She says: In the first part of the book we are introduced to Scout's teacher Miss Caroline who's description is one of ultimate femininity:
She had bright auburn hair, pink cheeks, and wore crimson fingernail polish [I like this woman already]. She also wore high-heeled pumps and a red-and-white-stripped dress. She looked and smelled like a pepper-mint drop.When we hold that up to the male student body of Scout's class, also introduced in the same chapter, with their "hook worms", "absence of shoes" and "cooties" one has to wonder if we are getting a lesson in the socioeconomic make up of Maycomb County or if we're getting a little insight into Lee's conscious/unconscious opinion of the opposite sex. We know that Lee graduated from an all-women college and that she was publishing in the 1960's...could any of those factors have contributed to a liberal feminist undertone to her book?
He says: I didn't have any teachers in grade school who looked or smelled like any kind of candy. But I do remember one who smelled like paint thinner!
Anyway, to quote you: "Liberal feminist undertone". Yikes, Scout--what have I gotten myself into? Ha, ha.
Seriously, Miss Caroline doesn't impress me. She discourages Scout from reading! What kind of teacher does that??
I'm sure Miss Caroline was a product of her time (aren't we all?) and apparently of an educational system that taught her that teachers (a) must make sure that all of her students fit into the mold and (b) as a corollary, must stamp out excellence wherever it pokes up its terrifying head! Kind of the whack-a-mole theory of teacher education.
Not sure you really wanted to talk about Miss Caroline anyway. Maybe you wanted to talk more about Harper Lee. Isn't it interesting that she dropped her first name (Nelle). I wonder at what point in her career she did that? Did she make the decision or was it maybe some editor/publisher? And do you think anyone ever read "To Kill a Mockingbird" without knowing that the author was a woman?
Anyway, to quote you: "Liberal feminist undertone". Yikes, Scout--what have I gotten myself into? Ha, ha.
Seriously, Miss Caroline doesn't impress me. She discourages Scout from reading! What kind of teacher does that??
I'm sure Miss Caroline was a product of her time (aren't we all?) and apparently of an educational system that taught her that teachers (a) must make sure that all of her students fit into the mold and (b) as a corollary, must stamp out excellence wherever it pokes up its terrifying head! Kind of the whack-a-mole theory of teacher education.
Not sure you really wanted to talk about Miss Caroline anyway. Maybe you wanted to talk more about Harper Lee. Isn't it interesting that she dropped her first name (Nelle). I wonder at what point in her career she did that? Did she make the decision or was it maybe some editor/publisher? And do you think anyone ever read "To Kill a Mockingbird" without knowing that the author was a woman?
She says: Paint thinner? I am hoping this was your art teacher?
Ha, ha, ha, I noticed your crafty avoidance of the "Liberal feminist undertone" question...hot water, Atticus, a whole lot of hot water is what you've gotten yourself into ;-)
Atty, I agree with you whole-heartedly regarding Miss Caroline, not exactly a model for furthering the intellect of a budding young mind. It kind of makes me wonder if Miss Caroline is based on someone Lee might have known? Maybe in college? Lee was a tomboy herself, I have to wonder if her very feminine description is in no way a compliment, but rather an insult. It doesn't take her long to fleece out the weak side of this overbearing-narrow-sighted teacher (Disclaimer: crimson fingernail polish is in no way a sign of weakness, if anything, for those of us that delight and indulge in such a thing [myself included] we know how empowering the right shade of red can be [wink]).
Whack-a-mole teacher education??? Let's hope this is something that was limited to the 19th century and that we've come a bit further in our education systems.
As to Lee dropping her first name, I remember J.K. Rowling (Joanne, or "Jo"...the K isn't actually her initial, it's to honor her Grandmother Kathleen) disclosing that her publishers wanted her to use a pen name as they figured the target male/boy audience she was aiming for may not have been as apt to follow a female author. Do you think something like that had anything to do with Lee's choice so many decades ago?
Ha, ha, ha, I noticed your crafty avoidance of the "Liberal feminist undertone" question...hot water, Atticus, a whole lot of hot water is what you've gotten yourself into ;-)
Atty, I agree with you whole-heartedly regarding Miss Caroline, not exactly a model for furthering the intellect of a budding young mind. It kind of makes me wonder if Miss Caroline is based on someone Lee might have known? Maybe in college? Lee was a tomboy herself, I have to wonder if her very feminine description is in no way a compliment, but rather an insult. It doesn't take her long to fleece out the weak side of this overbearing-narrow-sighted teacher (Disclaimer: crimson fingernail polish is in no way a sign of weakness, if anything, for those of us that delight and indulge in such a thing [myself included] we know how empowering the right shade of red can be [wink]).
Whack-a-mole teacher education??? Let's hope this is something that was limited to the 19th century and that we've come a bit further in our education systems.
As to Lee dropping her first name, I remember J.K. Rowling (Joanne, or "Jo"...the K isn't actually her initial, it's to honor her Grandmother Kathleen) disclosing that her publishers wanted her to use a pen name as they figured the target male/boy audience she was aiming for may not have been as apt to follow a female author. Do you think something like that had anything to do with Lee's choice so many decades ago?
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