Maturity In To Kill A Mockingbird

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.

The developing maturity and growth of the main character, Scout, is the foundation that Lee expertly creates as a unique and subtle way to communicate and teach this theme to a reader. Lee portrays Scout as a young girl who is constantly growing as a person, and from a reader’s perspective, we are learning and growing along with her, which Lee utilizes to convey engrained messages throughout the novel. Scout in the first half of the novel is avidly immersed in the myths regarding Boo Radley, telling her brother that, “Every scratch of feet on gravel was Boo Radley seeking revenge”. But as issues surrounding Tom Robinson’s trial and Atticus’ struggles evolve, Scout’s involvement with the Radleys begins to dissipate, with her realising that, “So many things had happened to us, Boo Radley was the least of our fears”. The idea of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is to contrast this ‘fictional’ novel to the real world, and its civil issues which Scout becomes exposed too, and therefore the reader does too.

The setting of Mrs. Dubose’s house had made it difficult because Jem and Scout would have to walk passed the house to reach town from their house. The problem first began when they wanted to go to town more often instead of being confined to

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jem, Scout and Dill’s innocence are destroyed from the ignorance and racism witnessed in their hometown Maycomb. The children’s view of the people in their town changed after spectating the Tom Robinson trial. Tom was a black man convicted for raping a white girl and although the evidence was on Robinson’s side, he was found guilty and was sentenced to death. Scout, Jem, and Dill witness discrimination and injustice for the first time.

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird follows the story of a trial in the Southern town of Maycomb. Specifically, the novel highlights Atticus, the defendant’s lawyer, and his family, as they face criticism from the rest of town. The defendant, a negro named Tom Robinson, was put on trial for raping Mayella Ewell, a white member of the community. While To Kill a Mockingbird shows the ugliness that can come from judging others, its ultimate message is that great good can result when one defers judgement until considering things from another person’s point of view.

n To Kill a Mockingbird, children live in an inventive world where mysteries abound but little exists to actually cause them harm. Scout and Jem spend much of their time inventing stories about their reclusive neighbor Boo Radley, gleefully scaring themselves before rushing to the secure, calming presence of their father, Atticus. As the novel progresses, however, the imaginary threat that Boo Radley poses pales in comparison to the real dangers Jem and Scout encounter in the adult world. The siblings’ recognition of the difference between the two pushes them out of childhood and toward maturity—and as they make that transition, Boo Radley, their childhood bogeyman, helps serve as the link between their past and their present.

The prejudiced views in Maycomb County created a very chaotic future for the children. “ i don’t know how they could convict Tom Robinson, but they did it. They’ve done it again and again and when they do it-seems that only children weep.” (225) Tom Robinson symbolizes every ‘black’ person who has been wrongly convicted and prosecuted under this judicial system. Children are known to be unjudgemental and therefore are somewhat attached to Tom Robinson. They are oblivious to the false beliefs’ that society has instilled upon the community. The children are tremendously effected by the wrongful conviction of Tom Robison in the corrupted judicial system. Jem and Scout, who had seen Toms trails, were in shock to find out that their ‘perfect’

Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jem and Scout come to understand and admire their father Atticus. He taught them courage through many different lessons. They came in situations that caused them to see him in a better light. When Atticus shoots a rabid dog, Mrs. Dubose dying free of morphine addiction, and perhaps most importantly defending Tom Robinson.

Maturation is the growth of a person as it focuses on the coming of age and better understanding the world and its reality. The character Scout is both a questioner and observer, making her a reporter in the truest sense. The character Jem is an admirable young man who questions society’s stereotypes and values. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem and Scout both exemplify the theme of maturation through Atticus’ moral teachings, and how they view others in society.

Age plays a role in maturity, but it is not the main contributing factor. Maturity is measured by experiences and one’s reaction to the experiences they are given. While there is a correlation between maturity and age, it is not a defining factor.

In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Harper Lee artfully and realistically matures the character of Jem Finch throughout the novel. In the story, Jem transforms from a trouble-making, sometimes insensitive young boy to a more worldly, responsible young man. There is a significant difference in the Jem who, in the beginning of the novel, tries to break into the Radleys’ house and initiates and participates in games that make fun of them and the Jem nearer the end of the novel who takes it upon himself to inform Atticus of the sudden appearance of Dill even though he breaks “the remaining code of [the three’s] childhood” in the process. This change is entirely plausible, because as people age, they inevitably are faced with more duties and therefore must

Character development and growth plays an important role in stories, directly influencing and often leaving a distinct impression upon the reader. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, there is a strong presence of character development and especially maturity with the protagonists Jem and Scout. The brother-sister duo slowly start to display a higher level of awareness and first-hand experiences of the world around them throughout the book. Jem and Scout’s character development relating to maturity demonstrates that it requires loss of innocence, self-confidence, and empathy.

Growing up is an important part of life that we look forward to, as becoming an adult seems exciting, but realizing the truth may be difficult. In the novel, “To Kill A Mockingbird,” Harper Lee shows the significance of growing up through his literature. Lee shows this through one of the protagonist in the novel, Scout looses her innocence as she discovers the harsh reality of society. In addition, her younger brother Jem also learns from his experiences, as he gains a new perspective and point of view from others. Scout and Jem also grow from their encounter and relation with Boo Radley. The two siblings both go through an emotional growing up development, as they learn from past experiences and see the world in a different way. One will lose their innocence from experiences that will change their point of view of things, but also gain wisdom and knowledge as it leads to the result of growing up.

In a town full of hypocrisy, prejudice, and racism, Scout is raised to be different from the norms. She finds innocence in two citizens of Maycomb, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. She sees them as the mockingbirds Atticus refers to when he tells her that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird (90). These two innocent men are cruelly treated by society for being different. They’re treated with nothing but prejudice and unfair justice. They’re looked at and treated differently than the rest of Maycomb. Despite the two being similar in those ways, their lives are very different.

In the Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird there are many events that require Jem and Scout to act more mature and grown up. One of the main events is when a black man named Tom Robinson is wrongfully accused of rape, but loses the case because of Maycomb’s prejudice people. This shows them the harsh reality of Maycomb and what people in their town are really like. Throughout the book these events force Jem and Scout to mature and become smarter in what they say and do. They learn these lessons of maturity while witnessing or being a victim in many cruel events in the unpleasant town of