What are some character traits of Aunt Alexandra in To Kill A Mockingbird ?

Aunt Alexandra is quite different from Atticus; she is an adherent of traditional upper class Southern values and mores.

In Chapter 13 when Aunt Alexandra arrives at the Finch home, she enters as though she is Scarlett O'Hara, speaking peremptorily to the Finch maid: "Put my bag in the front bedroom, Calpurnia. As Scout notes, her aunt's visits are rare, but when she does come she "traveled in state."  She announces the purpose of her...

Aunt Alexandra is quite different from Atticus; she is an adherent of traditional upper class Southern values and mores.

In Chapter 13 when Aunt Alexandra arrives at the Finch home, she enters as though she is Scarlett O'Hara, speaking peremptorily to the Finch maid: "Put my bag in the front bedroom, Calpurnia. As Scout notes, her aunt's visits are rare, but when she does come she "traveled in state."  She announces the purpose of her visit, informing Scout that it is time she have some proper feminine influence. Scout does not question her as it is Sunday, and on the Lord's Day, her aunt is "formidable" since she has her figure held captive in a corset.

Her presence is recognized by the neighborhood: Miss Maudie bakes an elaborate cake, Miss Stephanie visits for extended periods, Miss Rachel invites her next door for coffee in the afternoons, and even Mr. Nathan Radley comes to the end of his yard to tell her he is glad to see her. After she has "settled in" with Atticus's family, Aunt Alexandra becomes an integral part of Maycomb high society. She joins various social clubs and religious organizations; in short, she demonstrates that she is "one of the last of her kind" with her boarding-school manners. She upholds "any moral that comes along," and she speaks in the objective case. She is "an incurable gossip" as are all the ladies of her ilk. 
Further, Aunt Alexandra passes judgment upon everyone, it seems, and categorizes them into a "type." She speaks of certain families having "streaks." For instance, she stereotypes Penfield women as "flighty," and she upholds a caste system in Maycomb, assuming certain attitudes and behaviors for different families that carry through the generations.

But, despite all her prejudices, Aunt Alexandra loves her own family. Also, despite her disagreements with Atticus on his child-rearing practices and his being the defending attorney in the trial of Tom Robinson, she sympathizes with him and is outraged by the cruel insults hurled against him by some townspeople. In Chapter 24, at the Missionary Tea for instance, she emotionally asks Miss Maudie "...what else do they want from him, Maudie, what else?" Then, her emotional outburst notwithstanding, Aunt Alexandra smooths her whalebone corset, pats her hair, and resumes her position as hostess and re-enters the room, ever the lady.