TKAMB Section 3 - Brittney Nourian

I was most stricken by Aunt Alexandria's arrival and how she was yet another character that tries to mess with the way Scout wants to be. If you haven't already noticed, Scout is not the stereotypical girl. Aunt Alexandra has views that aren't really inline with the majority of the Maycomb community. She introduces the idea of "Fine Folks" to Scout, who never really understands how you can be defined as that. The customs that Aunt Alexandra and the rest of the Maycomb community believe in demonstrate that people from white families also are subject to a certain amount of discrimination against people who aren't like their family. Individuals are not judged on their own qualities, but rather upon stereotypes forced upon their entire family. Given the enormous amount of racism in Maycomb, it is unlikely to assume that whites will treat blacks with respect. According to Aunt Alexandra's way of thinking, dishonesty and inferiority are traits somehow genetically "plague" the entire black race. Alexandra also begins trying to form Scout into a cookie cutter Southern girl, and figures that Scout is very opposed to the idea. She has a clear picture of what Finch women should traditionally be like. Because of this, Scout becomes a victim of this old-fashioned system for judging individuals, and as her aunt tries to mold her into the perfect Southern young lady, she gets an idea of what it is like to be held up to a stereotype of what she should be, rather than being allowed to have her own ideas of what she can be.