eNotes Editorial, 30 Mar. Put these on, darling, she said, handing me the garments she most despised, (Lee 354) Once Aunt Alexandra put herself in Scouts shoes, she knew that giving her her overalls were going to comfort her after Bob Ewell tried to kill her. Aunt Alexandra is really trying to show Scout that she shouldnt go around and tell people about bad things like this. Instead she follows the social expectations which is hanging out with people of your own social status. Capable of compassion and love, care for Atticus' emotional state. Miss Maudie says this sarcastically to Mrs Merriweather in defense of Atticus during Aunt Alexandras missionary tea. Aunt Alexandra disapproves of Scout because she doesnt act or dress like a lady should. Tom Robinson Atticus 's sister. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 23. Aunt Alexandra looked across the room at me and smiled. Southern females were expected to be docile, religiously pious, well-mannered individuals who remained indoors and isolated from physical activities. Scout compares her to Mount Everest: "throughout my early life, she was cold and there" (9.36). To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 24. Scout's father allowed her to play with the boys her entire life, and Aunt Alexandra takes on the task of transforming Scout into a "proper" lady. An inevitable verdict, maybe, but usually it takes em just a few minutes., There is no doubt in my mind that theyre good folks. More books than SparkNotes. Miss Stephanie says, well, you wont get very far until you start wearing dresses more often. At the beginning of the story, Scout was just a young girl not yet even in school. She portrays her as judgmental, bossy, and somewhat manipulative. She has inherited her fathers tolerence and belief that people are more alike than different. They argue about it, but in the end Aunt Alexandra wins and Scouts anger for her grows even more. Walter Cunningham Jr., son of poor farmer Walter Cunningham, is a boy in Scouts first-grade class. She acted as a. "I had an idea, however, that Aunt Alexandra's appearance on the scene was not so much Atticus's doing as hers. I learned more about the poor Mrunas social life from listening to Mrs. Merriweather: they had so little sense of family that the whole tribe was one big family. Happiness only comes around once in awhile and they should grab while they can. Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. Throughout the book, roles such as gender, age, race, and family confines characters to act, look, and even speak certain ways, causing internal, external, and family conflicts. Described as the most devout lady in Maycomb she is also one of its greatest hypocrites. An admiring Atticus Finch on how his courageous young daughter, with her innocent wisdom, managed to turn back the carloads of men who arrived in a mob to lunch Tom Robinson. (Lee 108). But theyre not our kind of folks., What if he was kin to us, Aunty? The fact is that he is not kin to us, but if he were, my answer would be the same. Aunty, Jem spoke up, Atticus says you can choose your friends but you sho cant choose your family, an theyre still kin to you no matter whether you acknowledge em or not, and it makes you look right silly when you dont. Thats your father all over again, said Aunt Alexandra, and I still say that Jean Louise will not invite Walter Cunningham to this house. To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 24. Always fiercely critical of her brother's parenting. One of the great appeals of the novel is that, despite the absense of Scouts mother, the Finch family demonstrates family life at its best. Scout gives a verbal caning to teacher Miss Caroline, after she fails to get her to understand why a proud son of Walter Cunningham, Walter Jr., wont accept her offer of money for lunch. Atticus greeted Walter and began a discussion about crops neither Jem nor I could follow. She portrays her as judgmental, bossy, and somewhat manipulative. She calls out to mob leader Walter Cunningham, a former client of Atticus, and talks about Mr. Cunninghams legal entailments problem and his nice son who is a classmate of hers. In the novel, Lee uses Scout to demonstrate how the expectations of society are pushed onto girls at a young age. John looked at him as if he were a three-legged chicken or a square egg. Another important character in the movie is Alexandra Finch Hancock, popularly known as Aunt Alexandra, who is the matriarch of the Finch family. Walter Cunningham Jr. arrives to school with no lunch and refuses money from teacher Miss Caroline. To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 26. She certainly seems like most women in Maycomb and to an extent she is. Mrs. Merriweathers large brown eyes always filled with tears when she considered the oppressed. All the time Ewell was on the stand I couldnt dare look at John and keep a straight face. Alexandra starts to get mad at Scout after her decision to invite Walter over for dinner . Everytime I read a section where Aunt Alexandra was present it made me feel bad, Aunt Alexandra was forcing Scout dress in formal clothing rather than letting her express her individuality because it would be viewed as unlady like. To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 23. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Atticus,however, holds powerful meanings in the humble way he goes about saying and doing things. What point is she making through her character? That proves something that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because theyre still human. She even goes even further when she says Walter is trash and Scout is a big problem for Atticus. Aunt Alexandra. Political opponents said the government had no plan on how to deal with the migrant issue, saying Sunak should now scrap the policy which they dismissed as a gimmick. She has the racial prejudices and a penchant to be judgmental. What shows that Scout has a new respect for Aunt Alexandra? Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Every mob in every little Southern town is always made up of people you know doesnt say much for them, does it?, So it took an eight-year-old child to bring em to their senses, didnt it, said Atticus. Some examples of hypocrisy and hypocrites in the book are Aunt Alexandra, Miss Gates, and Mrs. Merriweather. Atticus raised her how he wanted to even though he was criticized for it sometimes. To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 24. This is all that matters in life, to be happy because it can be taken from you with the snap of the fingers. Atticus,however, holds powerful meanings in the humble way he goes about saying and doing things. Aunt Alexandra doesnt understand that change can be good. More books than SparkNotes. Even though Scout gets in trouble often, she always speaks her mind and does not worry about others thoughts and, Initially Aunt Alexandra is very racist, because she believes she is superior to the black race. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. Naw, Jem, I think theres just one kind of folks. Scout changed a lot over the course of this story. and more. Here are some of the critical Calpurnia quotes from 'To Kill a Mockingbird' for you. 2. "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." Scout's behavior is among her primary concerns as she perceives her niece to be too tomboyish, a quality she argues is unbecoming for a Finch woman. This goes to show that Aunt Alexandra gets what she wants no matter the consequences. The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. But Merriweather, who believes that blacks are inferior to whites and treats them that way, is one of the biggest hypocrites in town. If Walter had owned any shoes he would have worn them the first day of school and then discarded them until mid-winter. I was wearing my pink Sunday dress, shoes, and a petticoat, and reflected that if I spilled anything Calpurnia would have to wash my dress again for tomorrow. Their aunt displays her prejudicial and judgemental nature, looking down her nose on the family of poor farmer Walter Cunningham. Oh child, those poor Mrunas, she said, and was off. Dont matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this houses yo compny, and dont you let me catch you remarkin on their ways like you was so high and mighty!. To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 24. People caught hookworms going barefooted in barnyards and hog wallows. Folks., If theres just one kind of folks, why cant they get along with each other? That you dont have to act like someone you're not. 'You've let things go on too long Atticus, too long.'" (Lee, 136). Miss Maudie, never afraid and courageously speaking her mind, lets her know she strongly disagrees with her. He did have on a clean shirt and neatly mended overalls. Scout thinks to herself, Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 23. Miss Gates brands Hitlers Germany a dictatorship over the treatment of jews. Showing courage is taking risks, knowing the outcome might not be what you want. Everybody about him speaks of his poverty. The Aunt, who tires to manipulate Scout into becoming the conventional lady that society has laid out in front of us; where as Atticus encourages Scout to continuing being who she is. But the children show decency and respect for other people something they learned from their father Atticus. 4. youve got to do something about her, Aunty was saying. They didnt have to shoot him that muchWhat was one Negro, more or less, among two hundred of em? I need the description of him as of the end of chapter 11, when he's between 10 and 12 years old. I heard her say its time somebody taught em a lesson, they were gettin way above themselves, an the next thing they think they can do is marry us. To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee is overflowing with lessons and is and outstanding novel. Alexandra is constantly making Scout aware of her unladylike appearance and attitude. This quotation, from Chapter 24, describes Scout's interaction, or lack thereof, with Aunt Alexandra's missionary group. is just not done by a Finch. People up there set em free, but you dont see em settin at the table with em. Jem believes every rumor about Boo Radley. To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 23. Burnett himself disagreed with the other two judges, a fact highlighted by Sunak. Atticus, speaking to Jem, expresses surprise that the jury took a fews hours to reach a verdict on Tom Robinson when it usually took a few minutes. Aunt Alexandra says that she is trying to impress upon you, referring to Scout, this sounds like Aunt Alexandra wants to really push it into her head. They were once some of the most influential and well-liked people. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches(Lee 108). Mrs. Merriweather brands Northerners hypocrites because they freed slaves, and yet dont want to sit with them. Chapter 13. Mrs. Merriweather feels sorry for the oppressed people of Africa, whom she is full of compassion for. At least we dont have the deceit to say to em yes youre as good as we are but stay away from us. Their aunt displays her prejudicial and judgemental nature, looking down her nose on the family of poor farmer Walter Cunningham. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, courage is displayed by many characters. The thing is, you can scrub Walter Cunningham till he shines, you can put him in shoes and a new suit, but hell never be like Jem (Page 300) This quote is said by Aunt Alexandra which shows her plan to make Scout more ladylike by telling her to be with boys that are more sophisticated then Walter. Typical of a n***** to cut and run. Another example of the harsh standards placed on Scout is shown when Alexandra is having tea with her friends in chapter 24. Jem and I laughed. I thought of old Mrs. Dubose in her wheelchair Stop that rapping, John Taylor, I want to ask this man something. Perhaps our forefathers were wise. This theme that different types of roles and family bonds are the root of conflict is developed through the use of physical setting, anti stereotype, and historical setting. Aunt Alexandra, refusing permission when Scout announces she is going to invite Walter Cunningham Jr. home for lunch once school starts. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. The importance of showing courage is letting the audience of the book know anyone can have courage. In Maycomb, this could mean any length of time. This passage shows a lot about the relationship between Scout and her Aunt. To Kill a Mockingbird Summary and Analysis of Chapters 13-18. Aunt Alexandra is very judgemental and is putting the people of Maycomb into there own little category, almost like social classifying them. To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 15. To Kill A Mockingbird Identity Quotes. From the beginning until the end of the novel Jem learns and beings to understand many different things about his community. Doesnt paint a pretty picture. Picture date: Monday June 5, 2023. To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 2. Aunt Alexandra has decided (and convinced Atticus) it would be best for the family if she stays with them for "a while," which worries Scout even though she knows there's nothing to be done.