Have you ever wondered what makes someone grow up? It seems to be the little things in life that really make children ponder about life’s choices. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout has many moments that help the young child realize the answers to life’s questions and what she is expected to become as she grows older. Harper Lee’s many literary devices used throughout the novel help build up to moments of coming of age for young Scout. From pages thirty to thirty-two, Scout learns a lot of new lessons that help her on her way to growing up. When reprimanded by her teacher, Miss Caroline, she chooses to take her anger out on what she thought was the source, Walter Cunningham. This innocent boy is the son of a father that hardly provides …show more content…
An example of characterization is, “Walter looked as if he had been raised on fish food: his eyes, as blue as Dill Harris’s, were red-rimmed and watery. There was no color in his face except at the tip of his nose, which was moistly pink.” (30). This quotation reminds Scout that Walter is a very deprived child, who is basically given just enough to survive. Even though Scout was just trying to help Miss Caroline understand what the Cunningham family’s situation was, she did not really realize how hard life must be for the young boy. In this moment, the narrator begins to realize that maybe she does not have it so hard and should appreciate the little things she is given in life. This characterization of the young Cunningham boy is just another moment that Scout is learning a life lesson and can understand things she had not been able to before. An example of indirect characterization is, “She was furious, and when she was furious Calpurnia’s grammar became erratic. When in tranquility, her grammar was as good as anybody’s in Maycomb.” (32). This helps explain that Calpurnia was extremely angry when she heard Scout asking why Walter was acting so strange. She was trying to teach the young child that you cannot judge someone just because they act differently than you. Everyone is raised differently and they cannot help if they tend to have strange habits. Calpurnia might have taken more …show more content…
Literary devices such as figurative language, characterization, and conflict are all major providers to this idea. Characters throughout the novel help young Scout understand ideas that she had never faced before, all introduced by these mechanisms. Without these, Lee would not have been able to display the coming of age in this section of the novel. Overall, Scout learned various important lessons that helped her grow up and learn about life problems she is faced with on a daily basis in
Since the first spark of human life, coming-of-age has even occurred at the time of Adam and Eve. Many people think that the only part of maturing is puberty. However, one of the greatest parts of growing up is not, surprisingly, going through puberty. Coming-of-age involves recognizing different perspectives.
As people grow in life, they mature and change. In the novel , To Kill a Mockingbird ,by Harper Lee, Scout, the main character, matures as the book continues. Slowly but surely, Scout learns to control her explosive temper, to refrain from fistfights, and to respect Calpurnia, their maid, and to really learn her value to the family. Scout simply changes because she matures, and she also changes because Atticus, her father, asks her to.
Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, many characters develop and mature in unique ways. Boo, who fears talking to others, Aunt Alexandra, who is against people of other races or social classes, and Scout, who is young and is not aware of life’s challenges, constantly suppress their emotions and personality. Their life choices and decisions that they make throughout the book, lead them to be more accepting of others and less prejudice. As the book progresses, Boo, Aunt Alexandra, and Scout learn life lessons and develop into mature adults.
There is a time in everyone’s life when they reach a certain age where they go through a period where they come of age. To come of age means that a person reaches an age when they discover something they didn’t know before and they learn it when they come across something significant. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, author Harper Lee uses the theme of coming of age with her character Jem Finch. Throughout his coming of age experience Jem encounters the tree, the gun, and the camellias which teach him some important lessons that he will benefit from in the future.
Coming of age is an influential part of many people’s lives. They begin to leave behind their innocent childhood views and develop a more realistic view on the world around them as they step forward into adulthood. (Need to add transition) Many authors have a coming of age theme in their books; specifically, Harper Lee portrays a coming of age theme in his book To Kill A Mockingbird. Through the journeys of their childhoods, Jem and Scout lose their innocence while experiencing their coming of age moment, making them realize how unfair Maycomb really is.
In the novel written by Harper Lee titled To Kill a Mockingbird, it is a story that revolves around two children named Jem and Scout and their experiences in a prejudiced town as they grow up and mature into young adults. They learn lessons regarding what the real world has to offer during a time of segregation. As they discover new ideas, they also manage to learn more about themselves. Lee utilizes imagery, direct characterization, and dialogue to express the recurring theme of coming of age, also known as Bildungsroman.
Early in the novel, Scout illustrates the courage she embodies. On her first day of school, Scout acts as an ambassador for the entire class. She takes the duty of informing Miss Caroline of Walter Cunningham's situation. Miss Caroline had just scolded Scout for her ability to read, however, Scout still feels the classes' need for leadership. Most children at her age would fear speaking
Literary elements take up substantial fragments in stories today. In the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird”, there is a young boy named Jem Finch and throughout the story, you start to realise that he’s growing up, not physically, but mentally, we call that ‘the coming of age’. Jem’s coming of age experience is developed at Mrs.Dubose’s (a bad tempered old lady) house through conflict, irony, and symbol.
First of all, Lee’s critical tone of prejudice is demonstrated by Scout’s innocent curiosity and perception of her surrounding society. Specifically, Lee’s critical tone is illustrated by Scout’s curiosity and the numerous questions she asks her family members throughout the duration of the novel. For example, when Scout raises questions to her Aunt Alexandra concerning her prejudice towards the Cunningham family, her innocence is exhibited by her desire to understand the world, but also to question it. A specific example of Scout’s curiosity is when Aunt Alexandra informs Scout not to invite Walter over for dinner, which leads Scout to ask “Why not, Aunty? They’re good folks” (223). Aunt Alexandra responds with: “The thing is, you can scrub Walter Cunningham till he shines, you can put him in shoes and a new suit, but he’ll never be like Jem” (224). Aunt Alexandra’s response exemplifies her prejudice towards the structure of the social classes in Maycomb County. However, Scout’s innocent nature enables her to remain uncorrupted by prejudice and to question the unquestionable. Lee’s use of a child as a narrator allows her to ask the tough questions regarding Maycomb County’s way of life and question why it is prejudiced towards a certain individual or group of individuals. Moreover, Harper Lee’s choice of narration
Growing up is hard, but when you add scary houses, a pretentious aunt, and taunting children, life gets difficult. The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird shows the theme of Innocence and Growing up through Scout, a six-year-old tomboy, as she encounters the hatred and prejudice events that occur in the deep south. Scout is forced to surround herself with an adult situation; the trial her father, Atticus took on.
In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, as the narrator, Scout gets older over the course of three summers, she learns a lot. As Scout becomes more mature, she loses some of her innocence, she has a better understanding of life, racism, prejudice, and along the way she even picks up some manners from her aunt Alexandria. When people grow up, they learn more about love, society, and how to see from other people's point of view.
Many life affecting events were proceeding in the little town where the Finches lived. Aunt Alexandra holds a tea party for all of her friends and Scout ends up joining her towards the end of it. Soon after, Atticus brings to their attention that Tom Robinson has died. When they join the tea party again, Scout under the circumstances, looks up to her aunt on how to behave. “After all, if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I.” (Lee, 318) This example helps you notice how mature Scout, at such a young age, became through everything that was occurring around
The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird’s main concept is about the growth from childhood innocence to adulthood. The innocence is destroyed by the reality of adulthood and the ugly truths. In the novel, Scout experiences this throughout her childhood. She starts off as an innocent child but as the story progresses, she learns the truth of society and how cruel humanity can be.
Through the perspective of Scout (Jean Louise) Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, the author of the novel, reveals stages of conflicts and how their home of Maycomb County handles them. She has shown that innocence between their county has been obliterated. Despite the disputes occurring in her their county, she continues to be herself and matures throughout the novel. She exhibits a bad temper and immaturity, but happens to be very considerate.
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a first person narrative describing the life of Jem and Scout, a brother and sister who are the main protagonists of the novel. Jem and Scout grow up in a town where they are constantly surrounded by racial inequality, social unrest and prejudice. Jem Finch is considered a normal young boy growing up in the small Alabama town of Maycomb. Like his friends Jem likes to likes take part in activities that are perceived to be masculine in nature such as sports. Yet the way he is raised is very different than his friends and his upbringing is considered to be against the cultural norm of the time. Harper Lee creates the character of Jem to show the reader the internal