Chapter 13: What affect does Aunt Alexandra have on the routines of Atticus, Jem, and Scout? Why? Ollie M.

Throughout chapter 13, Aunt Alexandra has been manipulating Atticus and trying to change
his beliefs.  Aunt Alexandra has seen that Atticus is trying to change things in Maycomb,
and he might be jeopardizing the Finch name.  Because of this sudden change in Atticus’s
behavior, Aunt Alexandra has become ashamed of Atticus and is trying to protect other's
view of the family.  When Atticus comes into Jem’s room to talk to Jem and Scout about
their behavior, Atticus says, “Your aunt has asked me to try and impress upon you…that
you are the product of several generations’ gentle breeding…and that you should try to live up
to your name” (Lee, 151).  Harper Lee has included this moment in the novel to show how manipulative Aunt Alexandra can be. Harper Lee has also used this moment to show that
Atticus is different from the rest of the family and that he has different beliefs. In the future,
I think that Aunt Alexandra will give up trying to change Atticus’s mind due to his
stubbornness.  I also think that eventually, Atticus will end up changing Aunt Alexandra's
point of view for the better. 
Will Aunt Alexandra try and get Atticus to give up the trial?  What are some other ways
that Aunt Alexandra will influence Atticus?  Will Aunt Alexandra stay until the family is
changed? When will Boo Radley come back into the story?

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 22, 2019 at 1:35 PM

    Aunt Alexandra is very traditional and frowns upon Atticus' decision to defend Tom Robinson. Although she has only been staying in Maycomb for a short amount of time, we have seen Atticus being manipulated into changing how he raises Jem and Scout. Even so, I do not think Atticus will be persuaded by Aunt Alexandra to give up the trial. Atticus is a very fair man and takes his pride as a lawyer very seriously. He has voiced to his children how even though people in their town, or even family, might frown upon his decision, he will always stick to his principles. No matter how many times Aunt Alexandra might shame him or make remarks, Atticus knows that in his mind, he is doing the right thing and his sister can not trick him into thinking otherwise. Harper Lee might show Aunt Alexandra trying to persuade Atticus into giving up the trial, but only to show Scout how strong willed and fair her father is.

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  2. AnonymousSeptember 22, 2019 at 3:59 PM

    I think that Aunt Alexandra will either be forced to leave by Atticus or will leave because he won’t listen to her. So far Atticus has allowed Aunt Alexandra to manipulate him but now that he tells his kids to do something that came from her he sees their reaction. Scout asks what happened to him and is upset and in disbelief. Here Harper Lee shows that Jem and Scout are the most important thing to Atticus despite what he may want. I think that this could foreshadow an event in the future of the book where Atticus is forced to choose between his kids and something else.

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  3. AnonymousSeptember 22, 2019 at 4:58 PM

    Aunt Alexandra and Atticus have different views about how things should work. So it was very surprising finding out that Atticus was allowing Aunt Alexandra to take care of the children during the summer while he was working. As you can see Aunt Alexandra has blended right in with the Maycomb people, as she is a very traditional Alabama person. Although Atticus and his two kids are very different from the people in Maycomb, Alabama. They live their own way and have their own separate views. I believe that eventually Aunt Alexandra will influence the kids in a way that Atticus doesn't believe in. I also think that she will try to convince the kids that Atticus is a bad person for taking this trial since she is racist. Eventually Atticus will realize that he has been manipulated into raising his kids differently then he wanted to and that Aunt Alexandra has affected Scout and Jem's growth.

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  4. AnonymousSeptember 23, 2019 at 5:40 AM

    Boo Radley was a main part of the plot in the beginning of the story, now, Scout forgets about Boo Radley now and is focused on the upcoming trial. Harper Lee makes Scout forget about Boo Radley to show her growth and how she’s maturing by realizing the real problem is now the trial. I believe Boo Radley will come back when Lee believes the audience would forget about him. I believe that Aunt Alexandra will try to make Atticus drop the trial but I know that Atticus won’t drop the case due to the fact he knows that as a lawyer he has to treat everyone equally. Atticus says that this case hits him personally so although I believe Aunt Alexandra will try to make Atticus drop the case, I know he will not. Aunt Alexandra is very feminine so I believe Aunt Alexandra will try to influence Atticus by making Atticus believe that Scout needs to be more feminine like herself.

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