Jared Taylor, editor of American Renaissance Magazine, states, “People prefer the company of people like themselves.” For this, and many other reasons, discrimination has been prevalent since the beginning of time. Discrimination is even present today in the twenty first century. Discrimination is a big issue, which some authors find interesting to write about. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee contains numerous examples of prejudice and discrimination. These examples include, but are not limited to gender, social, and racial discrimination.
Novels for Students describes Scout Finch as “a tomboy most frequently clad in overalls, Scout spends much of her time with her older brother Jem and is constantly trying to prove herself his equal.” Throughout the novel, Scout is impacted by gender discrimination, along with other women in Maycomb. Aunt Alexandra tells Scout a few times that she could not hope to be a lady if she wore breeches. Aunt Alexandra also expects Scout to play with stoves, tea sets, and necklaces. Aunt Alexandra is not the only person who discriminates women. Even Atticus, who does not judge anyone, also discriminates against women. On page 221, Atticus tells Jem that women are not allowed to serve on juries in Alabama. Atticus even jokes that the court would never get a complete case tried with women on the jury because women would interrupt to ask questions. Scout even agrees with Atticus on this. She says, “Perhaps our forefathers were wise.” Gender discrimination is not only directed at women, but to men and boys as well. An example is when Dill tells Scout “boys play baseball with other boys” (Lee 143). If a girl does something that is usually done by boys, such as baseball, she is usually frowned upon.
Another example of male discrimination is when Francis tells Scout that his grandma is going to teach him how to cook. Scout replies to this by saying that boys are not supposed to cook. Many people in Maycomb believe boys and girls should act