To Kill A Mockingbird Pride And Prejudice Analysis

The time is 7:21 am. Students at Nazareth Area High School scramble to make it into their designated classrooms prior to the bell blaring a sound of tardiness. However, amidst this seemingly unstoppable chaos, a girl walks down the hallway. She attracts undesired attention, and attempts to reject it; however, still, she is surrounded by students, following her like small insects would a flashlight. On her backpack, a small, simple pin resides. A pin that simply says, “feminist.” These insects-of-students swarmed to this pin looking at it with unwavering disgust. Someone even mumbles to the girl, “get back in the kitchen.” How is it that a pin, no larger than a quarter, can spark so many opinions; can cause so much negativity? How can a society

In the streets, churches, in the homes of others, and even in courtrooms, there are pieces of dialogue that showcase these remarks of so-called “southern attitude.” There is such irony in the fact that so much prejudice can be present in a courtroom. Even Atticus, the most sensitive character towards social issues, discriminates against women,“‘I guess it's to protect our frail ladies from sordid cases like Tom's.’ Besides, Atticus grinned, ‘I doubt if we'd ever get a complete case tried—the ladies'd be interrupting to ask questions’” (Lee 124). This conversation between Atticus Finch and his children indicates the light in which women of that time were perceived. Women were considered to be frail, foolish beings which is supported by the fact that Atticus believes that women would be too distracted to properly review a court case. However, these comments that are merely considered habitual remarks are in no way harmless and must cease to be interpreted as just “southern culture.” Additionally, women of the late 1900’s and even today still suffer from sexist comments and stereotypes just as the characters in the novel. Women were deemed nothing less than insane if they even considered pursuing a career like a man would , “they tell us to pity the ‘neurotic,’ ‘unfeminine,’ ‘unhappy’ women who once wanted to be poets or physicists or Presidents, or whatever

There are many incidents that indicate the inherent bias the town of Maycomb, Alabama holds towards white men. Many southerners in the novel disregard this to purely be “southern tradition.” However, the blatant sexism in this town cannot simply be ignored or tossed aside. In a book entitled Southern Belles, author Kathryn Lee Seidel addresses the behavior of southerners in the 1930’s. “The South had made white men the dominant group. . . . Women and blacks, on the other hand, were deemed subordinate in status, role, and temperament; a woman’s status depended upon her father or husband… a black woman’s ideal temperament was passive, docile, ignorant, and virtuous” (Seidel 147). In To Kill a Mockingbird, it is evident how women of color are viewed as being substandard, and this section of Southern Belles supports this unfortunate concept entirely. Knowing this, Harper Lee created the head-strong, black mother-figure, Calpurnia, in an effort to contradict the stereotypes held to black women in the 1930’s. Rather than being submissive, Calpurnia is strong-willed and vocal. Rather than being ignorant, Calpurnia is overwhelmingly present. In the earlier section of the novel, Scout describes her presence in vivid detail: “She had been with us ever since Jem was born,