Topic > How Society Influences Gender as Depicted in The Color Purple and To Kill a Mockingbird

Gender roles are learned primarily through social interaction rather than biologically. When people are born, they receive very little knowledge of gender. Some behaviors are taught through social interactions and relationships with others. Furthermore, the way children grow up in society reflects the way they behave as they mature. The idea that society transforms beliefs and views of life from communication experienced through parents, peers and work, much more than biological factors can be seen in the film The Color Purple and the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Of course, females are overlooked for being less athletic than males due to gender. As a result, parents often don't treat girls and boys equally when it comes to sports. Boys are taught to be more aggressive as boys are expected to be more athletic than girls. In The Color Purple, Albert's expectations of stereotypical male dominance convince Harpo that he needs to beat Sofia (Spielberg). Additionally, girls are encouraged to express their feelings and cry freely. Boys generally experience feelings such as excitement and anger; are socialized to replace female ones, including depression and fear. Males are prevented from crying and expressing emotions (Jackson). Instead, they are expected to act like men and act as if nothing bothers them. Starting at a young age, children are also influenced to act in specific ways by their peers. Throughout the film, Harpo is the only man in his group who takes no pleasure in beating his wife. He is often ashamed of this and is pushed to the point where he feels the need to hit Sofia to please his friends and family (Spielberg). In fact, a child may be teased when he or she does things that are considered untypical of his or her gender. For example, a boy may be teased by his peers if he likes to cook in the kitchen or play with dolls (Skorek). The ads in the commercials feature specific toys for each gender and only show one playing with them; society pushes children to play only with certain toys designed for their gender. Men are still very dominant in high-level jobs because our culture indicates that men can handle difficult jobs better than women. Because society values ​​competition and individuals achieve success alone, women's orientation toward caring for others or cooperative action to build community may be considered (in a male-dominated society) of less importance (Russ ). For example, it is not considered socially acceptable for a woman to coach a men's sports team. This is a disadvantage, because some women might be great coaches, so the players lose great experience and the coaches lose the opportunity to coach. It is unfair for society to judge one's abilities based on gender. At the beginning of The Color Purple, women were forced to stay at home and be housewives (Spielberg). Albert wanted to get married just to have someone to clean and cook for him. Ultimately, Celie shows her independence by leaving Albert and opening her own shop; sold jeans for both men and women. Scout is a tomboy with high-pressure feminine expectations. She often rejects and rebels against the teachings taught by her Aunt Alexandra, Mrs. Dubose, and other Southern white women..