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Examples Of Human Morality In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Exploration of Human Morality Bo Bennett once said, “Those who improve with age embrace the power of personal growth and personal achievement and begin to replace youth with wisdom, innocence with understanding, and lack of purpose with self-actualization.” This statement by Bennett exemplifies the development of many initial characters within the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. In the book, author Harper Lee is trying to illustrate the key theme of understanding. Scout ultimately makes the characteristic transition from innocence to maturity/understanding. She starts off thinking everyone understands the same and adheres to the same values she and her father do. As Jem leads the change, she eventually starts to realize that society is not as …show more content…

Miss Caroline is a newcomer who misunderstands the social order of Maycomb and punishes Scout for trying to explain it. Scout on the other hand wishes to leave school after the first day explaining to Atticus “the day’s misfortunes--and she said you taught me all wrong, so we can’t ever read any more, ever. Please don’t send me back, please sir” (39). Scout was not considerate of Miss Caroline and her ideas of teaching. Atticus then explains that “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… We could not expect her to learn all Maycomb’s ways in one day, and we could not hold her responsible when she knew no better” (39). Scout is still learning this concept through Atticus’s lectures and this being the first initial introduction to the lesson of understanding. Miss Caroline is the first character Scout stumbles upon that does not adhere to the same things she does. This being unfamiliar to her drives Scout to put herself in others situations. The more individuals Scout encounters the more Scout learns to do

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