Abstract

The Southern culture of the United States of America (USA) is known to be violent and racist. Prejudice against black people in these regions is still dominant today as violence and murder inflicted on them are sometimes ignored. The call for justice for innocent black people is highlighted in Harper Lee's renowned novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960). The time setting of the novel is in the 1930s, yet it is necessary to study the novel as it depicts how the Southern culture of violence and racism is unchanged. This paper, therefore, analyses how characters become anti-racist as a result of their androgyny that defies the culture in Southern USA by analysing the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird using the concept of the androgynous mind by Virginia Woolf. Scout is masculine in appearance, speech, and behaviour, but feminine in her emotions, affection with her father, and admiration for the skills in the kitchen. Atticus Finch is masculine in shooting well and his brave defence of Tom Robinson although he is feminine in his affection with his family, his inadequacy at role modelling masculinity for his son, and his stance against violence. Their androgynous minds cause them to challenge the Southern culture and in turn make them oppose racism. Hence, this study suggests how beneficial it can be for society to have both feminine and masculine traits.