superior to African-Americans and mulattoes. African-Americans were segregated in this time period by having to use different facilities such as a Church, and had to treat whites respectfully. However, the white people did not treat the African-Americans with respect at all because they often treated them as if they were aliens and slaves. Many people during this time were also often faced with unemployment and poverty. Women during this time were also treated as fragile and to obey men because they were not seen as independent. Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, clearly
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Women, especially young women, were expected to fit a role of working for the men and to always act a certain way. In this novel, the main character, Scout Finch, is constantly being pressured by her relatives and others to act like a “lady” and to be proper. She was always “expected to look [her] best at all times, especially when times were hard and money was tight (Gourley 13)” and to always wear a dress because that was the “right” thing to do (https://plazamypwiki.wikispaces.com). Jem even told her to act like a girl and that she isn’t allowed to hang out with him and Dill sometimes because she’s a “girl”. Even men were discriminated in this time and were also held to a certain standard to “act like a gentleman”. Another sign of sexism that happened in this book that was true in the 1930s was when Atticus quoted “ [f]or one thing, Miss Maudie can’t serve on a jury because she’s a woman—” (Lee 252). This shows how even though women were given more rights like voting, they were still seen as inferior and incapable of doing something a man could do like be on a jury. Therefore, women and men like Scout and Jem were discriminated and defined by certain stereotypes because of their gender which shows another historical reality during this …show more content…
African Americans and Mulattoes were targets during this era just because of the color of their skin. Tom Robinson was one of the many African Americans that struggled because he was seen as inferior and also looked down upon just because of his skin color. African Americans, like Tom Robinson and many other African Americans, were discriminated by the White people and had to use separate facilities that were only for “colored people”. In Maycomb, the African Americans had to go to different churches than the white people. During Tom Robinson’s trial, the African Americans had to sit up in the balcony whereas the white people were allowed to sit on the main floor. However, many white men believe that this is “separate but equal” because they thought they were doing no harm by just giving them different public places where only colored races could go (http://www.pbs.org). Scout, Dill, and Jem sat up in the balcony with Reverend Skyes but any other white person would not dare to be in the colored section, never mind being with a colored person because it was looked down upon as wrong and inappropriate. However, people like Mr. Dolphus Raymond do not care about what race someone is but because of this, white people do not like him and especially do not want to associate with him. Even kids didn’t like African Americans because of their color and they hated people who helped
Women, especially young women, were expected to fit a role of working for the men and to always act a certain way. In this novel, the main character, Scout Finch, is constantly being pressured by her relatives and others to act like a “lady” and to be proper. She was always “expected to look [her] best at all times, especially when times were hard and money was tight (Gourley 13)” and to always wear a dress because that was the “right” thing to do (https://plazamypwiki.wikispaces.com). Jem even told her to act like a girl and that she isn’t allowed to hang out with him and Dill sometimes because she’s a “girl”. Even men were discriminated in this time and were also held to a certain standard to “act like a gentleman”. Another sign of sexism that happened in this book that was true in the 1930s was when Atticus quoted “ [f]or one thing, Miss Maudie can’t serve on a jury because she’s a woman—” (Lee 252). This shows how even though women were given more rights like voting, they were still seen as inferior and incapable of doing something a man could do like be on a jury. Therefore, women and men like Scout and Jem were discriminated and defined by certain stereotypes because of their gender which shows another historical reality during this …show more content…
African Americans and Mulattoes were targets during this era just because of the color of their skin. Tom Robinson was one of the many African Americans that struggled because he was seen as inferior and also looked down upon just because of his skin color. African Americans, like Tom Robinson and many other African Americans, were discriminated by the White people and had to use separate facilities that were only for “colored people”. In Maycomb, the African Americans had to go to different churches than the white people. During Tom Robinson’s trial, the African Americans had to sit up in the balcony whereas the white people were allowed to sit on the main floor. However, many white men believe that this is “separate but equal” because they thought they were doing no harm by just giving them different public places where only colored races could go (http://www.pbs.org). Scout, Dill, and Jem sat up in the balcony with Reverend Skyes but any other white person would not dare to be in the colored section, never mind being with a colored person because it was looked down upon as wrong and inappropriate. However, people like Mr. Dolphus Raymond do not care about what race someone is but because of this, white people do not like him and especially do not want to associate with him. Even kids didn’t like African Americans because of their color and they hated people who helped