Kiminski 1
Anna Kiminski
Mrs. Pulk
1st Hour Honors English 9B
2 Feb. 2016
Expectations Of Women in the 1930s
Why did women have so many rules of how they were expected to dress and act in the 1930s? In the books, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Days of Rondo by Evelyn Fairbanks, the authors use two young girls to capture the attention of the readers. The authors put the girls in two completely different situations, one in the North and one in the South, but in a lot of ways, their lives were the same when it came to the expectations of young girls. Scout lived in the South and had a lot of expectations of how she was expected to dress and act every day. Evelyn lived in the North and had these expectations, but they were not as often forced upon her. In To Kill a Mockingbird and Days of Rondo the authors both use older women or a “motherly figure” to introduce gender roles to the younger women, in these cases Scout and Evelyn. The older women would teach the young girls certain mannerisms and behaviors. Some examples of these mannerisms were putting others first, behaving oneself at all times, being friendly to everyone, and being modest in how a person dresses.
Over the course of the two books, Harper Lee and Evelyn Fairbanks use the gender lens to show how women were expected to act in the 1930s. The gender lens was important in these books because in this decade women had a lot of expectations on how they were expected to act and even dress. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Aunt Alexandra is horrified that Scout wears overalls instead of wearing dresses like all the other young ladies (Lee 108). In the 1930s, young ladies
Kiminski 2
were expected to be very modest, and at this time, ladies wore dresses to achieve this modesty. If a young lady or woman acted or dressed like a boy, like Scout would do, she was ridiculed by the other woman until she dressed like they did. All women were expected to act the same as each other, and in To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus is the only one that does not care how Scout acts. In To Kill a MockingbirdAtticus tells Scout and Jem that they must behave like young ladies and gentlemen (Lee 177), but his heart is not in it and he only did it because of the woman influence, Aunt Alexandra.
In both of these books older women were used to show the younger girls, Scout and Evelyn, what responsibilities they had in and out of the household and also what the expectations were for young girl’s mannerisms. Evelyn says that Mama taught her table manners very early in her life because these were important manners to know (Fairbanks 13). In the 1930s, it was very important no matter what a person’s background was to learn table manners, because it not only showed that someone had manners, but it showed that even though they may come from a bad family or place, they are still very composed. Also, women should have certain manners at the dinner table. The phrase that children should be seen and not heard came from a proverb and was actually referring to young women not talking at the dinner table. The rule was implying that any young, unmarried women were expected to be silent throughout a meal.
Young girls were expected to start learning manners and how to make conversation with older women and men at a very young age, more so in the South than in the North. In Days of Rondo Evelyn says that she got a lot of discipline from Mama, but it made her feel secure to know that Mama was there looking out for her (Fairbanks 14). Gender roles were not a big part of Evelyn’s life, because even though they were there, she was not overwhelmed by women
Kiminski 3
telling her what her everyday life was supposed to be like. In the South in To Kill a Mockingbird, Mrs. Dubose tells Scout that if she does not act like a woman she will grow up being a waitress, which was considered a lower class job (Lee 135). Aunt Alexandra and other women pushed gender expectations onto Scout more than Mama or any other woman figures did to Evelyn. The women of the 1930s based how they lived off religion, and in the Bible it says, “train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands” (New International Version, Titus 2:4-5). This can be related to how Aunt Alexandra and Mama raised Scout and Evelyn, because they taught them many of these things.
In the books To Kill a Mockingbird and Days of Rondo, the authors brought certain important figures into the story line to introduce gender roles to the younger girls. The authors had each girl in a different situation, but both had to go through older women teaching them how to behave like young women were expected to behave during this time period. The older woman had certain principles or traditions that they had learned from their mothers and grandmothers that they used to help shape the women that Scout and Evelyn were becoming.
Kiminski 4
Works Cited Page
"7 Biblical Principles for How to Dress as a Christian Woman." Biblical Gender Roles. Biblical
Roles, 11 July 2014. Web. 31 Jan. 2016. <http://biblicalgenderroles.com/2014/07/11/7-
biblical-
principles-for-how-to-dress-as-a-christian-woman/>.
Batson, Anne Barrett. "Proper Southern Manners." Proper Southern Manners. Rutledge Hill Press,
1933. Web. 27 Jan. 2016. <http://www.birdsnest.com/proper_southern_manners.htm>.
Fairbanks, Evelyn. Days of Rondo. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical, 1990. Print.
Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1960. Print.
"The Meaning and Origin of the Expression: Children Should Be Seen and Not
Heard." Phrases.org.uk. The Phrase Finder, 2016. Web. 2 Feb. 2016. <http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/children-should-be-seen-and-not-heard.html>.
Version, New International, NIV. "Bible Gateway Passage: Titus 2:3-5 - New International
Version." Bible Gateway. Bible Gateway, 2011. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Titus+2%3A3-5>.
"Women's Clothing." Women's Clothing - 1930s - Clothing - Dating. University Of Vermont, n.d. Web.
27 Jan. 2016. <https://www.uvm.edu/landscape/dating/clothing_and_hair/1930s_clothing_women.php>.
Anna Kiminski
Mrs. Pulk
1st Hour Honors English 9B
2 Feb. 2016
Expectations Of Women in the 1930s
Why did women have so many rules of how they were expected to dress and act in the 1930s? In the books, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Days of Rondo by Evelyn Fairbanks, the authors use two young girls to capture the attention of the readers. The authors put the girls in two completely different situations, one in the North and one in the South, but in a lot of ways, their lives were the same when it came to the expectations of young girls. Scout lived in the South and had a lot of expectations of how she was expected to dress and act every day. Evelyn lived in the North and had these expectations, but they were not as often forced upon her. In To Kill a Mockingbird and Days of Rondo the authors both use older women or a “motherly figure” to introduce gender roles to the younger women, in these cases Scout and Evelyn. The older women would teach the young girls certain mannerisms and behaviors. Some examples of these mannerisms were putting others first, behaving oneself at all times, being friendly to everyone, and being modest in how a person dresses.
Over the course of the two books, Harper Lee and Evelyn Fairbanks use the gender lens to show how women were expected to act in the 1930s. The gender lens was important in these books because in this decade women had a lot of expectations on how they were expected to act and even dress. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Aunt Alexandra is horrified that Scout wears overalls instead of wearing dresses like all the other young ladies (Lee 108). In the 1930s, young ladies
Kiminski 2
were expected to be very modest, and at this time, ladies wore dresses to achieve this modesty. If a young lady or woman acted or dressed like a boy, like Scout would do, she was ridiculed by the other woman until she dressed like they did. All women were expected to act the same as each other, and in To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus is the only one that does not care how Scout acts. In To Kill a MockingbirdAtticus tells Scout and Jem that they must behave like young ladies and gentlemen (Lee 177), but his heart is not in it and he only did it because of the woman influence, Aunt Alexandra.
In both of these books older women were used to show the younger girls, Scout and Evelyn, what responsibilities they had in and out of the household and also what the expectations were for young girl’s mannerisms. Evelyn says that Mama taught her table manners very early in her life because these were important manners to know (Fairbanks 13). In the 1930s, it was very important no matter what a person’s background was to learn table manners, because it not only showed that someone had manners, but it showed that even though they may come from a bad family or place, they are still very composed. Also, women should have certain manners at the dinner table. The phrase that children should be seen and not heard came from a proverb and was actually referring to young women not talking at the dinner table. The rule was implying that any young, unmarried women were expected to be silent throughout a meal.
Young girls were expected to start learning manners and how to make conversation with older women and men at a very young age, more so in the South than in the North. In Days of Rondo Evelyn says that she got a lot of discipline from Mama, but it made her feel secure to know that Mama was there looking out for her (Fairbanks 14). Gender roles were not a big part of Evelyn’s life, because even though they were there, she was not overwhelmed by women
Kiminski 3
telling her what her everyday life was supposed to be like. In the South in To Kill a Mockingbird, Mrs. Dubose tells Scout that if she does not act like a woman she will grow up being a waitress, which was considered a lower class job (Lee 135). Aunt Alexandra and other women pushed gender expectations onto Scout more than Mama or any other woman figures did to Evelyn. The women of the 1930s based how they lived off religion, and in the Bible it says, “train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands” (New International Version, Titus 2:4-5). This can be related to how Aunt Alexandra and Mama raised Scout and Evelyn, because they taught them many of these things.
In the books To Kill a Mockingbird and Days of Rondo, the authors brought certain important figures into the story line to introduce gender roles to the younger girls. The authors had each girl in a different situation, but both had to go through older women teaching them how to behave like young women were expected to behave during this time period. The older woman had certain principles or traditions that they had learned from their mothers and grandmothers that they used to help shape the women that Scout and Evelyn were becoming.
Kiminski 4
Works Cited Page
"7 Biblical Principles for How to Dress as a Christian Woman." Biblical Gender Roles. Biblical
Roles, 11 July 2014. Web. 31 Jan. 2016. <http://biblicalgenderroles.com/2014/07/11/7-
biblical-
principles-for-how-to-dress-as-a-christian-woman/>.
Batson, Anne Barrett. "Proper Southern Manners." Proper Southern Manners. Rutledge Hill Press,
1933. Web. 27 Jan. 2016. <http://www.birdsnest.com/proper_southern_manners.htm>.
Fairbanks, Evelyn. Days of Rondo. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical, 1990. Print.
Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1960. Print.
"The Meaning and Origin of the Expression: Children Should Be Seen and Not
Heard." Phrases.org.uk. The Phrase Finder, 2016. Web. 2 Feb. 2016. <http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/children-should-be-seen-and-not-heard.html>.
Version, New International, NIV. "Bible Gateway Passage: Titus 2:3-5 - New International
Version." Bible Gateway. Bible Gateway, 2011. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Titus+2%3A3-5>.
"Women's Clothing." Women's Clothing - 1930s - Clothing - Dating. University Of Vermont, n.d. Web.
27 Jan. 2016. <https://www.uvm.edu/landscape/dating/clothing_and_hair/1930s_clothing_women.php>.