David Bragiel

4/19/17

Pd.7

Ms. Lee

Social Forces in To Kill a Mockingbird and Today

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, social forces such as race, class, and

gender roles had an influence on society. These social forces had negative impacts. Many of

those still go on today or have stayed the same and can be shown in articles like Working class

kids ask fewer questions in class and The changing face of American marriages and of

course the book To Kill a Mockingbird. Therefore, while gender roles and race have changed

positively since the 1930s, social class has stayed the same.

In the 1930s there were gender roles that discriminated females, but since then; Gender

roles have changed. First, Aunt Alexandra said to Scout that [she] should dress more like a

girl.(Lee 95). In the 1930s back in the day people wanted women to act like girls and look like

them. They didnt have much of a choice. It was a tradition. In contrast, Barbie imagine the

possibilities they are saying when a girl plays with Barbie she imagines anything she can

become.(Imagine the Possibilities). Girls now can be anything they want to be. From a soccer

manager to a doctor. To conclude, in the 1930s gender roles had negative impact on how

children are treated but now they have a positive effect.

Also, in the 1930s and now, people in a lower social class have less advantages than

people in a higher social class. First, Calpurnia told scout That boys yo compny and if he

wants to eat up the tablecloth you let him(Lee 21). This quote refers to when Walter

Cunningham came to the Finchs house for dinner. Walter was eating a lot and Scout thought it
was strange. Walter Cunningham was from a poor family and he must have been hungry so he

ate a lot. In comparison, a study from the University of Indiana shows that working class

parents are less likely to encourage their children to ask questions.(Rebecca Klein). Middle

class parents want their kids to be successful like them and motivate them to do well in school.

Working class kids don't ask enough questions in class. To conclude, in the 1930s people in a

lower social class had less advantages than those in a higher social class. Now, it is the same

as the 1930s.

Lastly, racism between blacks and whites in the 1930s was very normal; now it is not

very common. First, in To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus was saying that [he] hope[s] and pray[s]

[he] can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness and most of all, without catching

Maycombs usual disease.(Lee 88). Most people in Maycomb were racist and they did not like

that Atticus was helping a black man. In school kids would tease Scout for it which shows that

many children were taught to be racist. In contrast, now interracial couples have become more

common. According to the article The changing face of American marriages in 2013, there

were over 130,000 marriages between white men and black women. And nearly 320,000

between black men and white women.(Wilson L). In the 1930s black people were completely

separated from whites. They couldnt even feel bad for a white person. And now there are

many interracial couples. To conclude, racism was a very normal thing in the south in the

1930s. But now things have changed and there is very little racism.

In conclusion, social class has not improved whereas racism and gender roles have

improved a lot. Some people may argue that gender roles have not improved because of the

wage gap that exists. Even though there is a wage gap, women now have much more

opportunities than they used to and they have jobs and dont stay at home in the kitchen like the
common stereotype about women. In summary, the social forces that were bad influences in

the 1930s still go on today, except for race and gender roles.

Works cited

Barbie. "Imagine The Possibilities | Barbie." YouTube. YouTube, 08 Oct. 2015. Web. 20 Apr.

2017.

"The Changing Face of American Marriages | TIME Labs." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.

Klein, Rebecca. "Working-Class Kids Ask Fewer Questions In Class, And Here's Why." The

Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 10 Sept. 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird: Harper Lee. New York: Scribner Laidlaw, 1989. Print.