People are very hung up on behaviors and 'proper' and 'improper' being completely defined. No shades of gray in these areas. It is improper for a white and a black to date or be friends. It is improper, if one is a woman, to act like a tomboy and climb trees. It is improper to side with a black person against a white person. It is improper to learn to read before the allotted time. There are example after example of what a person should be, do, and think, and all of these things Jem and Scout have to consider, weigh and come to a decision about.
