Maturity In To Kill A Mockingbird

Maturity is one of the most difficult tasks in life. It is hard to achieve and properly attain.

Maturity comes with the price of letting go of one’s childhood, mood swings and tantrums in

exchange for a more mature version of one’s self. But in the end it is worth it because maturity

prepares people for the hardships of life. Jem and Scout Finch are able to exhibit the stages

from child to adult in explicit examples. At the beginning of the novel, the children are very

young and childish. Jem is nine and Scout is six. Both are immature at this point in their lives as

they are still children. They play role playing games together with Dill Harris who at the time is

seven. The themes of the roleplaying is a variety such as a Boo Radley theme. This is an

Jem and Scout show that they are innocent children who are content on

enjoying themselves. But as the story progresses, Jem and Scout are characterized as of

having matured greatly. From where the children had started and ended as human beings is a

huge difference. Both showed different examples of maturing. Jem matures by coming to terms

about Maycomb's prejudice and discriminated ways. Scout describes Jem’s state after the Tom

Robinson case by quoting, “It was Jem’s turn to cry. his face was streaked with angry tears as

we made our way through the cheerful crowd” (Lee 212). Scout matures by understanding the

real Boo Radley and what his life is like by saying, “Well it’d be sort of like shootin’ a

mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” (Lee 276). They both display the traits of compassion, respect and

intellect. The maturity of Jem and Scout is important because in the novel, as the progression of

the children ageing is shown, the reader is able to get an insight about the children’s innocence change into maturity and respect. These children were once silly and playful and are