To Kill A Mockingbird Research Paper

Evelyn Scheidly Mrs.Cutarelli ELA 9 1* 29 April 2024 Gender Expectations Intro: Gender expectations and Gender norms are rules regarding how men and women should behave and express themselves. However, these regulations and expectations are always changing, from new social trends to different beliefs and practices around masculinity and femininity. Although gender expectations and social norms are always evolving, gender stereotypes are still very commonly expressed: boys should learn not to express their emotions and girls should act obedient and care about their appearances. While as people grow out of those gender stereotypes, society is growing to accept and teach that femininity and masculinity can be neutral and that societal norms should …show more content…
In the 1930s, women were expected to act more ladylike and feminine. ( “A patrician white woman's role was to serve her husband, bending to him in all manners. Bearing children regularly and caring and loving for them”(The Southern Lady and the Belle). This quote from The Southern Lady and Belle describes one of the expectations for a white woman during the 1930s. Women were expected to be caretakers for their husbands while providing children and caring for them during the 1930s. Women have no rights to land, money, their own ideas, or their bodies. The gender expectation was to present as a fine lady of culture who had manners, was well groomed, and educated only on women topics deemed appropriate by their husbands, and be fertile to bear children willingly or unwillingly as many times as their husbands wanted at any cost. Aunt Alexandra was Scout's feminine influence and she would always pressure Scout to be more ladylike. "I could not possibly 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. Aunt Alexandra's vision of my deportment involved playing with small stoves, tea sets and wearing the Add-a-Pearl necklace she got me when I was born. "(Lee 92) This quote shows in To Kill a Mockingbird that women are taught how to act and …show more content…
“What are you doing in those overalls? You should be in a dress and camisole, young lady! You’ll grow up waiting on tables if somebody doesn't change your ways”( Lee 117). Here is an example of Scout's clothing of overalls and her tomboyish way she is deemed less and not appropriate in her role and should be more of a lady. “We decided it was best for you to have some feminine influence. It won't be many years, Jean Louise, before you become interested in clothes and boys–”(Lee145) In the 1930s as seen in society a female role was to be interested in marriage and looks. “Aunt Alexandra was one of the last of her kind: she had a river boat, boarding school manners, let any moral come along and she would uphold it” ( Lee 146) In the 1930s per society Aunt Alexandra is the perfect image of what a woman should be. Body 3: Explanation of the topic in current time: The gender expectations from today compared to the 1930s are very much less enforced. Modern and past beliefs of gender expectations are still a major component in society today, but over time these gender

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