Maturity is not when we start speaking big things, it is when we start understanding the small things” – Unknown author. This quote represents what scout has learned throughout the story of To Kill a Mockingbird. As readers, we notice Scout changes in several ways.she becomes more mature, understanding, and more respectful. Through out the story, Scout changes becoming more mature. Scout’s view of adults change dramatically. During the beginning of the story, Scout has no filter over opinions and comment, she says to Calpernia,”He ain’t company, Cal he’s just a Cunningham.”(Lee;24) Scout learns from Atticus to hold her true opinion to her self. Scout learns that she needs to respect other people even if she disagrees with them. Scout also learns that everyone is not treated equally. Calpernia is treated like Scout’s Aunt Alexandria, and Tom Robinson is not treated like other white men. Scout becomes more mature by knowing the truth that African-Americans are less educated and are not liked in Maycomb. Scout becoming more mature makes her understand Atticus more and know that he is courageous for defending Tom Robinson. …show more content…
Scout under stands more about people like Atticus and Boo Radley. As early as chapter 3, Atticus gives the advice “ You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you climb in his skin and walk around in it.” This piece of moral advice stays within Scout. This is clear when she things from Boo Radley’s perspective, Scout finds out that Boo is a nice man, but very lonely. Boo Radley had a pure heart, and did things for the children out of love, not recognition. The mature and understanding Scout was able to reach out to him, in a thoughtful way, walking him home like she an adult. This shows that she understands everyone is different and she can respect them the way they
Despite the early introduction to this lesson, Scout doesn’t fully understand it, or at least learn it, until the very last chapter when she finally meets Boo Radley, and stands on his porch thinking about the compilation of events which make up the book, from Boo’s point of view, “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.” This shows the understanding Scout has finally had of the way people are perceived and the way they actually are. It shows that she has learnt what many
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.
Scout Finch changes and grows significantly over the course of Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. In the beginning of the novel, Scout is a young girl who hadn't thought much of the prejudice in the world and was quick to judge others. Throughout the novel she becomes more aware of the prejudice in her own community, more sympathetic and understanding of others, and learns to stick to her morals. These changes were largely influenced by her father's example, the trial he was a part of, and her experiences in school.
It made her more empathetic to those who are discriminated against in Maycomb, she finally sees what people are going through. Boo Radley helped Scout by killing Bob Ewell who tried to hurt her. It was the first time Scout ever saw Boo outside of his house. To her surprised he was gentle, nice man who everyone thought was the opposite. She realizes too that her, Jem, and Dill had much of the same prejudice on Boo that of people had on Tom Robinson. Scout finally understood why Boo wanted to stay inside, he didn't want to face the prejudice and discrimination from Maycomb. She finally comes in terms of what Attius said when he says, "You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them" (374). This quote analyzes how Scout saw Boo's perspective in life and accepted his different
‘“Atticus, he was real nice’, his hands were under my chin, pulling up the cover, tucking it around me, ‘Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them’”(Lee 376). To judge a person on a false image is wrong. Scout did this with Boo Radley. she listened to what others said and never thought of how ridiculous the claims were. Scout was a little girl who was sometimes quick to form an opinion on someone.
In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird Scout is an example of a character whose coming-of-age process involves gaining a different perspective. In To Kill a Mockingbird Scout states to herself “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough” (Lee 374). At the beginning of To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus teaches Jem and Scout about stepping in others shoes. Scout does not fully understand what Atticus had meant when he said that until the very end of To Kill a Mockingbird. When she stands on Boo Radley’s front porch and sees everything from the view of the window that Boo has been looking out of throughout the entire novel she finally realizes what Atticus had meant all of those years. She then finally fully understands what it means to truly stand in someone else's shoes. After she has this realization she feels much older and wiser because she has gained a new perspective that most of Maycomb County has not acquired. She has gained the perspective of understanding, and having the ability to see things through others perspectives. A large part of Scout’s coming-of-age process occurs when she sees things from Boo’s perspective. Another moment of that shows Scout coming-of-age happens
Maturity is not a quality you see everyday from children. Most of the time children are running around playing with friends and family, asking silly questions, and even fulfilling their imaginations. This is the case for Scout and Jem too, initially at least. Scout is the son of Atticus Finch, a lawyer in Maycomb, Alabama. Scout’s brother is Jem and they have a fairly close relationship. In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee Scout and Jem endure and encounter many life-changing events that cause them to mature, from experiencing racism and almost being killed to witnessing their father defend a black man accused of rape in the South during the early to mid 1900s. The theme of maturation significantly applies to the novel as Scout
through Boo Radley. Her transformation can be seen when comparing her mindset at the beginning and end of the story. In chapter 3 Atticus tries to teach her about this topic in which he says: "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." (pg. 30). Atticus explains to Scout that she needs to try and see things from another's viewpoint even when they don’t see eye to eye. In Scout’s case, she learns to not judge people before she has a chance to see thing from their perspective. At the end of the book, Scout finally learns this lesson, as she says: "Atticus, he was real nice" which indicates her realization that some people are not what rumors say they are. Atticus the replies to her: "Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them." (pg.376).
In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee chooses to narrate the book from the perspective of Scout, who is a child. One of the themes of the book is growing up, and questioning the ways of the people in Maycomb. Scout always thought that the people in Maycomb were the best until she started to realize that a lot of them were very racist when the trial gets closer. Because she is a kid, her opinions can change more easily than those of an adult. Because she hasn’t known the people in Maycomb for as long as the adults, she can more easily accept that they have bad views, while people who have known them for a while would deny that because they’ve always thought they were a good person.
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 and learns a simple trick to help her get along with all kinds of folks. Atticus tells her 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” (Lee 39). This is an important lesson to Scout, one which she begins to apply in her life.
Calpurnia gives comments in a lot of situations about everyone being equal, and she constantly reminds Scout that she should be treating people the same way no matter what they look like. When she brings the kids to the her black church, she tells them, “Suppose you and Scout talked colored-folks’ talk at home it’d be out of place, wouldn’t it?” (169). This shows how Cal is a good influence on Scout because it makes her think how everyone, no matter how they look, is equal. It gave Scout an impression that she should not judge people, which causes her to become more open minded. Other characters also had the influence of Scout becoming open minded.
To mature is to grow up and understand the world around oneself. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the character of Jem matures and learns many lessons from his father Atticus, neighbor Mrs Dubose, and the figure of Tom Robinson who help him to grow up. Over time, the reader sees Jem learn the life lessons of always doing the right thing, showing courage in the face of adversity, and learning that life is not always fair.
This is shown in the scene where Scout is being teased by Cecil Jacobs because Atticus is defending Tom, Scout states in this scene that "My fists were clenched and I was ready to let fly" (Lee 74). Although Scout was tempted to fight Cecil she did not because she made a promise to Atticus that she would stop fighting. Scout 's actions throughout these scenes show how she is beginning to mature. Although Scout shows development in her maturity she is still lacking in it. This is seen all throughout the scene of her cousin Francis stating "If Uncle Atticus lets you run around with stray dogs, that’s his own business, like Grandma says, so it ain 't your fault if Uncle Atticus is a nigger-lover besides, but I 'm here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the family--" (Lee 83). Scouts loses all sense of her actions in this point in time and pounce on Francis but he just manages to escape her grasp and escape to the kitchen, so Scout sits on the steps and waits for him. A few moments later Aunt Alexandra comes in and asks what is going on, and Francis says that Scout is holding him hostage and says that she beat him up, but Scout shows a lot of maturity by owning up to her actions and not lying to Aunt Alexandra. Scout 's maturity has really started to develop as she is faced with the judgements of others during the Robinson case.
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
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.