Scout Finch Stereotypes

The novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee talks about the childhood of the protagonist Jean Louis Finch (Scout) as she grows up in the fictional county of Maycomb in Alabama. Soon after, Scout’s father, Atticus, gets a case of a black man falsely accused of rape, as Scout and her brother, Jem, bear witness to the case as they finally come to realize the prejudice and stereotyping in their own county. Stereotypes are destructive and prevent or discourage individual growth because it can cause violence and harm, it can create barriers within a society and it can change one’s views about something.

Throughout the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, one of the main characters, Scout, is impacted by sexism from her family, peers, and community. The book is set in the 1930’s when women were definitely not thought of as equal. There were certain social rules that girls should follow and the ways that society told them to act. The scout is a character that is impacted by sexism throughout the story. She is a young girl that changes because of the oppression that is placed on her by her family and peers. The character Scout is affected by sexism, which Harper Lee uses to develop the reader’s perception of Scout from indecisive and confined to determined, criticized, and conflicted and finally to confident, conflicted, and decisive.

The characters of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird are all different in their own way. Sometimes they can seem like the most infuriating people in the world, but then again they can be helpful, loving, and caring. The citizens of Maycomb County are stereotyped a lot throughout the book. They are labeled as many different things, but some of the stereotypes made aren’t entirely correct. A lot of people in To Kill a Mockingbird stereotype others by the way they look or talk based on what society considers normal. Two of the main characters in the book are stereotyped; Scout and Atticus Finch.

Scout is stereotyped by her gender because she is a female and Scout feels like the only way she can fit in is if she acts like a boy because all of her friends are boys. “I was not so sure, but Jem told me I was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, that's why other people hated them so, and if I started behaving like one I could just go off and find some to play with.” 4.119. This shows how scout thinks that acting like a girl is bad and it’s better to act like a boy.

By using characterization in To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee shows how people try to drive others to follow their gender role and makes us wonder, why do people want this? In an argument with Aunt Alexandra Scout says, “I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could not do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants.” (108). We can clearly understand that Aunt Alexandra is trying to make Scout stop wearing overalls and instead wear girl clothes, in doing so, she is restricting Scout from doing the activities she enjoys like playing and running. Not only does Aunt Alexandra want Scout to stop wearing overalls which are for boys but also wants to make Scout a lady, she wants her to learn a woman's role, which helps prove my claim. In my theses I mention that people try to change others and in this case Aunt Alexandra is trying to change Scout into someone she is not, as can be seen this is not the only time people try to change the way Scout behaves. During Christmas at Finch's Landing Uncle Jack is correcting Scouts behavior, “Scout, you will get in trouble if you go around saying things like that. You want to grow up to be a lady, don’t you? (105). The reason for Scout getting in trouble is a result of her unladylike language, her uncle warns her that she is not to use that sort of language. As the book advances Scout becomes develops into a girl who is learning new skills and expressions every day, but because some aren’t appropriate for her, a woman, she is prohibited from doing so, or she will face ramifications. If Scout doesn’t want to face the consequences, she will behave and act like a lady, which is the last thing she wants to do, she will become one of several who had to adjust their lives in order to be a member of the society they live in.

To begin, one character that breaks stereotypes is Scout. A major stereotype that she faces is gender roles. Throughout the novel, she is told by family and neighbors alike to act and dress like a girl. “I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that

One way that prejudice is shown throughout To Kill a Mockingbird is gender. An example of this is that Scout is told that she has to wear a dress on multiple

Society did not allow him to have a fair trial because of the colour of his skin. They disregarded his honesty because all they could focus on was what stood out first; his skin colour. Instead of taking the case further, everyone refused to know the truth because it would simply not make sense. After being accused of rape, most people see him as an evil man. Tom was seen for things on the outside and not for who he truly is. Maycomb was judgemental to anyone who was different. He was innocent from everything people said about him and still like a mockingbird he was talked or kill, even though “It is a sin to kill a Mockingbird” (pg 99) that just sings for people and it is a sin to judge people by outside things. (Make this more about

From the 1960s Novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird', Scout is forced into the gender stereotypes that

In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee there are a variety of different challenges faced in the 1960s, but with a twist. Instead of being narrated by an adult, it is narrated from the viewpoint of a child. One of the hardest problems the child, Scout Finch, faces is being surrounded by prejudice citizens that live in her town. She can’t quite understand why the people aren’t as accepting as her and the entire Finch family is. The same problem of prejudice is shown during the time of Hitler’s dictatorship as well. The mass amount of death of the Jews at that time all comes back to one problem, prejudice.

One big theme in To Kill a Mockingbird is stereotypes. First of all there is a stereotype that scout should wear a dress and act more like a girl because she is a tomboy. Aunt Alexandra says this. “Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I

African Americans have struggled throughout history for many reasons. They have never been equally treated, and during these times many men of this race have been killed for misunderstandings. Back then they weren’t allowed to do anything with the whites, everything was separate, and they were never treated correctly in court. Tom Robinson was an honest and a respectable man who would never harm anyone, but somehow he ended up in jail. Mayella Ewell accused Tom of rape, but he had a shriveled up left hand due to a cotton gin accident, so Tom couldn’t have hurt Mayella.

When looking at how Harper Lee writes in the stereotypes throughout To Kill a Mockingbird there are two main ways they are shown; in what the characters do and how they act, and through what the town of Maycomb county believes them to be like. When examining the stereotypes of Scout, Mr. Raymond, Tom Robinson, and Boo the reader sees the stereotypes through the eyes of the town’s people, and what they believe them to be like. The antipode to this demonstration of stereotypes of the characters is shown in Aunt Alexandra, Stephanie Crawford, Dill, Bob Ewell, Atticus, and Jem Finch, who demonstrate their stereotype through their personality and actions. By writing these character’s stereotypes into the novel of To Kill A Mockingbird Harper Lee

To begin with, Scout Finch is a Tomboy. Scout enjoys climbing tree’s, getting down and dirty on the ground, or running around with friends. There were many issues with this, as prejudice dominated the minds of people in the south in this century, most expected femininity of a woman. For example, Aunt Alexandra constantly

Harper Lee demonstrates the gender inequity In to Kill a Mockingbird through the description and words of the female narrator, Scout. The prejudice of Maycomb is shown so clearly, even an innocent child like Scout can see the raging extent of gender prejudice that surrounds her. Scout having traits that are more masculine in quality automatically makes her an outcast and disliked by Maycomb's many conforming ideals. Scouts innocence allows the novel to develop through an unbiased perspective. Women had little to serve in juries and there was the constant expectation all women had to act and dress like a Lady. Aunt Alexandra an evident example of having strong beliefs on how separate genders should behave, constantly scolding Scout for wearing her overalls and behaving too tomboyish." I was not so sure, but Jem told me i was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, thats why other people hated them so, and if i started behaving like one i could just go off and find some to play with. (4.119) Scout is raised to believe boys were better than girls, raised in a bigoted and heavily bias community, scout finds it a difficult and unfair experience trying to understand the unjust perceptions of the adults around her. Having Scout narrate the whole novel allows Harper lee to highlight the gender inequity in Maycomb.