Maturity In To Kill A Mockingbird

Maturity has nothing to do with age, it is built by experience, and it comes from making mistakes, learning, and understanding. Throughout Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, both Scout and Jem endure numerous events and situations that cause them to mature and “come of age”. Maturation is an important step of growing up, and many characters of To Kill a Mockingbird, experience this change. Scout is one of these characters. Scout matures by giving up on the idea of quitting school, when she quits using the “N” word, and when she starts to recognize the full meanings of Atticus’s advice. Throughout the beginning of To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout repeatedly states that she wants to quit school. Scout feels discouraged about the events at school,

Scout originally hears people using the “N” word because it is a product of the time period she is living in. Because of the racism and inequality there is toward people of color during the 1930’s, Scout develops a negative attitude towards this group of people. Scout is offended to hear that Cecil Jacob’s father defends “n******”, but when she asks Atticus about it, he tells her not use use that word. He tells her not to use that word because it is a “common” phrase in their community, and he wants his children to rise above the “common behavior”. Atticus also knows that the term is offensive and degrading to people of color. He says that a white person who takes advantage of a black man is "ten times worse than cheatin' a white man... Says it's the worst thing you can do." (Lee 205) This one of the first pieces of advice that Scout starts to comprehend and learn the full meaning

At the end of chapter 11, Atticus says "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but you sometimes do."(Lee 115) This quote shows how Atticus cares about what he is teaching to others, and how he wants to set a good example to others, especially Scout. Scout learns a valuable life lesson from this quote. This life lesson is that courage isn’t always about physical confrontation, it can be mental courage, shown through the face of emotional