When Sarah McLachlan said, “Change and growth is so painful but it’s so necessary for us to evolve.” She was saying that growth is bound to happen, and in order for an evolution, change has to happen. Similarly, in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird Scout has proven to show growth and maturity in many situations. Miss Caroline, Atticus, and Arthur (Boo) Radley have all contributed to the growth and development of Scout’s knowledge.
Miss Caroline, the teacher of Scout Finch, is an emotional and sensitive character and loves to blame people for their doing’s. Miss Caroline deters others from doing her job for her. Scout narrates, “Miss Caroline told me to tell my father not to teach me anymore it would interfere with my reading.” She then argued
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When Atticus was defending Tom Robinson with the accusation of a rape, Atticus explained, “You never really know a man until you get in his skin and crawl around in it.” Scout gains in her knowledge by stating, “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.” (ch. 31, p. 374) Scout has always kept this quote in her head and here she seems to have compared what Atticus had said to what she is dealing with now and Jem’s new infirmity. Once Scout had gone and walked Boo Radley home, she stood on Boo's porch and thought what Atticus had said previously in the novel. Atticus continues to help Scout increase her knowledge and grow as a character. In addition, after Scout and Jem had received air rifles for Christmas from their Uncle Jack, Atticus made sure they knew not to kill a mockingbird. Atticus stated, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy.” Their uncle thought it would be a good idea to learn what their father is well known for, shooting. Once Atticus had this discussion with Scout and her brother Jem, she seemed to tuck away what Atticus had said to them. But when Mr. Radley was in danger for murder because of the death of Bob Ewell she understood the allusion that Mr. Tate was making about Boo. Atticus questioned Scout, “Atticus …show more content…
However, Atticus finds this quite offensive. Scout narrates, “I Know what we are going to play,’ he announced. ‘What?’ Dill asked.” Then Jem said, “‘Boo Radley.’” Later, “Jem hissed. ‘Scout, how’s he gonna know what we’re doin’? Besides, I don’t think he’s still there. He died years ago and stuffed him up the chimney.’” Then Scout thought, “I was fairly sure Boo Radley was inside that house, but I couldn’t prove it.” (ch.4, p.51) Scout hasn’t learned yet who Boo really is. Scout knows that what she is doing is wrong but doesn’t understand why quite yet. Previously, she hasn’t been able to understand who Boo Radley really is. But later she realizes what she has done. She notices how she’s been acting and knows that what she had been doing is wrong. After she finally meets Boo Radley she realizes that he wants to do no harm. Scout thinks, “He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our lives. But neighbors give in return. We never put back in the tree what we took out of it: we had given him nothing and it made me sad.” (ch. 31, p.373) When Scout first met Boo she wasn’t too sure what to do. She didn’t introduce herself; however, only assuming that Boo already knew her. She has really started to show her growth when she meets Boo because of how she previously acted. Scout is just beginning to develop as a person and as a character in the
She described to the readers that “…our neighbor’s image blurred with my sudden tears. ‘Hey Boo’, I said” (270). This is the first and definite indication that Boo is a good man. Even though Scout had never seen him before, she realizes who he is. Scout is brought to tears because this is the first time that she realizes that the man that she used to fear the most had cared about her and saved her life. The fact that she notices this shows her mental growth undoubtedly. After Boo had saved the children, Mr. Tate explained to Atticus that they should cover up for Boo, the man who had just stabbed Bob Ewell, and Atticus finally agreed. He wasn’t sure if Scout had understood all that was said and done until Scout describes,
Boo is a very important character in the book, in fact, the novel opens with Scout and her interactions with Boo and is closed by it too. Scout learns about Boo though the gossip passed on through neighbors in the community. The stories are scary and many out of context, however, Scout doesn’t seem to notice this till after the trial. At the beginning of the book she plays a game that involves Boo, and she tries to torment him into coming out. When Scout describes Boo Radley she says, "People said 'Boo' Radley went out at night and peeped in people’s windows. That he breathed on flowers and they froze instantly. They said he committed little crimes in the night but not one ever saw him." This shows that Scout sees Boo as an object of fascination instead of a human being. She does not acknowledge that he has emotions or feelings, she just views him as a monster who does horrible things to people. Furthermore, we can learn that Boo is not a very loved or respected figure in the community due to his strange way of living. As the trial takes place Scout matures and her level of complex thinking increases, but it is not until October 24th that we see how her perception of Boo changes since in the trial she saw how badly they treated Tom Robinson and she directly connected it to Boo “I hugged him and said, “Yes, sir. Mr. Tate was right, it’d be sort of
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.
At the beginning of the novel, Boo Radley, Scout’s neighbor that never came out of his house, was a terror to Scout. She couldn't understand why he never came out because she hadn't learned how to see things from other’s points 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” (Lee 374). At the end of this novel, Scout understands how Boo saw the world and why he didn't come out until he needed to save Jem and Scout. Just standing on the Radley porch made her realize this but without learning the lesson beforehand, she would have never thought to even look at the world form Boos point of
Scout stands up for Walter Cunningham and says "That Walter's as smart as he can be, he just gets held back sometimes because he has to stay out and help his daddy. Nothing's wrong with him."(p304). Scout realizes that Walter Cunningham is not the way he is by choice but because his life holds him back by seeing what it would be like to be him. When Scout goes on the Radley's porch and thinks about how things would look like through Boo's eyes she realizes "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's porch was enough"(p.374). When Scout was younger she believed that Boo was this monster because of all the rumors that were spread about him but in reality Boo is this kind man who is kind to Jem and Scout. After realizing this Scout now sees hat Atticus was right and that she she shouldn't judge someone just by things she hears and people might do what they do for a
You can not truly understand a person or a group until you consider it from their point of view. Atticus introduces this idea to Scout in the beginning of the book, he says “‘ You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.’”(39). Atticus says this when Scout comes home with a problem from school. She tried defending the Cunningham boy because her teacher didn't know much about their town yet. Scout was upset about this because she didn't think she deserved to get in trouble, but Atticus explained that she should look at it from her teachers side and understand the teacher wasn't well informed on the people in Maycomb. Later on in the novel, Scout uses this lesson she learned from Atticus This is when she puts Boo in the darker area of the porch. In the text it says, “... I led him to the chair farthest from Atticus and Mr. Tate. It was in deep shadow. Boo would feel more comfortable in the dark.”(364). In this situation, Scout takes Boo’s needs into consideration, she thinks what would be best for him. She noticed how he hid in the dark corner and how eventually Atticus moved outside where it was darker for that reason. This is because Boo felt like an outcast and felt more comfortable where less people could see him. Also, Scout takes Boo’s point of view in a
After making fun of her teacher and being racist towards African Americans, Scout learns a tough lesson from her father. He takes her to the porch and sits her down, and shares his firm lesson with his daughter. "You never really understand a person until you really consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his shoes" (Lee 39). Atticus, quite plainly, stresses how important it is to not judge one on their appearance or on their position within the social classes. This makes Scout think more before she acts, and it puts their actions into perspective. A small town’s gossip and the power of assumption can change someone’s life in an awful way in some scenarios. One character in example, is Boo Radley. Everyone assumes he
In chapter 31 Scout is realizing that the rumor about Boo and how everybody described him wasn’t as she imagined. The novel states “When they finally saw him, why he hadn’t done any of those things...Atticus he was real nice...His hands were underneath my chin, pulling up the cover, tucking it around me. Most people are Scout, when you finally see them” (Lee 323). In other words people shouldn’t believe what other people say about a person until you have met them. After Scout put aside those things, she finally saw and got to know him for who he really was, she considered him as a heart kinded man. This is important because if you do believe what people say you might miss out on the opportunity to make a new friend or role model because you don’t understand that person. In addition, in chapter 3 Scout’s father is explaining how to along with others better by considering their point of view. The text states “First of all,” he said if you learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into their skin and walk around in it”(Lee 39). In other words, it isn’t until you truly put yourself in someone else’s position that you will be able to understand what that person has been going though. This illustrates the importance of considering others perspectives and a willingness to be open minded about their
Jem and Scout had found a few items inside of the knothole in the tree on the Radley property. One day, they see that the hole has been filled with cement. Scout then asks Atticus if the tree is dying, like Mr. Radley said, and he says no. Scout continues to ask him questions when he simply replies “‘I’m sure Mr. Radley knows more about his trees than we do.’” (Lee 84). This is another example of Atticus teaching Scout morals and manners. This may have taught her that she does not always know everything that is going on. It opens up the new perspective that she must consider what other people say and do before she jumps to conclusions or judgment.
Firstly, Scout realizes that things are not always as they seem. For instance, Boo Radley is seen as an evil monster, but as the story advances, Scout soon realizes Boo is not an evil monster, as he is the one who is giving them gifts and protects them from Bob Ewell’s violence. Jem warns Scout about “Boo was
Samuel Ullman once said “Maturity is the ability to think, speak and act your feelings within the bounds of dignity. The measure of your maturity is how spiritual you become during the midst of your frustrations” (Ullman). Harper Lee shows maturity multiple times. In her novel to kill a mocking bird Harper Lee portrays growing up through her younger characters realizing that hurting and discriminating human beings is wrong. It often takes time to realize things, but when you do realize it the way you think and what you stand up for can change.
" To which he replies, " 'don't say [ni--ers] Scout. It isn't polite" (Lee 122). Although Scout realizes that Atticus has indirectly answered her question, she is still undecided as to whether or not she should subscribe to Maycomb's intolerance, since she is still quite impressionable, and contests Atticus's decisions. Furthermore, her impressionability, apart from its derivation from her gender, undoubtedly forces Scout and her generation to become the key towards social change, and right the wrong that injustice imposes upon various individuals. Scout's age and gender encumber her ability to form her own opinions throughout the novel. Yet, Atticus conveys the importance of morality and equality by demonstrating a level of acceptance towards his client and his client's ethnicity. It is not that Scout underestimates her father, but rather, that she is very young, perhaps too young, to understand his motive and the prejudice that is attached to his case. Likewise, the Finch's neighbor, Arthur "Boo" Radley, serves to teach Scout the harm in discrimination during three separate summers. Although Boo is made the subject of games that involve him as a murdering maniac, he becomes, "a compelling enigma […] that also represents Scout's most personal lesson in judging others based [solely] upon surface appearance" (Felty 299). For her entire life, Scout has always
Scout rigorously was able to progress and mature, as well as adapt to new situations, visually changing her morals and outlook on her life. Scouts moral growth took off at the very beginning of the novel, early on during her issues at school with her teacher, Miss.Caroline. Scout professes her concern to Atticus on her learning, and her personal belief regarding Miss.Caroline's lack of teaching things of those similar to what Scout was learning at home. Scout felt although she was progressing more educationally at home when reading and writing with Atticus. After Scout talked to Atticus she truly realized Miss.Caroline’s point of view. In the text Atticus handled the situation with Scout by saying, “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) Scout definitely was able to gain new insight from this experience and from talking with Atticus. Atticus was as well able to accommodate Scout in learning these new skills. Scout additionally accomplished moral growth in her experience bothering Boo Radley. Scout and her rather childish ways began back at the beginning of the book when Scout took interest in Boo Radley and his life. Scout, being intrusive and invasive at the beginning, took concern in his life, which soon she quickly learned was not proper. Atticus provided the following saying to teach Scout the importance of developing and maturing from her preprosperous ways. “Furthermore had it never occurred to us that the civil way
In the end, my opinion on this book is that it shows the different phases of life someone goes through, which can be maturity, bullying, and change. The characters in To Kill a Mockingbird slowly mature throughout the events they are faced with. For example, Scout and Jem must mature because of the circumstances the trial has thrown at them. Atticus told them knowingly that there are going to be people who view them differently because of what they heard and told others about. However, the two kids understood and respected their father not to fight back about what others were saying about them, even though sometimes they had the urge to do so. Next, towards the Robinson family, Tom’s wife Helen has been under a lot of stress and misery after
She is limiting and forcing Scout to be in line with the other students, along with treating Scout as a problematic child for being ahead in her education. It is keeping a student from being herself, and Miss Caroline is practically demonizing learning to treat one who just loves reading and happens to be more advanced.