For years, children and women were supposed to act a certain way in order to be accepted into society or in this case, a small town in the south, which makes it even more difficult to control certain actions. Throughout the whole book the author, Harper Lee, shows the main character, Scout, how she struggles to grow up and mature, even if it takes doing something that you don’t want to do, such as the example of Jem, Scout, and Dill going to the courthouse without their father knowing to watch the trial. An example of having difficulty of growing up in Scout’s case is in Ch. 12, when Jem begins to mature and demands that scout needs to stop pestering him and act more ladylike. Because of this situation, it leaves Scout to figure things out
Scout tries to resist her community’s attempts to shape her into a ‘proper’ young lady in several different ways.
How Scout Develops from a Tomboy to a Young Lady in To Kill a Mockingbird
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.
“Maturity is the ability to think, speak and act your feelings within the bounds of dignity. The measure of your maturity is how spiritual you become during the midst of your frustrations.” is a quote from Samuel Ullman. This describes the struggles that Jem went through by taking part in the community and trial and by also taking the risk of losing some of his friends and family in Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird. Through Jem’s interaction with the racism of Maycomb, he became aware of the things around him. We all learn that it takes a strong person to overcome the barriers of society.
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
Throughout the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout begins to mature in many different ways. Besides her physical appearance that starts to develop, she begins to control her anger, she matures throughout the Tom Robinson trial, and she conquers some of her fears.
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.
Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee is a novel set in the United States during the 1930's. This novel deals with the hardships of growing up, among other important themes. Scout, the main character in the book, underwent many challenges during her early life that resulted in her maturing at a young age. Scout learned the meaning of racism, courage, and tolerance (comprehension).
In the beginning of the novel, Scout is introduced to a case that her father, Atticus, is doing for an African American named Tom Robinson. Scout learns that Tom Robinson has been accused of raping Mayella Ewell. However, Scout does not fully understand the meaning of rape. Scout then asks her father, “what’s rape?”, resulting in Atticus giving her a complex definition of how "rape was carnal knowledge of a female by force and without consent" (180). Throughout the novel, Scout progressively loses her childhood innocence as she is exposed to the many injustices of life, such as learning about rape through observations and conversations during and after the trial. Most importantly, Scout learns a great deal about violence during the case due
You’re not the same person you were yesterday. You changed, you grew. Be it physically, mentally, or emotionally. And just like you change, so do characters in books. Take Scout Finch from Harper Lee’s fictional novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. At the beginning of the story, she’s 7 and just learning how the world works. She's scared of her reclusive neighbor and never wants to become what society expects her to be: a lady. At the end of the novel, 4 years later, she realizes that her reclusive neighbor is nothing to be afraid of and being a lady doesn't mean that you aren't strong. Scout changes by learning what real courage is, by walking in others shows, and by learning that things aren't always as they seem.
The First way Scout changes is by starting to be mature. At the beginning of the novel she starts
Therefore the author implies that Scout can only grow from this point. This also allows Scout to move with the plot, because the fire is the turning point of the novel. It separates the childish games of Scout, Jem, and Dill, and their Boo Radley phase from the very adult world of racism and the Tom Robinson trial. By showing Scout at her climax, and connecting it to the turning point of the novel, Lee can show the reader a more noticeable change in her character. She also stresses Scout’s moments of bluntness, because it is the contrast between her mature and immature instances that make her mature moments more notable. For example, when Scout sees Boo Radley for the first time, she shows maturity beyond her years. The ordeal was explained by Scout as, “Our neighbor’s image blurred with my sudden tears. ‘Hey Boo’ I said” (Lee 362). The way Scout first reacts by saying hi so calmly shows her maturity. She handles the situation so profoundly by instantly treating him like an equal, something that is difficult even for the adults in Maycomb. This helps out the moral of gradual maturity from innocence because it was her original immaturity that got her so involved with Boo Radley in the first place. Had she not been so obsessed with him, the direct understanding with him would not be possible. Therefore, this proves that Scout’s childhood habits ironically push her closer to growing up. As childhood innocence
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.
Throughout the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem Finch matures by learning life lessons from many different people and events. The event that had the biggest impact on his maturation, however, was the Tom Robinson trial and verdict. This trial had the biggest influence on Jem’s maturity because of the lessons he learned from both Atticus and his town.
In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout is one of the main characters and the narrator. During the time the book begins, she is a little 6 year-old girl who is mature for her age, and she continues to mature as the book progresses. Over the course of the novel, Scout develops an exceptional character which is constantly changing from the effects of different events and characters. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee uses the minor characters Boo Radley, Miss Maudie, and Aunt Alexandra to help develop Scout into a strong and compassionate human being from the innocent child she used to be.