Wiersma 1

Bethany Wiersma

Ms. Wiersma

English I

27 April 2017

Tea and Dresses or Schoolyard Fights: Gender Roles in To Kill A Mockingbird

Pink. Emotional. Dresses. Weak. These words are all associated with typical stereotypes

in society for women. Women throughout the ages have struggled and fought to get more rights

and to redefine what it means to be female. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is about a

young girl who also struggles to define what it means for her to grow up and become a lady. The

context of gender roles in the 1930s influences To Kill a Mockingbird because Scout pushes the

boundaries of gender definitions and she also feels pressure to be a proper lady.

To begin, in the 1930s, gender boundaries began to be blurred due to figures such as

Eleanor Roosevelt. During the first part of her life, she followed a fairly typical pattern for

women at this time by getting married and having six children (Black). However, after she

became the First Lady, she was the first to do more in the White House than simply support her

husband. She paved her own way by traveling, giving speeches, and openly expressing her own

thoughts to the press (Black). This demonstrates how she inspired other American women to

break free of the strict limitations put on them by society.

As an illustration, Scout continually fights the adult figures in her life in order to have

more choice in how she expresses herself, since she does not fit into the typical stereotype of a

girl. For example, she faces pressure with her appearance but doesnt want to dress up. Her uncle

points out that after she beats someone up, she will now have a very unladylike scar on [her]
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wedding-ring finger (Lee 115). When Scouts behavior continues, she is often scolded for it,

with even Jem chiming in and saying its time you started bein a girl and acting right! (Lee

153). Although Scout resists, she does know that eventually she must soon enter this world,

where on its surface fragrant ladies rocked slowly, fanned gently, and drank cool water (Lee

313). This shows that although she cannot change everything about expectations for women in

the 1930s, figures such as Eleanor Roosevelt definitely gave young girls hope for branching out.

Furthermore, women in the 1930s had more pressure on them to be a proper lady rather

than pursue a career. Compared to today, not as many women had jobs, and even if they did, they

have lower wages (Baughman). In addition, the jobs that they had were usually more in the

domestic or service sphere, such as being a nurse or a teacher (Baughman). Finally, if they were

married, then it was looked down on if they needed to have a job, because this would hold them

back from being a devoted wife and mother (Baughman). This illustrates how many women felt

pressure to fit in to expectations as a woman and could carry guilt for pursuing their own dreams.

To expand on womens roles, this clearly connects to To Kill A Mockingbird because

there are a large number of women in the novel who do not seem to hold jobs. For example,

Alexandra and her tea party ladies. Additionally, even the women that do have jobs have

typical jobs for the 1930s, such as Scouts female teacher and Calpurnia, who is a cook. Scout

notes that by watching her I began to think there was some skill involved in being a girl, which

shows that this kind of a role is seen as female (Lee 154) Women are supposed to remain within

these roles rather than get involved in areas such as politics. Atticus remarks that Miss Maudie

cant serve on a jury because shes a woman . . . I guess its to protect our frail ladies from sordid

cases like Toms, indicating that because she is a woman, she must be shielded from anything
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that is not pretty (Lee 296). In contrast, women such as Miss Maudie who are single and prefer to

pursue their own hobbiessuch as gardeningare seen as oddballs in the neighborhood. If they

do not fit into normal standards, then they face gossip or outbursts such as Jems to Scout, who

says, shut your trap or go homeI declare to the Lord youre getting more like a girl every

day! (Lee 69). These examples prove that the context of gender roles in the 1930s had a large

part in forming the type of roles that Harper Lee assigned to her female characters.

To sum it up, the historical context of the 1930s is clear in the way that Scout grapples

with her gender identity throughout the novel, often pushing against the expectations set up by

her society. This is significant today because recent events such as the Womens March on

Washington clearly show that many women are still passionately fighting for rights today and

that there is much progress to be made. Figures such as Scout are not only relevant in the 1930s

but continue to inspire readers today to be brave enough to be an individual and a pioneer in

society when it comes to gender expectations.