In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout Finch challenges gender stereotypes in her determination to remain a tomboy. Scout interacts with five parental characters (Atticus, Calpurnia, Aunt Alexandra, Miss Maudie, and Boo Radley), who offer models for Scout's behaviors. Though primarily unconventional in terms of gender, these parental figures fluctuate between ideals, demonstrating that gender is an unstable standard that alters according to each individual. Lee depicts characters who resist conforming to the paradigms of masculinity and femininity and instead fill middle positions between the stereotypes, as Scout's tomboyism exemplifies. After encountering different models, Scout consistently exhibits these genderbending inclinations. Scout's exploration of her identity as a tomboy functions as her coming-of-age journey.
","abstract_html":"<p>In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout Finch challenges gender stereotypes in her determination to remain a tomboy. Scout interacts with five parental characters (Atticus, Calpurnia, Aunt Alexandra, Miss Maudie, and Boo Radley), who offer models for Scout's behaviors. Though primarily unconventional in terms of gender, these parental figures fluctuate between ideals, demonstrating that gender is an unstable standard that alters according to each individual. Lee depicts characters who resist conforming to the paradigms of masculinity and femininity and instead fill middle positions between the stereotypes, as Scout's tomboyism exemplifies. After encountering different models, Scout consistently exhibits these genderbending inclinations. Scout's exploration of her identity as a tomboy functions as her coming-of-age journey.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hakala, Laura"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts in English (M.A.)","degree_level":"Thesis (open access)","degree_discipline":"Department of Literature and Philosophy","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Richard Flynn","Candy Schille"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2010,"date_issued":"2010-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2010-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:26:29Z","subjects":["ETD","Harper Lee","To Kill a Mockingbird","Gender stereotypes","Young adult literature","Girls in literature","Sex role in literature","Gender identity in literature","English Language and Literature","Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/176","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Richard Flynn","Candy Schille"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Hakala, Laura"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2013-10-17T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Department of Literature and Philosophy"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis (open access)"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts in English (M.A.)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["ETD","Harper Lee","To Kill a Mockingbird","Gender stereotypes","Young adult literature","Girls in literature","Sex role in literature","Gender identity in literature","English Language and Literature","Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/176"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout Finch challenges gender stereotypes in her determination to remain a tomboy. Scout interacts with five parental characters (Atticus, Calpurnia, Aunt Alexandra, Miss Maudie, and Boo Radley), who offer models for Scout's behaviors. Though primarily unconventional in terms of gender, these parental figures fluctuate between ideals, demonstrating that gender is an unstable standard that alters according to each individual. Lee depicts characters who resist conforming to the paradigms of masculinity and femininity and instead fill middle positions between the stereotypes, as Scout's tomboyism exemplifies. After encountering different models, Scout consistently exhibits these genderbending inclinations. Scout's exploration of her identity as a tomboy functions as her coming-of-age journey.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Scouting for a Tomboy: Gender-Bending Behaviors in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Richard Flynn","Candy Schille"],"dc:creator":["Hakala, Laura"],"dc:date.available":["2013-10-17T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout Finch challenges gender stereotypes in her determination to remain a tomboy. Scout interacts with five parental characters (Atticus, Calpurnia, Aunt Alexandra, Miss Maudie, and Boo Radley), who offer models for Scout's behaviors. Though primarily unconventional in terms of gender, these parental figures fluctuate between ideals, demonstrating that gender is an unstable standard that alters according to each individual. Lee depicts characters who resist conforming to the paradigms of masculinity and femininity and instead fill middle positions between the stereotypes, as Scout's tomboyism exemplifies. After encountering different models, Scout consistently exhibits these genderbending inclinations. Scout's exploration of her identity as a tomboy functions as her coming-of-age journey.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/176"],"dc:subject":["ETD","Harper Lee","To Kill a Mockingbird","Gender stereotypes","Young adult literature","Girls in literature","Sex role in literature","Gender identity in literature","English Language and Literature","Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies"],"dc:title":["Scouting for a Tomboy: Gender-Bending Behaviors in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Department of Literature and Philosophy"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis (open access)"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts in English (M.A.)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:26:29Z"}