To Kill a Mockingbird

by

Harper Lee

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Aunt Alexandra Character Analysis

Atticus’s sister. She’s married, but Scout insists that her husband isn’t worth mentioning. Aunt Alexandra is a formidable lady and is the only Finch sibling who stayed at Finch’s Landing, the family’s old plantation. Scout dislikes her, as Aunt Alexandra takes great offense to Scout’s tomboyish nature and desperately wants Scout to wear dresses and act more feminine. In the months before Tom Robinson’s trial, Aunt Alexandra inexplicably decides to move in with Atticus in order to give Scout a feminine role model, though Scout suspects that there’s more to it than this. While in Atticus’s home, Aunt Alexandra proves to be somewhat racist and very classist—she detests Calpurnia’s presence and disapproves of Atticus’s choice to defend Robinson. She makes it very clear to Scout that the Finches are a good family and that Scout shouldn’t spend time with her poorer peers. For all these faults, Aunt Alexandra does rally around Atticus and try to comfort him when he loses the trial, and she remains concerned for Scout and Jem’s safety once Mr. Ewell begins harassing Atticus, Helen Robinson, and Judge Taylor.

Aunt Alexandra Quotes in To Kill a Mockingbird

The To Kill a Mockingbird quotes below are all either spoken by Aunt Alexandra or refer to Aunt Alexandra. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Good, Evil, and Human Dignity Theme Icon
).
Chapter 13 Quotes

Somewhere, I had received the impression that Fine Folks were people who did the best they could with the sense they had, but Aunt Alexandra was of the opinion, obliquely expressed, that the longer a family had been squatting on one patch of land the finer it was.

Related Characters: Jean Louise Finch (Scout) (speaker), Aunt Alexandra
Page Number: 147
Explanation and Analysis:
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Aunt Alexandra Quotes in To Kill a Mockingbird

The To Kill a Mockingbird quotes below are all either spoken by Aunt Alexandra or refer to Aunt Alexandra. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Good, Evil, and Human Dignity Theme Icon
).
Chapter 13 Quotes

Somewhere, I had received the impression that Fine Folks were people who did the best they could with the sense they had, but Aunt Alexandra was of the opinion, obliquely expressed, that the longer a family had been squatting on one patch of land the finer it was.

Related Characters: Jean Louise Finch (Scout) (speaker), Aunt Alexandra
Page Number: 147
Explanation and Analysis: