Stereotypes Of Women In To Kill A Mockingbird

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In modern society, women are still struggling with having equal rights such as equal pay and being stereotyped against. As recent as 70 years ago in the 1930s, women were considered inferior to men. People thought that women shouldn't do the “dirty work” or make money for their families because they were supposed to do the more feminine things, such as cooking and child rearing. Throughout the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee explores the stereotypes made against women through one of the main characters, Scout. Through Harper Lee’s description of Scout’s capabilities and understandings, she proves that women and men are equally competent.
In TKAM, being a girl or acting like a girl is considered a bad thing. When Scout acts like a girl, …show more content…
When, in reality, women have the same capabilities as men. Aunt Alexandra reinforces these stereotypes by telling Scout that she shouldn't do the same things as men because anything she should do should be performed in a dress. “Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subjects of my attire. 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 required pants” (Pg 92). This quote shows women in the time are supposed to be very feminine and do the jobs that men don't do. They are supposed to wear dresses and women shouldn’t take part in the dirty work that men do. “Ladies bathed before noon, after their 3 o'clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frosting of sweet and sweet talcum” (Pg 6). This quote in TKAM describes women as very fragile. It also makes women seem useless and only good at looking nice when in reality, women can be useful for the same things that men are useful for. Harper Lee put both of these quotes into the book because later, Scout has many accomplishments proving that women are just as capable as men and that they don't need to only look nice.
Overall, in TKAM, women are made out to seem lesser than men even though they are capable of the same things as them. Harper Lee shows that women are just as capable through Scout by having her be one of the major heros in some parts of the
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