Essay On Loss Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

As Scout begins to consider people?s opinions about prejudicial behavior she soon feels obligated to understand these racial judgments. Scout, being the curious and forthright girl she is, feels that only way to do so is by interrogating these estimations. ?As Atticus had once advised me to do, I tried to climb into Jem?s skin and walk around in it? (57). At this specific point in the novel, it is clear that Scout has learned a valuable lesson. The social lesson accomplished is never to judge anyone before determining their past experiences or hardships. Not only Scout?s social well-being, but her mental and emotional well-being progress extensively throughout the events of the novel. This is clearly defined by the following quote. ?Atticus had promised me he would wear me out if he ever heard of me fighting anymore, I was far too old and too big for such childish things, and the sooner I learned to hold it in, the better off everybody would be?(74). The quote stated by Scout proves that she is willing to mature at such a crucial time as the trial. She discovers that it is more important for Atticus to focus on the defending of Tom Robinson, a Negro accused of raping Mayella Ewell, instead of focusing on her minor problems. This particular sacrifice portrays the fact that Scout is beginning to realize the amount of prejudice in the town and wants her father to help people accept racial differences. As Scout?s journey through racial

To Kill A Mockingbird, a novel written by Harper Lee, has many themes in it, including the concept of innocence. This concept is very obvious as the main character, who you are also reading through the eyes of, ranges throughout the book in ages between 6 and 9. Everything described and explained to the reader, is from the perspective of a young girl named Scout, which causes the difficult themes and occurrences in the novel, to be overlooked slightly, as she does not understand the significance to its full extent.

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (Chapter 3 TKAM). This essential piece of advice from Atticus guides Scout through the her journey of growing up and helps her develop an enriched sense of self, she understands that not everyone around her is the same. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee portrays children all being raised in the same small town while having completely different backgrounds and morals. Harper Lee’s book illustrates how the varying aspects of a child's life affects their behavior and outlook on life. Surroundings, Family, and financial status all play a big role in how the children were prepared to be active, responsible,

Once Scout begins to see situations through others’ perspectives, she starts to, as Atticus says, “get along a lot better with all kinds of folks” (Lee 39).

Growing up isn’t easy. Scout of all people showed us this, as she regularly tackled the mysteries and difficulties a young life has to offer, in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. Being a young child, finding your own path and becoming mature seems nearly impossible. What you are told is what you believe. Fortunately for Scout, she had influences such as Atticus, Calpurnia, and Jem to push her in the right direction, thus helping her reach a level of maturity that not many children had the ability to achieve. Likewise, Scout also managed to acquire a broader understanding of all things, especially as her naive opinions and suspicions of people were proven wrong more and more often. A crucial part of this story was focussed mainly on the

In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows that we must treat others without judgment and insolence by using the character development of Scout and Jem Finch. She expresses the maturation of the two in a racist and hostile society. The journey these two characters go on is short, and a new mentality is somewhat forced upon them in unpleasant circumstances, however these strong two pull through. They learn to understand society and how to live in it. They learn life lessons through their father Atticus, and how “Most people are nice when you finally see them” (p.284).

Jem and Scout have lost their innocence as the story progresses and have obtained a complex understanding of the world. Jem and Scout strive to preserve their faith in society. The predominant themes incorporate inequity and the destruction of innocence. Innocence is portrayed through the symbol of “mockingbirds”. Innocent people are devastated on contact of evil. To Kill a Mockingbird is to destroy innocence. Through the symbol of mockingbirds, people lose their innocence when they are exposed to the evil of the world.

One of the most important and valuable life lessons Scout learns is that she never truly understands someone until she has seen things from their point of view, until she has climbed into their skin and walked around in it. A great example of this is when Jem (Scout’s brother)

But Atticus taught Scout a lesson instead. He told her that to interact with other people better, Scout needs to “consider things from his point of view until [she] can climb into his skin and walk around it.” (39 Lee) Atticus is trying to teach Scout that there is more than one view of a situation due to the fact that everyone is different. She immediately starts to try this out by walking into her brother Jem’s shoes, but fails. Over the time of around 10 chapters, Scout finally starts to understand this tip during Tom Robinson’s trial. When he gave his testimony, Scout thought “’that Mayella Ewell must be the loneliest person in the world. She was even lonelier than Boo Radley.’” (191) Scout has begun to show maturity and is walking in someone else’s shoes. She is beginning to connect to Mayella. All of this lesson has lead Scout to more mature thinking and better understanding to the thoughts of other people.

In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the setting takes place in a southern Alabama city called Maycomb County in the 1930’s, during the Great Depression when many Americans were in debt and unemployed. In the book, it is narrated by the main character Jean Louise Finch, otherwise known as “Scout”. Her father Atticus is a lawyer who is defending a black man in a rape case. Scout starts off as a curious, naive, and adventurous tomboy who has trouble making friends at school, but grows into a smart, courageous,tenacious, and understanding young lady who has matured greatly over the span of the book.

To Kill a Mockingbird is an intriguing book that takes place during the 1930's, in a small town known as Maycomb. The two main characters are Scout, or Jean Louise Finch, roughly a 5 to 6-year-old, and her brother Jem, who's two years older than her. Scout narrates the story, in such a way that brings innocence and a light to the story, while having you realize how truly twisted the 1930's were. Around the time this book takes place, racism and prejudice are quite common, and during the time the children grow up, they only slowly realize and begin to open their eyes to the world around them. People helping them do so along the way, include their widowed father, Atticus, Dill, a neighbor of the two who's only around when he visits his Aunt Rachell

In To Kill a MockingBird by Harper Lee Scout has learned many lessons from Atticus all having a major influence on her throughout the book. On Scout's first day of school she comes home complaining to Atticus about her first grade teacher Miss Caroline. Atticus sits her down and tells her to see things from someones elses point of view. Atticus states “ If you can learn a simple trick, Scout you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view” (33). Atticus is telling Scout that she will get along with people better if she considers things from their point of view and stands in their shoes to see what the person actually means. In addition when the kids at Scouts school start talking bad about Atticus because he is defending Tom Robinson. Scout wants to fight Cecil Jacobs for announcing to the school that Atticus is defending a black man. When Atticus found out Scout wanted to fight Cecil Jacobs Atticus told her “ This time we aren’t fighting the Yankees,we’re fighting our friends”(87).Atticus meant that Scout can think things in her head but not say them externally. Furthermore when Scout interrupts Atticus and the lynch mob Scout notices someone familiar in the lynch mob. It was

She is able to provide the reader with a great amount of detail on how Atticus is feeling and the strain it is putting on him. However, he is not the only one to suffer. Scout frequently gets into fights defending her father and Jem is driven to attacking one of their elderly neighbor’s prize flowers because her comments about Atticus infuriate him. From Scout, the reader understands how the case is affecting the family and, more importantly, how they are dealing with it. On more than one occasion, Scout asks Atticus awkward questions about it, but he is always honest and open with her. He too, has a very high regard for children and treats Scout and Jem as his equals. One night Scout overhears him telling his brother – Jack: "When a child asks you something, answer him. - Children are children, but they can spot an evasion quicker than adults." Scout appreciates the honesty of her father, and again this rubs off on her; she is also very truthful and 'matter of fact.' At times this can be slightly flat, but on the whole, her youthful and straightforward approach is a valuable asset in explaining complicated issues.

The ability to understand others by viewing things from their perspective is an important skill that Scout develops through her interactions with Atticus, Jem, Cecil Jacobs, and Boo Radley. This allows Scout to better control her emotions, understand others, and treat others fairly. After Scout complains about Mrs. Caroline and Walter, she talks with Atticus

Scout shows maturation and development as a character by making connections to and interpreting things she has been told by her father in the past, when she can truly understand and appreciate what he actually meant when he first told her. At first, Scout was too immature to understand her father’s words when she tried to follow them. He told her “you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee, 1960, p. 39). Scout tried following those words during a time where Jem was acting weird after he went through a