Summarize what the criticisms of Scout reveal about the values of her community in To Kill a Mockingbird. How do most people in Maycomb County define...

In , the
only instance of the word "manliness" shows up in the novel. To be manly in Maycomb,
according to whathas internalized from her culture, is to be youthful and physically
active.

Scout andworry that 's age "reflected upon his abilities and
manliness." For example, their fifty-year father won't let the football-crazed Jem tackle
him, saying he is too old for that. Scout also complains that he doesn't have a physically
active job like most of her friends' fathers:

Atticus did
not drive a dump-truck for the county, he was not the sheriff, he did not farm, work in a
garage, or do anything that could possibly arouse the admiration of anyone.

Worse, Atticus wears glasses and doesn't drink, smoke, hunt, fish,
or play pokerall activities that Scout identifies with being manly.

However,
when Atticus shows his prowess with a gun by shooting a rabid dog plaguing the neighborhood, he
goes up in Scout's estimation. She discovers he was once called "One-shot Finch"
because of his ability as a marksman. Suddenly he seems to Scout to be more in line with her
ideas of masculinity.

Miss Maudie tries to expand Scout's definition of what
it is to be masculine by pointing out that Atticus is modest: he doesn't talk about his ability
as a marksman because it is a God-given gift, not something he has accomplished on his own. When
Scout asks her why Atticus doesn't hunt since he is such a good shot, Miss Maudie
says:

If your fathers anything, hes civilized in his
heart. Marksmanships a gift of God, a talentoh, you have to practice to make it perfect, but
shootins different from playing the piano or the like. I think maybe he put his gun down when he
realized that God had given him an unfair advantage over most living things.

This redefinition of masculinity to include not bragging about
one's talents is lost on Scout, but she listens to Jem when he tells her not to talk about
Atticus's shooting skill in the schoolyard.

If the novel critiques a
stereotypical version of masculinity, it also, through Scout, critiques the dominant Maycomb
view of femininity expressed by Aunt Alexandra. Scout does all she can, backed by Atticus, to
avoid wearing dresses, acting like a little lady, and playing with tea sets, preferring overalls
and rough, outdoor activities. She also exposes the hypocritical viewpoints of the Maycomb
ladies who help (while belittling) the people in Africa while holding down the African Americans
in their own community.

Scout, whether she understand it or not, exposes
through her innocent eyes the racism and gender stereotyping of her
community.