Scout had many people in her life that tried to shape her into the perfect child that radiated femininity. Not only strangers or neighbors tried to make her change her ways but along with her family and surprisingly someone she treated like a best friend, her brother, she must have felt pressure to please everyone. One of the more prominent people who tried to mold Scout into another drone-like female back then was her teacher, Miss Caroline Fisher who thought that Scout being further educated than her class was almost a sin. Scout could read and write script while others her age could not and instead of being praised for an accomplishment, she was punished. The day a child is punished because she learned how to read before her teacher gave …show more content…
Aunt Alexandra wanted Scout to wear dresses and participate in tea parties rather than wear overalls and play games with Dill and Jem. She wanted Scout to be an Alexandra-in-progress by making her join her in tea or took her away from the role-playing games with Jem and Dill to behave like a proper lady. Aunt Alexandra wanted Scout to act like her own person, but her own person should be like every other female at the time. Scout wanted to ignore her aunt and stay true to herself, to be different, but eventually she gave in and wore the dress and went to the tea party to please her aunt, not out of a willing change of character. It is refreshing to see someone, child or adult, to instead of taking everyone’s desires of what one should wear or act like take it and will not let it impact their thoughts on themselves. Scout took what her aunt said and instead of being bitter and turning resentful towards Aunt Alexandra for it, like most others would, she stayed true to herself and tried to pretend to make her Aunt happy. Aunt Alexandra was not even able to touch the clay to try and form
Aunt Alexandra disapproves of Scout because she doesn’t dress or act lady-like. For example, instead of wearing necklaces and dresses, Scout wears overalls and pants.
As Scout gets a little older, she soon realizes that she will have to start acting like a lady. She begins to understand why Aunt Alexandra wants her to act the way that she does. She comes to understand her Aunt and believes there is something interesting in learning how to be a lady. She most realizes this when Jem and Dill go swimming and she couldn't go because they are swimming nude. Aunt Alexandra decides to invite the missionary Ladies for a tea party to discuss the current events in the town of Maycomb (their hometown). Aunt Alexandra dresses Scout up in a dress
We all change in various ways from the time we are children. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird she shows how Jem, Scout, and Dill grew up in Maycomb Alabama. She also shows the kids outlook on the world from when they were young verse as they are growing up. When the kids are young they believed Boo Radley was a killer
Lee (1960) explains a story by using Scout’s perspective who is a 6 year-old girl in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”. This story shows a family’s normal life, which is set in the small rural town of Maycomb, Alabama in 1930s in the United States. This family have four members, which are daughter Scout, son Jem, father Atticus, and cook Calpurnia. She shows Atticus as a great father by describing Atticus’ the language, which is used for educating his children. For example, when the children make language conflict with Dubose who is their neighbor, Atticus educate his children to tolerate and understand Dubose. He said “She’s an old lady and she’s ill. You just hold your head high and be a gentleman. Whatever she says to you, it’s your job
Scout is a very strong and independent character who believes in who she is. She does not allow anyone to push her around even if that means she has to settle an argument in an immature way such as fist fights. Scout is unlike many girls in her town. She likes to play outside,wear pants and she doesn’t like to play with teasets or dolls. This appalls many adults who are not understanding of why Scout is different from the other girls. Many neighbors and relatives put the blame on Atticus for “not raising her right”. Atticus is often criticized because he took a different role in life than his siblings and left the Finch landing. The Finch Landing is a huge farm run by workers paid slim to none. Atticus’s siblings, Alexandra and Jack stayed at the farm and took in the money and watched the workers work. Generations and generations of Finches had done this with the exception of Atticus. Instead he felt there was more to life and decided to go to school and become a lawyer. He is now raising Scout and Jem. With Scout’s mom dead, many people feel they need to intervene with Atticus’s parenting to play a mother figure. Alexandra plays a big part in this and sits Scout down to chat. Alexandra tells Scout that she
Looking at the part of the story when Aunt Alexandra comes to live with the finch family, we can see Scout maturing and becoming more of a lady under the influence of Aunt Alexandra.This part of the story is very important to the process of Scout maturing because she is starting to think and act like a grown lady. Harper Lee writes, “Stay with us, Jean Louis, she said. This was part of her campaign to teach me to be a lady”(Lee 262). This quote on page 262 shows how Aunt Alexandra is trying to help Scout become more like a lady. Throughout this quote we are able to see how Aunt Alexandra has came to Scout a female influence since Scout has primarily grew up with all males. This quote is very important to the process of Scout maturing because Aunt Alexandra is in the process of completely changing how Scout acts and behaves.
Aunt Alexandra is severely prejudiced. Throughout the book we can see she views different people on a different level than her. She does not tolerate that Calpurnia is a mother figure to Scout. We see that she wants to change scout to be a part of the girls. She doesn't want scout dressing like a boy and dress like an actual
Firstly, there is Aunt Alexandra. She is Atticus’s sister and spends her time preaching her traditional values of what a lady should be like. She believes that young girls should do “girlish” things such as playing with tea sets and dolls. An example of this is when Scout thinks, “Alexandra’s vision of my deportment involved playing with small stoves, tea sets, and wearing the Add-A-Pearl necklace she gave me when I was born; furthermore, I should be a ray of sunshine in my father’s lonely life.” Alexandra doesn’t think about what Scout really wants to do; she just has a vision of what Scout is supposed to want to do.
When Miss Caroline told her to stop reading at night with Atticus, Scout was furious and annoyed. Scout told Jem, “If I didn’t have to stay I’d leave. Jem, that damn lady says Atticus’s been teaching me to read and for him to stop it-” (Lee 23) Jem responds that Miss Caroline is just teaching a new way of learning besides reading books. Scout is still angered by the fact she can’t read with Atticus anymore. Later in the story Atticus makes a compromise with Scout that they will continue to read even though Miss Caroline said not to. This relieves Scout of all her frustration and worries. Farther into the story when Atticus is at the jailhouse with a group of men trying to kill Tom Robinson, the kids come when they are suppose to be at home. Atticus demands that Jem takes Scout and Dill back home but Jem refuses. One of the men from the group said “I’ll send him home,” and he grabbed Jem violently by his collar. Scout get exasperated and screams, “Don’t you touch him!”(Lee 203-204) Then she kicked the man leaving him in pain. Atticus grabs Scout and directs Jem took take them home. Scout is a girl who gets irritated very easily when somebody harms Atticus and
Later in the novel, Scout complains about Aunt Alexandra’s constant remarks regarding acting, dressing and talking ladylike: “Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire” (108). Aunt Alexandra’s thoughts control her actions. She is unable to stop making snarky remarks about Scout’s outfit. Alexandra strongly feels that being a lady means wearing a frilly dress and acting properly, although times are changing and those factors are not required to be a woman. The reality that Scout is opposed to dressing ladylike is evident to Alexandra, however, her unnecessary comments and complaints about Scout’s own attire are
According to her aunt, Scout shouldn’t acting or dressing how she wants because she isn’t supposed to. Unlike a good Aunt Alexandra is intruding on Scout’s freedom as an individual to wear what she wants just because she disapproves of what Scout is doing. Unlike a good Aunt Alexandra is intruding on Scout’s freedom as an individual to wear what she wants just because she disapproves of what Scout is doing.:
Aunt Alexandra then goes on to speak negatively with Atticus about Scout’s attitude and how she is getting out of control. While hearing their conversion Scout feels “the starched walls on a pink cotton penitentiary closing in on her” (182). Imagery is being used to illustrate the world that she lives in. Scout feels pressured to be someone else and is overwhelmed. After all, “starched walls” is what is found all around Maycomb. Everyone is supposed to behave in an orderly manner and be tasteless with their lack of individuality. She lives in a “pink cotton penitentiary” that looks nice from the outside, but once unraveled it’s truly a place where judgment lies. Scout an eight year old child is already facing harsh judgment that makes her think of “running away” (182). She feels the pressure to conform to the standards of feminism and does not want to take part. She wants to be herself and not like all the other ladies in town. Unsupportive family and friends are absolutely dreadful and can definitely take away valuable knowledge from children. Adolescents that do not grow up in an environment that is accepting are often found missing beneficial experiences and left unable to discuss and understand their
Sexism towards women is a major problem today, and has been a lingering issue for over one hundred years. Scout is a free-spirited, young girl, who is considered by many to be a tom-boy. On the other hand, there is Aunt Alexandra, a stubborn woman committed to keeping tradition, whether it is right or wrong. they clash later in the book when Aunt Alexandra said it was unacceptable for scout to wear shorts and should act like a proper woman. If a comment like that was said today, the person that said it would be ridiculed beyond belief.
Aunt Alexandra is a very proper woman, who expects Scout to also be a proper woman. Scout is more of a tomboy than Aunt Alexandra would prefer her to be. Scout wears jeans so she can play outside with her brother. Aunt Alexandra complains to Scout that girls are not, “supposed to be doing things that required pants” (Lee 108). From the influence of Aunt Alexandra, Scout learns that society has a very strict and strenuous guidelines for being a proper woman.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, we are given the story through the perception of Scout, who is 6 years old at the start of the novel. We see her relationship with her father, Atticus, that seems rather loving despite her statements of his treatment of his kids being of “courteous detachment” (6). He treats with respect and doesn't baby them. Things are hidden by him from Scout and her brother, but at other times Atticus is very direct about the way things are and what is expected of them. This leads to Scout being allowed to act mostly as she pleases rather than forcing her into a gendered role.