preview

How Does Scout Finch Mature

Better Essays
Open Document

Everyone goes through a gradual change from youth to adult hood; growing up is an essential part of life. There comes a time in everyone’s life when this transition occurs. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout Finch’s experiences lead her to the realization that she needs to mature and consider others prior to making a decision and acting upon it. Evidently, in the course of two and a half years, the 6-year-old transforms from an unruly and wild girl to a proper Southern lady of Maycomb. It is clear that Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming of age novel by looking at Scout’s innocence and immaturity at the beginning of the novel, her challenges and struggles, and her eventual maturity toward the end of the novel. Firstly, Scout’s actions illustrate her innocence and immaturity when she …show more content…

Scout prepares to fight Cecil even after Atticus makes her promise not to fight because inappropriate behavior on her part will only further his worries. Scout tells Jem about this argument and says: “Cecil Jacobs made me forget. He had announced in the schoolyard the day before that Scout Finch’s daddy defended niggers. I denied it, but told Jem. ‘What’d he mean saying that?’ I asked” (74). Cecil Jacobs calls out Atticus for defending a black man. She tells Jem about this incident and asks him what Cecil means. This shows that Scout does not know why she is upset. Scout is too young to understand prejudice and racism. She is also too innocent to understand what Cecil’s comment means and wants to fight him because it sounds rude. People that are mature experience racism and prejudice and understand discrimination. Young children assume that there is no injustice in the world or are simply unaware of it. By not being able to understand discrimination and being unaware of the evil in the world, Scout portrays her innocent and immature

Get Access