Self-Identity and the Queer Theory in To Kill a Mockingbird

In 1931, in Scottsboro, Alabama, nine young, black men were accused of raping two white women, leading to a victory for whites during the early Civil Rights Movement. All nine men faced the death penalty, leading to the birth of Harper Lee’s famous novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, in 1960 (Marker is Planned for Landmark Case). Originally known as Go Set a Watchman, To Kill a Mockingbird tells the story of a young girl, Scout, as she grows up under the strict society of Maycomb, Alabama, and faces prejudice from the town’s people after her father, Atticus, defends a black man accused of raping a white woman. At the same time, she’s struggling to fit into society because of her tomboy-like ways, and she finds comfort in her brother Jem and Maycomb’s legend about Boo Radley.

Harper Lee, who was born on April 28th, 1926, spent her childhood in Alabama playing with her friends and learning about race and racism, which, of course, sparked many themes in To Kill a Mockingbird, such as racism.

Scholars argue that the powerful, coming-of-age story, the ideas of good vs. evil, and loss of innocence make To Kill a Mockingbird so famous. Still, I’m going to argue that self-identity is what defines it, with the characters Scout and Boo Radley, through the lens of queer theory. Scout and Boo stand out from the rest of the community in Maycomb and must find a way to embrace each other, as they each have different ways of wanting to thrive. Boo’s is to stay mysterious but still have a good heart, and Scout’s is not to be a normal little girl, but rather a queer child thrilled to embrace her self-identity and humane side finally.

From the very beginning, Scout does not follow the expectations of women from the 1930s, as seen in an image titled “Women’s Own”. It portrays women as tall, slender, and beautiful, all traits that Scout does not possess. She doesn’t like to wear dresses; she prefers overalls. She wants to keep her hair short and loose and be her own free person, despite her differences. Her desire leads to conflict with the people of Maycomb, her classmates, and her teachers—one of the most notable being the fight she almost starts in Chapter 9. Her rebellious personality comes into play as she tries to defend Atticus, only to be defeated by Cecil Jacobs (Lee 87). This is the first time the audience really sees how different Scout is, allowing them to better compare her to Boo Radley, who is shown to have a good heart throughout the novel. In Chapter 12, when Jem is a bit older, he starts to pester Scout about acting more like a girl, rather than a man, which devastates her: “I burst into tears and fled to Calpurnia.” This part of the story is important, in terms of showing how Scout most likely doesn’t want to grow up to be like the women of the time and just be her own person, which is attributed to the queer theory.

The queer theory is not about someone declaring themselves as gay or lesbian; it’s about finding one’s place in society and challenging social norms (Pollack 150). During the novel, Scout is constantly under pressure from her Aunt Alexandra, who tries to “kill” Scout’s mockingbird (her tomboy ways), which Scout argues in Chapter 10 that “it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird (Lee 103).” The quote can be interpreted in many ways, but for this essay, I will focus on how it fits with Scout’s personality.

Scout knows that she is different. She knows that she does not want to be like the prejudiced people of Maycomb, yet she still gets pulled into their traps day after day, who try to steal her innocence from her and turn her into someone she does not want to grow up to be.

Scout embraces difference, which is why she has a secret connection and interest in Boo Radley, and she is not shy to stand up for her mockingbird and change Maycomb for the better, rather than the worse. Because of her constant struggle to accept her self-identity (her queer side), she gets herself in trouble, but like Boo Radley, her good heart remains. While Lee never mentioned that she wanted Scout to be a queer character, there is enough evidence to prove that she, indeed, was trying to write something different from the time period in which the story takes place. She does this not only through Scout, but also through Boo.

In comparison to Boo, Pollack’s article, Was Welty a Feminist?, touches on a social norm of the time that can be seen for Boo as well, even though he’s not a woman. In the 1930s, a woman’s pregnant body was considered a sign of weakness, and because of that, most women were expected to remain in their homes until birth (Pollack 138). Now, how does this compare to Boo Radley? Boo, like pregnant women, is considered an outsider because he remains hidden in his house and only comes out to give Scout and Jem gifts. The locals call him “odd,” but Boo finds comfort in Scout because she, too, is different. For a pregnant woman, they would sometimes attend freak shows, where they would be surrounded by people who felt like they didn’t belong either. In this case, the freak show would be Boo’s house, as he continues to hide from society because he does not quite fit in with it yet. His mysterious nature is what makes him different from the rest of Maycomb.

While Scout and Boo don’t come out as queer, there is enough evidence to show that they possibly are, starting with Scout’s behavior and Boo’s mysterious aura. Their actions and beliefs are challenged by the community of Maycomb, which has established its own rules and regulations that residents must follow. It is important to note that the American South changed drastically during the Great Depression, as noted in Jonathan Daniels’s book, Discovering the South. One of the largest changes involved the government and people’s desire to create their own and break free. In the book, when Johnathon reached Birmingham, Alabama, he noticed that black and white people were starting to work together, but there was still a group that followed the “Black-Belt-Big Mule version of racial capitalism. (Daniels 204).” In short, while people were showing a step in the right direction with unifying the white and black population, there were other towns, like Maycomb in To Kill a Mockingbird, which feared the change in social norms and held onto age-old racial practices that, of course, led to prejudice against black people and those who may support them.

In looking at Daniels’ book, I believe that Maycomb is the embodiment of a society that does not want to change—that they fear what may happen to them if they do, so they hide behind those who they find “less important”, leading to increased levels of racism and expectations from locals—all of which are challenged by Boo and Scout, and even Link Deas, who testifies that Tom would never harm someone. The second he mentions that, the courtroom kicks him out (Lee 222). And just like there, there are even fewer people to plead that Tom is not guilty, and the situation is pursued even further when Tom testifies that he felt sorry for a white woman, something that is expelled from the town of Maycomb as a whole (Lee 224).

What follows afterward is a confrontation, so Scout, noticing how uncomfortable Dill is, takes him out of the courtroom. This is a significant step in her narrative because it shows that she, too, was on edge about Tom’s treatment. While it’s set up that she may only be trying to comfort Dill, I believe she is helping herself as well, allowing her to understand why change is so important, especially as an outsider. Her newborn sense of self-identity drives the rest of the story. The encounter she and Dill have with Raymond after they leave the courtyard also embodies the idea of how society is changing in the world around Maycomb. This is shown through Raymond, who explains that he shows more interest in black people than in whites, and that how one chooses to live their life should not be criticized, leaving a lot for Scout to ponder.

According to Jay’s article, some scholars argue that the queer theory is not evident in the novel, but rather that it is racism, loss of innocence, and the theme of good vs. evil. However, even if the queer theory isn’t important, Scout’s tomboy-like ways are because she feels that she is more masculine than feminine, and she is not eager for people to steal that from her (Jay 513). It’s a bit of an open-ended argument, which is what I believe was one of Lee’s intentions in writing the book. Jay also mentions that Jean Louise, who is telling the story, remains vague about her personal life, so some think she’s hiding something that could be challenged by the world (Jay 509). She’s holding something back, just like Boo Radley, and she’s only comfortable talking about it around those she trusts—hence why she wanted to see Boo at least once (Lee 278). The strength she needs to face Boo at the end of the story comes from what she saw in the courtroom and what Raymond tells her.

Boo Radley, despite being a quiet and mysterious character, is one queer man who cares deeply for children, as shown throughout the novel and at the end, when he rescues Jem and Scout. As Raymond mentioned, one should not be criticized for what the definition of “life” is for them; it does not mean that they do not have a good heart. Boo’s actions help Scout realize that she should not be ashamed of herself for being different. If he could succeed with it, then so could she, allowing her to continue her tomboy-like ways, despite society’s norms about women and Maycomb’s harsh laws. She learns to be proud of her bowl cut, the name she likes to be called, which derives from her curious disposition, and her overalls. Boo was the one who helped her realize this, allowing both him and Scout to thrive as queer characters.