To Kill A Mockingbird Coming Of Age Analysis

Since the first spark of human life, coming-of-age has even occurred at the time of Adam and Eve. Many people think that the only part of maturing is puberty. However, one of the greatest parts of growing up is not, surprisingly, going through puberty. Coming-of-age involves recognizing different perspectives.

As people get older they go through experiences in their life that can change them in bad ways or most of the time change them in good ways.This good change occurs usually by the experiences teaching them important lessons they should know in life.These changes are very important in ones life because it matures them into an adult. This transformation happens to certain characters in every novel and it is called coming of age. In the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, both Jem and Scout go through this coming of age and learn what it means to be courageous, the unfairness of the world, and to look at other people's perspective before judging them.

During the process of the trial, Jem experiences his coming of age and lost innocence moment by opening his eyes to the racism he is constantly surrounded by. When Tom Robinson lost the trial, Jem instantly matured and realized how racism in Maycomb was the only reason Tom lost. After Tom was declared guilty, the kids walked with Atticus, “It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. ‘It ain’t right’” (Lee, 1960, p. 284). Throughout the entirety of the trial, Jem was blinded by his innocence and thought there was no possible way that Tom could lose the trial. It was the moment when the jury declared Tom Robinson guilty that Jem lost his innocence and started opening his eyes to the world. This quote illustrates how frustrated Jem was by the unfairness of the trial. Jem now understands the only reason Tom Robinson lost the trial was because of his skin color. Due to his young age, he had not yet succumb to the disease of Maycomb and realized racism is not right. Furthermore, when Tom Robinson lost the trial, Jem’s perspective of Maycomb changed Jem is left to understand the reality of people’s biased opinions. When talking to Miss Maudie, Jem described to her, “‘It’s like bein’ a caterpillar in a

In the novel written by Harper Lee titled To Kill a Mockingbird, it is a story that revolves around two children named Jem and Scout and their experiences in a prejudiced town as they grow up and mature into young adults. They learn lessons regarding what the real world has to offer during a time of segregation. As they discover new ideas, they also manage to learn more about themselves. Lee utilizes imagery, direct characterization, and dialogue to express the recurring theme of coming of age, also known as Bildungsroman.

Harper Lee, in the realistic-fiction novel To Kill A Mockingbird, uses a variety of literary elements to aid in the overall development of the theme. All of the characters are going through some sort of coming of age experience or enhancing someone else's experience as well as their lives all the while being greatly impacted by the racial discrimination and injustices that occurred all around them. An event in the novel that expresses this is the court case of Tom Robinson, or more specifically, Atticus’s, Tom Robinson’s attorney, closing argument. During this Tom Robinson is wrongly accused of raping a white girl in their town of Maycomb, and Atticus decides to defend him as his attorney despite the town's clear racial biases and preconceived stereotypes on people of color; this greatly impacts Atticus’s daughter, Scout. To show this Harper Lee uses setting, plot and conflict to enhance the development of the novel and put forth the theme. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee uses these literary elements, plot, conflict and setting to develop the idea that the presence of racial inequality leading to the undermining of justice impacts the coming of age for Scout on a variety of levels.

Atticus decides to take on a highly controversial case in Maycomb, where Mayella Ewell, a 19 year old white female, accuses Tom Robinson, a black man in his thirties, of rapeing her. During the trial, Mayella, Bob, and the sheriff state that Robinson hit her on the right side of her face; however, Atticus contradicts the Ewell’s story by showing the jury that Tom Robinson only has one useful hand. Jem then whispers, ‘We’ve got him’” (Lee 202). Although, Maycomb’s society would never allow for Tom Robinson to win the trail, Jem’s innocent perspective enables him to believe that race does not come before the facts. Shortly after the trial, Jem says, “‘Doesn’t make it right. You can’t just convict a man on evidence like that-—you can’t’” (Lee 252). Jem displays an understanding of the racism and divisions in society within Maycomb in this quote. He knows that the conviction of Tom Robinson is bias and that the treatment of all blacks is unfair. Jem shows moral growth in this quote and has a more mature mindset about equality than most of the folks in Maycomb.

The award winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee includes several key components that are exemplary passages of coming-of-age scenes. One of the most significant scenes throughout the whole book is the courtroom scene that describes the trial of Tom Robinson, who has been accused of rape by Mayella Ewell. The outcome of the trial was creating a coming-of-age scene for several characters, including Jem Finch, Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch, and Dill Harris. In this scene, it is seen that in defense of Tom, Atticus Finch uses ethical, logical, and emotional stances in order to find Tom innocent and continue to fight for justice by being impartial and having no judgement unlike society. Although a strong defense was presented, society still

Jem first realized the injustices in the world when Scout “It was Jem's turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. 'It ain't right,' he muttered, all the way to the corner of the square where we found Atticus ...” (Lee 212). Jem is dismayed due to the fact the prejudiced Jury has disregarded all evidence provided. He was incapable to handle the unjust verdict so he broke down. Tom Robinson’s case has negatively affected Jem in such a way, he has matured, lost his innocence, and has gained a more intricate grasp on the concept of the adult

Shelby moody Schneider Pre IBDP English 9 January 12 2016 Coming of age This universal theme coming of age definition is socially, physically, or psychologically growing up. Coming of age is something that people understand and experience during their childhood. It is a universal theme because all cultures have experience coming of age in some form.

Atticus has a strong sense of morality and justice. One of his main aims is to install these virtues into Scout and Jem. He initially does what is right and sets an example for his children to do the same. This can be seen when Atticus agrees to defend Tom Robinson. Even though Atticus knows he cannot win the case, he takes it anyway because it is the right thing to do.

Scout and Jem are powerless against the Tom Robinson case’s verdict. Jem believes that in court, justice will always prevail. He is positive that Tom Robinson would be found innocent because Atticus made it evident that Tom could not have beaten and raped Mayella Ewell because his left arm was of no use. However, it all comes crashing down when the prejudice and bigotry of the jury’s decision is read aloud, “‘Guilty… guilty… guilty… guilty…’ I peeked at Jem: his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each “guilty” was a separate stab between them” (282). Jem loses more of his innocence as he is unable to comprehend such a horror and realizes he could not do anything about the guilty verdict. Later, Scout hears Miss Gates tell Miss Stephanie Crawford that it was about time somebody taught the African Americans a lesson since they were overstepping their boundaries. Scout asks Jem how

I chose Atticus’ closing argument and the verdict in chapter 20 to illustrate a significant coming- of-age moment because this passage not only displays how Jem’s point of view on the world changes but also shows the african americans that they are going to have to fight for their equal rights. Harper Lee uses setting, conflict, and logos to explain this scene. For example, Lee uses the setting to show how the kids are literally in the point of view of the african americans by sitting upstairs instead of downstairs with the other white people. Lee also uses the conflict between Atticus and the system to that no matter how hard he fought for Tom’s freedom, the hundreds of years of slavery and racism would win the case. The third example is how

The things you need to notice when reading To Kill A Mockingbird are the themes. The themes that are most recognized in this book are rounion, coming of age, also love and sacrifice. And you can find theses in almost every chapter in the book To Kill A Mockingbird. In this book it’s full of these themes to make you the audience understand what the characters are really going through and makes them who they are. In Harper Lee’s novel, To A Kill Mockingbird you’ll see a lot of forms of reunion, coming of age, also love and sacrifice in many ways. You’ll not just see this physically, but mentally and spiritually as well. And you’ll see this happen in our characters Dill, Boo Radley, Aunt Alexandra,

Coming of age is a popular theme in many novels. These stories compel you to think about your life experiences and how they have made you who you are today. To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee about the coming of age regarding a 6-year-old girl nicknamed Scout and an 11-year-old boy named Jem in Maycomb, Alabama 1933 to 1935. Scout’s widowed father Atticus, must defend a black man who is alleged of raping a white woman. Harper Lee depicts the theme coming of age in To Kill a Mockingbird through the two central characters increasing understanding of individual's perspective and accepting their role in society.

A coming of age story is a story about a child’s life and growing up. To kill a mockingbird is a coming of age story that explores the themes of racism and family. The main character, Scout, goes from being seven to ten years old and goes from being a child to a lady. The story takes place during the 1930’s when being racist wasn’t frowned upon. Scout has a small, supportive family whereas other families in the story are not as supportive.