2019 Year 12 IB Extended Essays

“That boys worked eight years and I ain’t had a speck o’trouble outa him. Not a speck” (pg.226). The Maycomb community feel threated by Deas’s amicable relationship “negroes” and his belief that everyone should be treated fairly goes beyond their understanding. As a result of standing up for his belief and his willingness to testify for a black man is frowned upon by his fellow community. This positions the reader to admire him. Alike Deas, Raymond is alienated due to his relationship with the African American community. This rejection comes from the intimate relationship he has with a black woman and the children that they share together. This behaviour presented by Raymond is seen to be despicable in the eyes of the community. Although he transgresses against the boundary of racism, he reveals to the reader that in order to minimise the hatred between him and the white community, he fakes being an alcoholic. This is so that drinking can provide an explanation to the white community for the life he lives. This also allows the reader to witness the harsh judgement of the community as the only logical explanation they can see for a man to marry an African- American woman is for him to be under the influence of alcohol. Gender Inequality Lee utilises her novel to reflect the expectations of a submissive women during the time period that the novel was written in. The speaker of the novel, young Jean Louise Finch (Scout) transgresses from the idealistic portrayal of the prim and proper Southern women. The novel observes many elements of Scout’s surroundings that attribute to her overall growth and maturity throughout the novel. However, the most discerning being the people of Maycomb’s expectation for a young girl to adhere to women’s societal norms. The personalities and behaviours of the females in the novel best illustrate this norm. Scout is considered an unusual girl due to how she presents

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