Chapters 12-13/ What do you about Aunt Alexandra in chapter 13 in general, and what do you learn about her influence over Atticus and his family?
Aunt Alexandra clearly has an impact on Atticus and his family as soon as she arrives. Aunt Alexandra is Atticus Finch's sister. She has a very different outlook on life than her brother. To start Ms. Alexandra is true to her Southern hospitality. Throughout the chapter she is constantly entertaining guests and gossiping. She is sad to fit into the Maycomb community with her lady-like attitude and manners. In chapter 13 the reader also finds out that Aunt Alexandra is very proud of her family. She is found constantly talking about her cousins and other relatives trying to get Jem and Scout to listen. "Your cousin wrote this," said Aunt Alexandra. "He was such a lovely character," (Lee, 176). In this quote she is speaking to Jem and Scout about one of her cousins. The context in which she says it seems as though she was trying to boast about her family to the children. "... Aunt Alexandra was of the opinion, obliquely expressed, that the longer a family had been squatting on one patch of land the finer it was," (Lee, 173). This quote also shows that Aunt Alexandra is not only proud of her family but she wants her surrounding community members to be proud of her family as well. She seems to pay attention to details that make her and her relatives appear well to others in her community. Aunt Alexandra is overall a semi stereotypical old fashion Southern lady, do to her attitude and views on how she wants others to see her.
Aunt Alexandra seems to have a very strong influence over her family. Atticus is a character known for having his own strong beliefs, and teaching his kids his own lesson. When his sister comes to visit he almost immediately changes his opinions on how to raise his kids, "Your aunt has asked me to try to impress you and Jean Louise that you are not from run-of the-mill people, that you are the produce of several generations' of gentle breeding-" ( Lee, 177). " ... and that you should try to to live up to your name," (Lee, 177). This is factual evidence that Atticus seems to have changed on how he wants his kids to be raised. Never has Atticus ever told his children to keep up to his name, but his sister on the other hand is constantly worried about her reputation and would want Jem and Scout to do the same and keep her reputation clean. Clearly Aunt Alexandra has a very strong character to have such an impact on Atticus and his children.
Do you feel that Atticus is changing because he thinks that with his sisters help his community members won't go against him for the Tom Robinson case?
Atticus enlisted Aunt Alexandra to help decrease the amount of insults and disagreement to the Finch family. Atticus did not know however, that she would eventually change him, and his family in a more traditional way. Scout says, “This was not my father. My father never thought these thoughts. My father never spoke so. Aunt Alexandra had put him up to this” (Lee 178). After a month of living with the Finches, Alexandra has made Atticus more aware of his children’s action and behaviors. Alexandra has always disapproved of Atticus’ parenting methods, but now she is doing something about it. She is making Atticus change his children into her idea of a perfect young adult.
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ReplyDeleteAlthough we don’t know exactly why Aunt Alexandra came to the Finches’ house, we definitely know that she wanted to influence the children and Atticus into becoming more like her and the rest of Maycomb since Atticus is basically rebelling and fighting against Maycomb’s norms by helping Tom Robinson. In Maycomb, everything has to be the same. Everyone has to act the same and act as their ancestors did before them. “The older citizens, the present generation of people who had lived side bye side for years and years, were utterly predictable, (Lee 175)” Scout explains to us. Everyone in the town’s personalities don’t belong to them… they become part of their family’s lifestyle. Because no one can veer off of their predestined path in Maycomb’s eyes, Aunt Alexandra is essentially trying to force Scout and Jem into following the past traditions of their family in order for them to keep up their family’s good reputation. Scout, Jem , and Atticus don’t like the idea since they’re different from the crowd, and also, if Atticus is going to win the Tom Robinson case, the people of Maycomb need to learn to accept something or someone that’s different from the them.
ReplyDeleteI think that Aunt Alexandra has been a great influence on the family. She blends into the community and begins to become friends with the other people in town. As soon as she arrives she's already impacted the environment of not only the Finch family but the whole neighborhood. "When she settled in with us and life resumed its daily pace, Aunt Alexandra seemed as if she had always lived with us" (Lee 72). Aunt Alexandra gave another sense of stability to the Finch family. With her being around there is less stress on Atticus and Calpurnia.
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