aunt alexandra view of femininity
However she has a lot of bad qualities; she is dictative, she is prejudice and she believes Finches are of a higher class to almost all others. How is the theme of femininity and the power of women from To Kill a Mockingbird still relevant today? 9,13,24. Aunt Alexandra comes to the Finch residence at the end of chapter twelve, declaring that the family decided that it would be best for Scout and Jem to have some feminine influence in their lives. On the contrary, the film does not include Aunt Alexandra, making the thought of Scout acting like a lady a minor theme. In the novel, Aunt Alexandra exemplifies what it means to fill the mold of traditional femininity, even if one has qualms about it. Why does Scout take being called a girl as an insult? Scout reflects upon her Aunt’s attitude and says, “When Aunt Alexandra went to school, self-doubt could not be found in any textbook, so she knew not its meaning”. She looked at a tray of cookies on the table and nodded at them. You must cite our web site as your source. Aunt Alexandra, another female influence to Scout, presents to Scout that her not being very feminine is a bad thing. The role of Aunt Alexandra in the novel builds on the theme of femininity. Alexandra always organises everything, like Christmas dinners, which means that everyone has to go to her. In fact, other than one scene where Scout wears a dress, the whole theme itself is missing. Aunt Alexandra makes refreshments for the Missionary Society. This is not an example of the work written by professional academic writers. Summary: Chapter 13 Aunt Alexandra explains that she should stay with the children for a while, to give them a “feminine influence.” Maycomb gives her a fine welcome: various ladies in the town bake her cakes and have her over for coffee, and she soon becomes an … What is Aunt Alexandra preoccupied with? Scout wants to invite Walter Cunningham home to dinner, Aunt Alexandra has strong objections and comments "that they " re good ... family history is an important part of tradition to many of the people in Maycomb. ... point ... ... Aunt Alexandra, Atticus, Dolphus Raymond, Boo Radely and Scout are used, as tools by Lee to make ... good as a role model as Aunt Alexandra, if not better. Aunt Alexandra is upset with her brother, Atticus, for the way he is raising his children, especially Scout. Alexandra seems to represent the old traditional South, clinging to her heritage (what little 'fame' she might have), social standing, prejudices, outward appearance, and southern hospitality/graces. What is on Alexandra's view of femininity and what is Scouts view of femininity? For a start, her reason for coming is to bring some ‘feminine’ influence to the house, and that fact itself is negated by the children since (according to them), Calpurnia is a sufficient feminine … Aunt Alexandra claims that the main reason she's come to live with them is to provide "some feminine influence" for Scout. Their definitions of being a lady couldn't have been any more different. Alexandra's grandson, Francis, begins teasing Scout about Atticus defending ... ... Aunt Alexandra regards herself and the rest of the Finches as the “royalty of Maycomb” and she tries to make Scout ... child, who can choose what sort of behaviour she wants, either as a good little girl or a bit of a tomboy. Aunt Alexandra ... on this point. From the very beginning, Aunt Alexandra felt she should be completely in charge. Scout’s Aunt Alexandra emphasizes these conventions when she suggests that Scout play with small stoves and tea sets, desiring that Scout submit to domesticity (89). Get free homework help on Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird: book summary, chapter summary and analysis, quotes, essays, and character analysis courtesy of CliffsNotes. Aunt Alexandra fits right in with the town of Maycomb. Play this game to review Other. She is very unlike Atticus in all respects, and the children do not take a liking to her in the beginning. In the 8th grade, I wrote an essay about womanhood as presented by these two women. ... Chapter 13 Aunt Alexandra comes to stay with the finches as she feels Atticus needs help looking after the children in particular Scout. Aunt Alexandra works hard at being feminine, but Miss Maudie doesn't seem to care about those things. Aunt Alexandra is Atticus’ sister, who used to stay at the ancestral Finch landing before she arrives at Atticus’ house to stay. At first, it is a foreign concept to her,then it turns into a detestable image of hypocrisy, but, by the story's end, becomes a defined picture of The story of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, takes place in a rural, southern town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. Aunt Alexandra's vision of my deportment involved playing with small stoves, tea sets, and wearing the Add-A-Pearl necklace she gave me when I was born; furthermore, I should be a ray of sunshine in my father's lonely life.". Use this CliffsNotes To Kill a Mockingbird Study Guide today to ace your next test! (24.93) All three main characters in each of these stories fail to fulfill society’s idea of beauty and femininity. (Find a price that suits your requirements), * Save 10% on First Order, discount promo code "096K2". All in all, Scout has to deal with sexism in her life even with the people she’s closest to. When Aunt Alexandra ... Finch ... children. The last female influence, Miss Maudie, shows Scout that one can feminine … She wants to play with the boys, get dirty, fight, and swear when it suits her. With my best company manners, I asked her if she would have some. It won’t be many years, Jean Louise, before you become interested inclothes and boys—.” Aunt Alexandra is the typical Southern belle who enjoys socializing with her female neighbors, being involved in the community, and dressing like a … Aunt Alexandra is a major character in the story because of she is one of the only points of authority and the greatest feminine influence for Scout and Jem. Disclaimer: This work has been submitted by a student. Harper Lee's Novel Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird tells the story of Scout, Jem and Atticus Finch. Good qualities include the fact she wants the best for Jem, Scout and the rest of the family, she will uphold any moral (page 146), she had plenty of pride in her family and she constantly tries to improve herself (page 147). In contrast, Scout prefers to be a tom-boy. Maycomb was no different in that … She knows everything about everybody, and she is obsessed with lineage and heredity. Aunt Alexandra believe that Scout shoud be a little lady..... clothes in dresses, well mannered, soft spoken and a credit to her sex. Here you can order a professional work. In order to appreciate To Kill A Mockingbird fully, we should be familiar with some of the background of its setting. In Aunt Alexandra's view, Atticus … Aunt Alexandra's vision of my deportment involved playing with small stoves, tea sets, and wearing the Add-A-Pearl necklace she gave me when I was born; furthermore, I should be a ray of sunshine in my father's lonely life." Aunt Alexandra was one of these characters, who was created to show the mental side of masculinity. I could not possible hope to be a lady if I wore breeches”(92). Questions About Women and Femininity. Femininity in To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout explores the idea of femininity. (Find a price that suits your requirements), The Essay on Family life in To Kill A Mockingbird, The Marginalization Of Aunt Alexandra In The Novel "To Kill A Mockingbird". Of course, Scout considers Calpurnia to be a sufficient feminine influence. Aunt Alexandra would be quick to say that the finest black woman can't … Alexandra is tough on Scout because she views Scout’s lifestyle with contempt. 20 Aunt Alexandra Quotes on the Southern Way of Life Aunt Alexandra Quotes About Her Character #1. Why has Aunt Alexandra decided to live with the Finch family? Scout dislikes her, as Aunt Alexandra takes great offense to Scout’s tomboyish nature and desperately wants Scout to wear dresses and act more feminine. Aunt Alexandra wants to show Scout what a "real woman" is like. Aunt Alexandra comes from a higher social class than Calpurnia, and is the sister of Atticus Finch. Despite her faults she does what she believes is best for the children and community. Scout's in for a big lesson, though: thanks to the examples of radical chicks Aunt Alexandra and Miss Maudie, she learns that being a lady can take as just as much courage as being a wild tomboy. Even though ... All Papers Are For Research And Reference Purposes Only. I could not possibly hope to 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. She thinks that the children need a woman's touch since their mother died when the children were so young. Aunt Alexandra looked across the room at me and smiled. Aunt Alexandra believes that Scout needs the influence of a woman in the house: “Jem’s growing up now and you are too…We decided that it would be best for you to have some feminine influence. Because of the necessity for cheap labour to pick and seed the cotton, Negro slavery took a strong hold there. Even if you have to wear a dress while doing it. Aunt Alexandra comes to the Finch residence at the end of chapter twelve, declaring that the family decided that it would be best for Scout and Jem to have some feminine influence in their lives. family values. She wears men's overalls when she works in the garden, but is equally comfortable in more traditional garb. The South in the colonial times grew into an area with large cotton plantations and small cities. She wants to play with the boys, get dirty, fight, and swear when it suits her. Aunt Alexandra feels Scout doesn't ... ... he does every year; Scout and her family spend Christmas at Finch's Landing with Aunt Alexandra and her family. Not affiliated with Harvard College. At the outbreak of the American Revolution, there were over 500,000 ... Aunt Alexandra has many good and bad qualities most concern the maturation and upbringing of the children. In Maycomb, stereotypical views concerning masculinity and femininity are prevalent. Everyone, in her view, has some sort of streak that runs in the family—“a Drinking Streak, a Gambling Streak, a Mean Streak, a Funny Streak.” When Aunt Alexandra first arrived at the Finch house, she took over as if she had been living there her whole life. Scout is a tomboy with feminine expectations pressured upon her. While women complete these tasks in … Aunt Alexandra also tells Scout, “‘We decided it best for you to have some feminine influence.” (Lee 157). If you read that paper having only seen the play, you’d have thought it was based on a different story entirely. This is a time in the United States where people were still holding onto traditional values and ideas. Aunt Alexandra. Where do we see that Aunt Alexandra is different to Atticus? Aunt Alexandra wants Scout to act proper in her mind, and that includes wearing proper clothes. Here you can order a professional work. While, I agree with Scout's point of view on life and being a woman, I think … During the 1930s, the ideal little girl was an image of pure femininity. But then, Miss Maudie has a delightful sense of humor, a trait Aunt Alexandra does not possess. She is the sister of Atticus Finch and aunt to Scout (the book's narrator) and Jem. Scout had other ideas.... she preferred playing with the boys. "Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. What chapters does Aunt Alexandra appear in? ... a 'feminine influence' What does AA quickly get involved in in Maycomb? She also said that almost everyone in Maycomb had a streak but when Atticus pointed out that the Finches had an incestuous streak she completely denied it. Scout knows that Alexander usually dictates what she wants upon the family, and uses the term the family decided to make her an even greater point of authority in the Finch family. Scout knows that Alexander usually dictates what she wants upon the family, and uses the term the family decided to make her an even greater point of authority in the Finch family. Usually her dictations give her chances to impress her views on others or increase the family name and work towards the ideal family that she envisions. These refreshments she makes herself rather than getting Calpurnia to make them; perhaps this is attempt to prove herself superior to almost everybody else while also adding to her reputation of a good hostess. As well as making refreshments for the missionary society Aunt Alexandra joined the Maycomb Amanuensis Club and became the secretary. A while ago ... and his children were treated ... door, Mr Finch.' When arriving home, Jem and Scout found her, “sitting in a rocking chair exactly as if she had sat there every day of her life.”(p. 168). the social life and social snobbery- an incurable gossip. This adds onto how Aunt Alexandra isn’t happy with the lack of Scout’s femininity. The lead character of To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout, is a nine year old tomboy, during a time when girls aren’t supposed to be tomboys. Alexandra Finch Hancock, otherwise known as Aunt Alexandra, is the formidable matriarch of the Finch family. Free Samples and Examples of Essays, Homeworks and any Papers, Filed Under: Essays Tagged With: harper lee. Aunt Alexandra has a personal quest to make Scout "behave like a sunbeam," but Miss Maudie … She often rejects and rebels against the proper teachings taught by her Aunt Alexandra, Mrs. Dubose, and the other white, upper-class, southern ladies of Maycomb County. In the months before Tom Robinson ’s trial, Aunt Alexandra inexplicably decides to move in with Atticus in order to give Scout a feminine role model, though Scout suspects that there’s more to it than this. “‘Put my bag in the front bedroom, Calpurnia,’ was the first thing Aunt Alexandra said. Character Analysis (Cont.) Examples of her tyranny include the time she made Atticus attempt to impress on the children the facts of life and how she forced herself upon Atticus and the children (dictating that she should move in with in them). After all, if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I. Aunt Alexandra is intolerant towards people who are different, unlike Atticus, and this can be seen when she is pestering Scout about wearing overalls. Aunt Alexandra takes it upon herself to exert a ‘feminine influence’ on Scout’s life as she grows, and Scout resents her interference. Scout says, “Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. Copyright © 1999 - 2021 GradeSaver LLC. I carefully picked up the tray and watched myself walk to Mrs. Merriweather. ‘Jean Louise, stop scratching your head,’ was the second thing she said.” #2. She nags her about this because she thinks that all little girls should be wearing dresses everyday, acting and speaking properly, and … She is a dominating and masculine character who has control of her husband which means that she is the dominating figure of her household. Aunt Alexandra is slightly hypocritical because as an incurable gossip she has no problem making down almost everyone in Maycomb but couldnt hear a word against herself or the rest of the Finch family. Femininity Perception Web: Scout's Point of View Venn Diagram Activity: Scout's Views of Femininity Harper Lee Her Journey to Femininity 1930s 1950s 2000s -Has not developed sense of independent thought Societal values of femininity restrict a woman’s ability to accept her true In contrast, Scout prefers to be a tom-boy. Aunt Alexandra comes to the Finch residence at the end of chapter twelve, declaring that the family decided that it would be best for Scout and Jem to have some feminine influence in their lives. In chapter 13, Aunt Alexandra says, "We decided that it would be best for you to have some feminine influence."