To Kill A Mockingbird Coming Of Age Analysis

In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the story of two young children, Jem and Scout, are told through the events of the children in 1930’s Alabama. The two children experience a tragedy of the times: the discrimination of a black man in the court of law. Atticus, Jem and Scout’s father, is assigned to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping and beating a young white girl. This court case is watched by the entire town, and will influence the town people’s views on racial issues for many decades. In this novel, Jem and Scout experience many coming of age moments, living in a society where women are implied to perform certain tasks and not to question their role in the world controlled by men. In the coming of age scene where Atticus explains to Jem and Scout about women on juries, Scout comes of age as she starts to understand the implied gender roles in their society. The theme of gender roles is developed by Lee’s use of setting and tone in the novel To Kill a …show more content…
As they are talking about the jury, Scout asks why townsfolk like Miss Maudie never serve on juries. Atticus happens to mention that she cannot serve because she is a woman. This both surprises and angers Scout. The most Scout has ever experienced in terms of gender roles has been Aunt Alexandra telling her that girls like Scout must wear dresses and act “proper” to be viewed as a respectable woman in society. Scout has been raised to believe that the only requirements for women in society is that they must dress a certain way and act “proper”. She, in this conversation with her father, is now learning that women are not allowed to do certain things in society, including serving on juries. She has experienced a coming of age moment when she realizes that she, as a woman, may not be able to do certain things in society, and that not being able to serve on juries may only be the tip of the