Shattering Shortcuts
Imagine that you are the fastest car in the dealership. As you race the day’s hours
away, you shine as bright as the sun after a long storm. You are built to run- built to
travel as fast and as far as life allows. We are all born one of these cars, ready to take on
any highway that looms before us. Perseverance and hard work is the fuel that propels
us to our ultimate destination. As we progress through life, opportunity steadily builds,
forming strong barriers- highway walls- all around us. We live and we make mistakes,
but we learn from them and keep driving, pushing steadily forward. We have all the
potential in the world, but it all comes down to one choice. Will we use the gifts we are
born with to achieve everything for which we could dream? Or will we give it all away,
veering off the highway on which we travel in exchange for a shortcut that materializes
on the side of our road? Everyone is faced with these questions eventually. Whether a
woman’s decision is made deliberately or unconsciously, the path that they choose to
follow will dictate the rest of their lives. Although taking the shortcut is easiest, it is also a
cruel waste of potential. Women in the twenty-first century are not here to be maids,
housewives, and short order cooks, but when we intentionally leave our respective paths
to meet the shortcut and stereotypical expectations that men have created for us, we
crash through the concrete walls that once made us invincible. As any opportunity that
we once had in life breaks into fragments too minuscule to ever be mended together
again, we only make sexism worse. This issue occurs repeatedly in Harper Lee’s To Kill
a Mockingbird. The men in the novel are not the only ones who use sexism to put
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females down. Women disempower themselves when they accept, embrace, and even
promote sexist stereotypes aimed toward their own gender.
Because girls living in the 1930s grow up with set expectations, it is natural for
them to accept and settle into the stereotypical life of a woman. Even the female
characters who often rebel against the norm still allow sexism to hold them back. Scout,
who is usually considered to be the most obstreperous and outspoken female in the
novel, is guilty of acceptance. During Aunt Alexandra’s missionary circle, Miss Stephanie
Crawford asks Scout if she is planning to become a lawyer like Atticus. Although the law
profession has always fascinated Scout, she knows that the women around her believe
that it is a job meant for males. Because of this, Scout replies, “‘Nome, just a lady’” (230).
In addition to this, Scout willingly surrenders her pride when situations become grave.
After receiving news of Tom Robinson’s death during the same missionary circle, Scout
narrates, “I carefully picked up the tray [of cookies] and watched myself walk to Mrs.
Merriweather. With my best company manners, I asked her if she would have some.
After all, if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I” (237). Scout knows what
she is expected to do as a young woman, and she acts accordingly. She not only
pretends to have ladylike ambitions when all eyes are on her, but she truly gives into
sexism and accepts the role and obligations of a female in the 1930s. On a broader
scale, almost all women in Maycomb accept one particular sexist expectation into their
lives. When Aunt Alexandra first arrives in Maycomb and is getting ready for church,
Scout describes her as “fat, but solid, and she chose protective garments that drew up
her bosom to giddy heights, pinched in her waist, flared out her rear, and managed to
suggest that Aunt Alexandra was once an hour-glass figure” (128). Later on during Aunt
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Alexandra’s tea party at the Finch household, Scout observes the women to all be “cool
in fragile pastel prints” (229). She goes on to narrate, “Most of them were heavily
powdered. They smelled heavenly” (229). Scout’s descriptions show how much effort
females in this novel put into appearance and body image simply because men expect
them to do so. Aunt Alexandra uses a corset to force her figure into the shape that males
have decided all females should be, and the missionary ladies use makeup and perfume
to achieve the beauty that men believe all women should possess. Girls should not have
to change their bodies for men in order to achieve society’s idea of perfection, but they
accept these stereotypical expectations when they spend countless hours in front of the
mirror trying to hide the aspects of themselves that men have deemed to be flawed.
Similar to the loathing that Scout feels when she must act like a proper lady, the women
cannot possibly enjoy being forced by sexist expectations to hide and manipulate their
bodies. When Scout and the missionary women accept sexism into their lives, however,
they relinquish all influence that they could have possessed in their society.
Women in To Kill a Mockingbird not only accept sexism, but learn to embrace and
even appreciate the sexist stereotypes aimed towards their own gender. For example,
shortly after Bob Ewell spits in Atticus’s face, the worried Jem and Scout attempt to
convince Atticus to borrow a gun for protection. First, they must make their father realize
how frightened they are for him. Scout narrates, “Jem said it might work if I cried and
flung a fit, being young and a girl” (217-218). Then, instead of arguing about this sexist
stereotype, Scout agrees with her brother and follows his suggestion. Although the
stereotype is a hurtful one that claims girls are emotional and cantankerous, she has no
trouble exploiting sexism when it benefits her. In addition, Scout embraces the sexist
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rules that stop her gender from having an equal place in society. One evening shortly
after the trial and Bob Ewell’s threats, Jem asks Atticus why Miss Maudie never serves
on juries. Atticus replies, “‘Miss Maudie can’t serve on a jury because she’s a woman. I
guess it’s to protect our frail ladies from sordid cases like Tom’s. Besides, I doubt if we’d
ever get a complete case tried- the ladies’d be interrupting to ask questions’” (221).
Instead of retaliating against this overgeneralized assumption like many would expect,
Scout is amused. She does something worse than accepting the stereotype- she
embraces it with laughter. Miss Maudie also openly expresses her appreciation for this
rule when she says that she is happy that she is not on the jury. Instead of merely
accepting it with anger and frustration, Miss Maudie openly expresses her gratitude
toward the rule and therefore embraces this form of sexism. Although many readers
might consider her to be a strong female character, there are many additional times
throughout the novel when she embraces sexism. For example, one of the stereotypes
that exists in this time period is that women are better off in the kitchen making cakes
while the men are out achieving great successes. Even Atticus Finch, a character who
claims that he genuinely believes in equality for everyone, supports this sexist
stereotype. During his closing speech at Tom Robinson’s trial, Atticus says, “‘We know
all men are not created equal- some men make more money than others, some ladies
make better cakes than others’” (205). This is hurtful to women because it implies that
they can never do something truly important with their lives, yet Miss Maudie embraces
this stereotype and spends her days baking cakes. If she were to simply accept the
sexist expectation, she would at least be unhappy about her role in society. Instead, she
enjoys it. Miss Maudie bakes cakes without hesitation not only for the children, but for
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the grown men who developed the stereotype. Because she spends her days baking and
taking part in other stereotypically feminine activities, men do not consider her as
someone who has important ideas worth sharing. Perhaps this is why they do not allow
women to serve on juries. It is a vicious cycle that will never end until women stop
embracing sexism and taking advantage of the stereotypes that belittle them.
There is only one action worse than accepting and embracing sexism, and that is
encouraging it. Men create the sexist stereotypes that hold females back, but women
themselves are the ones who act in ways that keep the demoralizing ideas alive and
powerful. For example, women, not men, deride young girls for defying the stereotypical
standards that males have set for them. When Aunt Alexandra and other relatives visit
the Finches during Christmas, Scout narrates, “Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the
subject of my attire. I could not 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”
(81). This expresses one of Scout’s greatest struggles in the novel- the pressure to dress
like a proper lady. Men first made females believe that they have to look a certain way to
be respectable, but women keep the expectation alive when they pressure each other to
dress in a certain way. Almost all women in Maycomb are guilty of this offense. During
the missionary tea party, Miss Stephanie Crawford tells Scout, “‘You won’t [become a
lady] until you start wearing dresses more often’” (230). Beliefs like these convince
vulnerable young girls that they are not true ladies unless they possess the stereotypical
appearance of one. In Scout’s mind, dresses crush her individuality and heels eliminate
the prospect of ever being able to run free someday, but because Alexandra and
Stephanie force her to, she wears them. Surprisingly, Scout acts in a similar way. In
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Maycomb, it is common for boys to complain whenever someone is acting too much like
a girl. After Atticus scolds the kids for their Radley-impersonation game, Scout
remembers, “Jem told me I was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, that’s why
other people hate them so, and if I started behaving like one I could just go off and find
some to play with” (41). In addition to this, when Scout is too scared to get her tire out of
the Radleys’ yard after their fun went astray, Jem says, “‘I swear, Scout, sometimes you
act so much like a girl it’s mortifyin’’” (38). The stereotype is that being a girl is something
of which to be ashamed. Many would expect Scout to fight back against this idea, but
instead, Scout uses and promotes the stereotype when Jem stops her from killing a rolypoly that she finds in the house. She thinks, “Jem was the one getting more and more
like a girl every day, not I” (239). Although Jem convinced Scout that girls are horrible,
Scout is guilty of agreeing with the stereotype and giving it the power to become an
insult. By accusing Jem of acting like a girl, Scout strengthens the idea that being a
female is shameful and something to be avoided at all costs. She uses the stereotype to
make a point, but when she does this, she is encouraging the sexism aimed towards her
own gender. Together, Aunt Alexandra, Stephanie Crawford, Scout, and almost every
woman in Maycomb fuel the flame that is sexism. If they had never started feeding it with
new life- encouraging the sexist stereotypes- the feeble fire might have died out. Instead,
the women only ignite new flames, making themselves impotent and weak in the
process.
When women accept, embrace, and encourage the sexism that men create, we
do more harm to ourselves than any man’s sexist stereotypes alone can. If we continue
to sit back and let demoralizing overgeneralizations define us, we will never overcome
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them. Even today, the phrase ‘like a girl’ is an insult. How can it be acceptable that
slightly more than half of the world’s population is made to feel like their existence is an
embarrassment? Women are not doing anything wrong simply by being who we are, yet
young females insult each other for acting ‘too girly’ and ostracize those who are not
‘girly enough’. We need to realize that men will never move past sexist stereotypes until
we stop using them against ourselves. I am an ambitious young woman, but I know that
my gender will make it harder for me to achieve all of my dreams. I want to believe that I
am growing up in a world in which I have just as much opportunity as the males who sit
in classrooms beside me, but sexism is not just a twisted issue that taints our history. It is
just as present today as it was in the time in which Scout lived. Fortunately, there is still
hope for our society. Whenever I begin to question whether I can truly achieve my goals,
I look to the female doctors, lawyers, and businesswomen who accept nothing less than
what a man is given. I look to the mothers who bypass the shortcuts that spring up
beside their highways- the ones who refuse to play the stereotypical role of housewife.
My own mom has always been a powerful inspiration to me. She does not sink into the
sexist expectations that most women do. Although my mother is not there to eat
breakfast with me or pick me up from school, I am thankful that her hard work has
encouraged me to become the motivated young woman that I am today. She is a
gleaming reminder to all girls that we can defy the belittling expectations placed on us at
birth. In his poem titled The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost discusses difficult choices
and the two paths that a person can take in life. After the narrator picks a road to travel
down, Frost states, “Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever
come back” (14-15). The poem allows readers into the mind of someone struggling
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between the worn path- the shortcut- and the unknown road- the highway. It is a
constant reminder to all women that there is no going back once we have made our
choice. When we give in, we give everything up. Females must come together to fight
against stereotypes. Only then will we be able to follow the same path as any man. Only
then will we turn our dreams into an immediate reality.
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