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Stereotypes In To Kill A Mockingbird

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To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a novel that nearly every student has read in high school. The book takes place in Alabama during the early 1930s. Young Scout Finch tells a story, from her point of view, of the arrest and trial of Tom Robinson. Tom was accused of the rape of Mayella Ewell, a girl who assumably suffers abuse from her father. He was convicted despite the lack of evidence against him. While this novel’s main theme is racial injustice, it also includes gender role stereotypes. It is clearly seen that throughout the novel Scout is being harassed for not being feminine enough by members of her family and her peers. This gender stereotyping can have a negative or positive effects not only on Scout but other members of society …show more content…

They imply that men have to act one way while women have to act another way. Women in society, specifically Alabama in the 1930s, were expected to act feminine, polite, quiet,and obedient. They were also expected to do all the housework and raise children while their husbands went to work. Feminism has come a long way since then, and these stereotypes are not as strong as they once were. Men in society were and are expected to act masculine, strong, emotionless, and dominant. These ideas creep into the minds of young children and influence their behavior while growing up. They are forced into a stereotype that they may or may not be comfortable in. This brings us to the question; what are the effects of gender role stereotyping? These stereotypes make it socially unacceptable to do certain things because of a person’s gender.On one hand this can cause low self esteem. On the other, gender role stereotypes can create a sense of fulfillment. Either way they will alter a persons …show more content…

{What guidelines?? can’t serve on jury, sports?, protected vs protecting, can't do that, must do this} People that don’t follow these rigid guidelines are looked down upon by society. This is seen in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird when Scout’s aunt and father are discussing how Scout isn’t feminine enough for a girl her age. Scout faces difficulties with herself when she sees her family lose support of her. She feels dejected that she was unable to dress or act in ways that make her feel comfortable with herself. {Teaparty?} Women today still face similar issues. They get frowned upon by society for not being feminine enough. However, this issue is not only seen with women. Men are prosecuted for not being masculine enough. Our society creates gender role stereotypes about men that describe them as violent, sexually aggressive, strong, and unemotional (Wikia). Painting a picture of a “real man”, these stereotypes can be harmful men. They indicate that men cannot be victims of abuse even though 2.78 million men in the U.S. have been victims of sexual assault or rape (Rainn) and 40% of domestic violence victims are men . However, many of these men do not report their abuse because it is seen as unmanly, weak, and shameful. In some cases, the authorities do not believe the male victim, or they don’t take any action to solve the problem because the gender role stereotypes that we have been taught lead us to believe that

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