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How Does Scout Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird

Decent Essays

In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout matures and learns many valuable life lessons from the people and situations that occur in the story. One of the first lessons Scout learns is from her father about the importance of respect. Mrs. Dubose teaches her about the meaning of real courage and perseverance. Scout learns from Boo Radley that it might take a while for someone’s true colors to show, and that she should not judge them before she meets them. The lessons Scout learns from these people help her to mature from a naïve child to a child that understands how the world works. Atticus, Scout’s father, teaches her about the importance of respect and tolerance towards everyone, regardless of their background or race. When Scout comes …show more content…

Dubose, an elderly woman, is very influential to Scout’s maturity by teaching her about real courage. Mrs. Dubose has an addiction to morphine and wants to die without having any of it in her system. She has Jem and Scout read to her as a distraction from her suffering. Atticus wants Scout to go with Jem to read, so that she would be able to understand what real courage and perseverance is. “I wanted you to see something about her—I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (Lee, 112). Atticus believes that courage and bravery is when someone knows that the odds are not in their favor, but they do it anyways, either for themselves or others. He does not want Scout to think that courage is only a man behind a gun, because anyone can hold and fire a gun. Mrs. Dubose only had a few months to live and every day she would try to go longer without taking any morphine, eventually she was able to go the entire day without having any spasms. Although Mrs. Dubose is always yelling at Scout, she is one of the most influential characters for Scout’s

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