In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, men were pressured to act like gentlemen and women had to be polite. This established a strict division between men and women. These traditionalist values focused on dividing the genders and informing power to men. Maycomb is a small town that strongly believes in these traditional– roles due to their isolation from other parts of the United States. Harper Lee writes about the life of a young girl named Jean Louise Finch who searches for her identity within the tightening societal expectations of her small town. She is shown as a strong willed woman who dresses and acts against the customs of society which causes distress within her family and the community itself. Jean Louise Finch
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She tries her best to become a lady by listening to both her father and uncle and the two ladies she hangs around with. Despite these efforts, Jean still lashes out and acts careless. She prefers people to call her by her ambiguous nickname “Scout” and rather wear pants than dresses which mostly all women/girls wear in the town. She has also has some characteristics of a boy, she fights, swears, and is bigger than other boys in her age “You’re bigger’n he is” (24). A lot of people are against on how Scout dresses and acts especially her Aunt Alexandra. Since the Finch family is well respected, Alexandra wants “What is best for the family” (96). She cares the most about the Family’s social class and appearance. Scout’s Aunt is one of the characters in the novel who is trying to change Scout into a proper “Southern Lady” “You know she [is] not [use] to girls, leastways, not girls like you, she is trying to make you a lady” (225). Jem was telling Scout that Aunt Alexandra is trying her best to make Scout act like a lady and should get along with her Aunt. Scout really does not care about her appearance but her Aunt Alexandra wants her to behave like a lady by giving her a pearl necklace to wear, stoves and tea pots to play with. That is how she views how girls should really act and do. Scout tries her best to follow her Aunt and get along with her but she cannot stop acting the way she is used to. Her Aunt
She tries her best to become a lady by listening to both her father and uncle and the two ladies she hangs around with. Despite these efforts, Jean still lashes out and acts careless. She prefers people to call her by her ambiguous nickname “Scout” and rather wear pants than dresses which mostly all women/girls wear in the town. She has also has some characteristics of a boy, she fights, swears, and is bigger than other boys in her age “You’re bigger’n he is” (24). A lot of people are against on how Scout dresses and acts especially her Aunt Alexandra. Since the Finch family is well respected, Alexandra wants “What is best for the family” (96). She cares the most about the Family’s social class and appearance. Scout’s Aunt is one of the characters in the novel who is trying to change Scout into a proper “Southern Lady” “You know she [is] not [use] to girls, leastways, not girls like you, she is trying to make you a lady” (225). Jem was telling Scout that Aunt Alexandra is trying her best to make Scout act like a lady and should get along with her Aunt. Scout really does not care about her appearance but her Aunt Alexandra wants her to behave like a lady by giving her a pearl necklace to wear, stoves and tea pots to play with. That is how she views how girls should really act and do. Scout tries her best to follow her Aunt and get along with her but she cannot stop acting the way she is used to. Her Aunt