Scouting for a Tomboy: Gender-Bending Behaviors in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird

<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>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts in English (M.A.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis (open access)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Department of Literature and Philosophy

Year dc:date.available

2010

Author dc:creator

• Hakala, Laura

Contributors dc:contributor

• Richard Flynn
• Candy Schille

• 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

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/176

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu:etd-1176