Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Essay on gender roles to kill a mockingbird
An essay on how society shaped and influenced harper lee to write to kill a mockingbird
To kill a mockingbird women's roles
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Essay on gender roles to kill a mockingbird
When a character shows growth in a book, it makes it so that you can relate better to said character. These characters that are growing throughout the book are called complex characters. Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is an example of a complex character, as she grows as a person throughout the entire book. She has many different traits as she progresses, three of which include: feisty, confident, and ladylike. I will be showing these different traits in this essay analyzing Scout.
The first adjective I would use to describe Scout is feisty. Leading up to her display of her feisty character, she was in Miss Caroline’s class when they were dismissed for lunch. When Walter Cunningham didn’t move to get a lunch of any sort, Miss Caroline offered him some money for some food as long as he payed her back. He politely declined, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to pay her back. When asked why and he said nothing, Scout started explaining how different things in Maycomb work, specifically the Cunninghams’ financial situation. She got in trouble for it, which led up to her display. “Catching Walter Cunningham in the schoolyard gave me some pleasure, but when I was rubbing his nose in the dirt…” (Lee 22). This shows that she had a feisty attitude when she got in trouble and later “punished” Walter for it.
…show more content…
Leading up to her display of confidence, Francis, her cousin, had been calling Scout’s father, Atticus, a “nigger- lover” and Scout was getting mad. She had been chasing him and was going to beat him black and blue when he ran into the kitchen and locked the door. She then waited. “ When stalking one’s prey, it is best to take one’s time, say nothing, and as sure as eggs, he will become curious and emerge.” (Lee 83). This shows her confidence in her methods and how using these methods will work out for her. This also shows her confidence in her ability to
Scout had to deal with her cynical cousin Francis at the Christmas party, when she speaks to Francis he begins to rant about the disrespect Atticus brings to the family name. “Now he’s turned out to be a nigger-lover. We’ll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb again. He’s ruinin’ the family, that’s what he’s doin’” (88). Scout then defends Atticus, arguing with Francis.
At times Scout can be very hot tempered. There are two quotes from the book that shows Scouts hot temper. One is “‘Don’t you touch him!’ I kicked the man swiftly. Barefooted, I was surprised to see him fall back in real pain. I intended to kick his shin, but I aimed to high” (Lee 204). Another one is “Francis l...
The first way Scout developed throughout the book was when she became less aggressive. In the beginning, Scout was aggressive when she beats up Walter Cunningham up on the playground on her first day of school. She beats Walter up because he got her in trouble with the teacher. Walter got Scout in trouble because when the teacher asked who had lunch, Walter didn’t raise his hand and when the teacher, Miss Caroline, tried to give
At such a young age, Scout still has a sort of innocence that any reader will find entertaining and emotional at times. There are many scenarios when Scout seems like just a little girl that we can’t help loving. One instance is when a mob of men gathers at the jailhouse where Atticus is guarding Tom Robinson. Scout and Jem sneak out of the house and they run up to Atticus while the men are still talking to him. Sometime during the whole confrontation, Scout recognizes one of the men and makes a personal connection with him. “ ‘Hey, Mr. Cunningham. How’s your entailment gettin’ along?’... He seemed uncomfortable; he cleared his throat and looked away. My friendly overture had fallen flat… ‘Don’t you remember me, Mr. Cunningham? I’m Jean Louise Finch. You brought us some hickory nuts one time, remember?’... Atticus had said it was the polite thing to talk to people about what they were interested in, not about… ,when I slowly awoke to the fact that I was addressing the entire aggregation. The men were all looking at me, some had their mouths half-open,” (Lee, 153-154). Scout’s innocent but exciting personality shines through in every aspect of her life. She truly is a unique
Scout is a young girl growing up in the south, she is intelligent, thoughtful, and good natured. Her identity is somewhat uncommon during the time she lives in. She is characterized as a tomboy, who doesn’t always act “lady like” or proper by southern standards. Scout most likely became the type of person she is by the care of her father, Atticus. He shapes her mind, while trying to protect her from a dangerous world and preserving her childhood.
Atticus continuously tells her that this is wrong and that she needs to learn to control her anger, “You might hear some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ‘em get your goat? Try fighting with your head for a change” (Lee 101). The day after this discussion with Atticus, Scout is approached by a fellow student who had previously made a mean comment about her father. “I drew a bead on him, remembered what Atticus had said, then dropped my fists and walked away.it was the first time I ever walked away from a fight” (Lee 102).
In the beginning of the book Scout is innocent from all the dirt in Maycomb. One example of Scout demonstrating her innocence is when she confronts the mob that was on their way to Tom Robinson’s jail cell and recognized Mr. Cunningham. Scout, being the six year old that she is, doesn’t understand the situation and just starts up a conversation."Hey Mr. Cunningham. How's your entailment gettin' along?...I go to school with Walter...and he does right well. He's a good boy." Scout is unlike most children her age. She “questions the injustices she sees instead of accepting them as
In real life there are many different types of people, some of them are similar
Keeping a mouth shut doesn't hold the world shut out, it opens up new doors to things that would never be expected. In To Kill A Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, there is are two character that is are an eternal mystery for the readers. Boo Radley, though the reader nor Scout and Jem know anything about the character all they want is to learn about him. Boo becomes a mysterious figure that many see as creepy, ghostly, but also reasonably wise. The one-time Boo appears the readers learn he is a sagacious, powerful man. Little do Scout and Jem know is that their father is also a rational being as well. The two crucial character in the story helps support the
Atticus's battle for justice causes more problems for Scout. She is continually defending him but the racist remarks do not stop. These remarks just show how cruel children can be to other children. She feels the need to defend her father to Francis, her cousin. He was also taunting her with accusations: "At a safe distance her called, `He's nothin' but a nigger-lover'." The benign force of racism has disrupted their lives, especially Scouts, through the old fashioned and discriminative opinions of the younger residents of Maycomb.
In the beginning of the story, she was very ignorant and immature to racism “Catching Walter Cunningham in the schoolyard gave me some pleasure, but when I was rubbing his nose in the dirt…”(Harper Lee 30)This quote shows how immature Scout was by fighting over pointless reasons and had little things get her upset. Later on in the novel, Scout started to mature and understand the harsh realities of the world. When Tom Robinson gets arrested and sent for jail, she realizes that people are judged because the color of their skin and she states “ ...Nothin’s wrong with him. Naw,Jem, I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks.”( Harper Lee 304) This is where Scout really grows up and knows that should not be black or white people or rich and poor people, we should just be
Scout first learns to show compassion and tolerance by refusing to go to school because she hates Miss Caroline. Atticus tells her that, 'First of all, if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around in it'; (30). When Atticus told her this, she began to accept Miss Caroline as well as other people's differences and opinions.
In the novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" each of the main characters changed quite a bit. Through the experiences each character went through and the natural maturing that occurred in each of them, the characters were altered from the way they were at beginning of the book. The children, Scout and Jem, were the two most dramatically changed characters. However, Scout showed much more change than Jem did because of his mysterious hidden attitude. Scout matured from a helpless and naïve child into a much more experienced and grown-up young lady.
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…Until you climb his skin, and walk around in it.” (Lee 30) The story takes place in a small town called Maycomb, which is in Alabama. It happened and started in the late 1930s in “The Great Depression”. The main characters are Scout, Jem, and Atticus . Scout is the youngest and the most maturing one, the perspective was from her point of view. Jem is the eldest and cares a lot about everything that Scout faces. Atticus is the father of Jem and Scout, and he works as a lawyer in Maycomb, who helps black people. The trail in the novel “To Kill A MockingBird” affect Scout, Atticus and Jem because it taught them bravery, equality, and how to face injustice.
Minor characters are often more important than they initially seem, and can be just as engaging and complicated as major characters. Furthermore, protagonists are isolated without the people that surround and influence them subliminally. This applies to the intriguing minor characters one has the privilege of discovering in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Specifically, Lee uses minor characters to effectively disprove stereotypes and establishing setting. Not only do they influence the direction of the plot, but also Scout and her development as a character. Lee carefully selects minor characters to send important messages and reinforce themes by using characters as symbols. Fundamentally, the minor characters in “To Kill a Mockingbird” are crucial in making Harper Lee’s novel beautiful, moving, and believable enough to touch every reader.