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In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the author, Harper Lee, uses many examples to demonstrate growing up and maturity as major themes of the story, impressing that they are not only significant to the plot, but also underlying aspects of human nature. To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930’s when racism was still a hot controversy in the United States. The story centers around the life of a girl named Scout who is young and naïve enough to believe that all people are equal; she cannot comprehend the extent of the heinous discrimination that permeates her town. As Scout matures and becomes aware of societal expectations like the difference in men and women’s dress codes, to greater milestones like the Tom Robinson …show more content…
case (symbolizing the Scottsboro Trial), she starts to more clearly see and understand everything happening around her; with this realization, she understands that not all humans are good people (i.e. Bob Ewell) and that there is more evil in the world than she ever thought. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses “Scout” as the central character symbolizing how innocence is something you can hold onto for only so long. One of the first times Scout begins to comprehend that children lose their innocence and must grow up is when her older brother, Jem, tells her to start dressing and acting like a woman: “After one alteration when Jem hollered, ‘It’s time you start bein’ a girl and acting right!’ I burst into tears and fled to Calpurnia” (Lee 115).
Jem feels that Scout is acting immaturely by dressing like a boy (being “rough and tumble”) and he reprimands her for doing so, but Scout cannot help this, as she has never had a female, motherly influence in her life. Being young and impressionable, Scout takes Jem’s criticisms hard, begins to cry and then runs to their maid, Calpurnia, for comfort. While this indicates Scout’s immaturity, it also defines the beginning of her maturation “journey” in that she actually cares about what other people think and how they see …show more content…
her. When Mr.
Radley fills the knot hole in his tree with cement, Scout and Jem no longer receive the gifts Boo Radley has been leaving for them there; thus continuing the end of their childhood innocence as they realize they can no longer believe in a fantasy figure: “… I saw [Jem] go stark white. ‘Scout!’ I ran to him. Someone had filled our knot hole with cement. ‘Don’t you cry, now, Scout… don’t cry now, don’t you worry –’ he muttered…” (Lee 62). Jem and Scout had previously thought that Boo Radley was a myth, so believing he is trying to communicate with them by placing little keepsakes in the knot hole, sparks their imagination. When the hole is filled in they begin to understand that they cannot believe in myths and legends, such as Boo, and they need to start relying more on reality. They also feel as though a part of their childhood is taken away because they believed in Boo more when they were younger, so cutting off that belief forces them to mature. The maturity described in this quote is exemplified through the relinquishing of child-like ways and the realization that there is more to life than fairytales and
myths. During the trial, Scout is exposed to the cruelty and injustice of the human race – “man’s inhumanity to man” – when Tom Robinson’s verdict is announced, showing her the maturity of adult situations: “What happened after that had a dreamlike quality… [T]he foreman handed a piece of paper to Mr. Tate who handed it to the clerk who handed it to the judge… I shut my eyes” (Lee 210-211). In this quote, Scout starts to understand real-life situations and is exposed to a taste of the adult world. She realizes the injustice of the way Tom Robinson was tried, but cannot comprehend how it could happen; this is shown by her saying the scene has “a dreamlike quality” and almost seems surreal (Lee 210). As a young girl, she mentally tries to escape the situation by shutting her eyes, yet she knows what will happen next and that there is nothing she can do about it. The maturity demonstrated by Scout is found in her exposure to a cruel, unfair, and brutally honest situation whose outcome was known before the trial began. Cruel, because white people are (verbally) attacking a black man without justification. Unfair, because everyone knows the odds are against the black man, yet they still beat him down. And finally, brutally honest, because the jury’s verdict shows how black people had no voice of their own and there was nothing they could do to defend themselves. The theme of maturity and growing up is exemplified in To Kill a Mockingbird in several different situations. Harper Lee uses Scout to show that innocence does not last forever by having Scout go through many different maturity “milestones,” both good and bad. Scout doesn’t really care what people think of her when she dresses like a boy, but when Jem tells her to stop being a boy and start being more like a girl, she bursts into tears. While this reaction may have come from frustration, it shows that Scout has begun to care how other people see her. When Boo’s form of communication (the tokens in the tree knot-hole) is cut off from Scout and Jem, they realize that they cannot believe in things that may not exist, and they need to begin trusting in reality. One of the most dramatic and impactful scenes in the novel, the courtroom scene, is, possibly, the most important part of Scout’s development. Her naïveté shields her from the fact that not all adults are good people, and racism is more pervasive than she realizes. Her experience in the courtroom, seeing people treating others unfairly and inhumanely, opens her eyes and shows her that there is violence and evil in the world, yet there are some good people who do not support or agree with racial injustice and inequality such as her father, Atticus Finch, who defended Tom Robinson. Lee’s intellect combines with an eye-opening time period and topic to create a masterpiece that shows the reader that growing up can be scary, as we begin losing our innocence the first moment we experience something different and life-changing. However, this being said, maturation can be a good experience and as demonstrated by Scout, can positively change a person’s life forever.
Childhood is a continuous time of learning, and of seeing mistakes and using them to change your perspectives. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates how two children learn from people and their actions to respect everyone no matter what they might look like on the outside. To Kill A Mockingbird tells a story about two young kids named Scout and her older brother Jem Finch growing up in their small, racist town of Maycomb, Alabama. As the years go by they learn how their town and a lot of the people in it aren’t as perfect as they may have seemed before. When Jem and Scout’s father Atticus defends a black man in court, the town’s imperfections begin to show. A sour, little man named Bob Ewell even tries to kill Jem and Scout all because of the help Atticus gave to the black man named Tom Robinson. Throughout the novel, Harper Lee illustrates the central theme that it is wrong to judge someone by their appearance on the outside, or belittle someone because they are different.
The quote by Zora Neale Hurston, “There are years that ask questions and years that answer,” shows that coming of age is a tricky project that takes time and effort. In Harper Lee’s book To Kill a Mockingbird, she writes about Scout Finch, the narrator, reflecting on her past and the challenges she went through in her hometown, Maycomb, with her brother Jem and childhood friend Dill.. Harper Lee uses the young characters in the novel to show experiences, their role models, and conflict help shape a person from child to adult.
Ageism is shown in both novel by Harper Lee and the article by Scott Wooldridge about millennial’s by stating that because of how young you’re more likely to be less intelligent and have almost to no experience compared to older people therefore making them seem more superior.
The book To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is considered to be a timeless classic that deals with such sensitive themes such as: prejudice, human dignity, social classes, and maturity. Maturity, that word has a different meaning for all of us. Maturity as I see it is an understanding that comes to people with experience and not age but the two usually seem to go together, but not always. Many people talk about the experiences that Scout goes through and the maturity that she achieves in the book but they don’t pay attention to the other characters that “grow up” or mature in the story.
As the cliché goes, “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” It is appalling that a book with over 30 million copies is so diverse when correlating it to its movie. The setting of To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s. Many people find it fascinating that Harper Lee, the author of this novel, modeled the comfortable city of Maycomb after her hometown. There are an array amount of main characters in this novel yet it revolves around Jem, Scout, Tom Robinson and Atticus. Descriptive stories of prejudice, rape, growing up in Maycomb, racism, hidden love, and evil were all described in Scout’s perspective. Unfortunately, Jem and Scout had to witness hatred in the world at such a young age, which
In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, author Harper Lee uses character development to coin social commentary at times concerning bravery. Bravery is a primary topic within the novel., as it is an expressed trait in main characters such as Atticus, Scout and Jem. Whether it may be brave enough to defend a colored man on an all white jury, or enough to wander onto Boo Radley’s property, bravery is the pinnacle to the novel. Also bravery of the characters is accounted into character development, in which each main character has their flash with bravery, and perseveres through times of social commentary within the town of Maycomb Alabama. However, what is an example of one character developing throughout the novel to provide the character 's own commentary during times of bravery?
In the case of Scout and Jem, they believed that Boo Radley, who is an outcast of Maycomb, possesses a horrific appearance, and that he is a savage, "he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained." However, as the story progresses, it is revealed that Boo is actually a kind-hearted person who has not done anybody wrong, but unfortunately, he was ruined by the hands of his family. Thus, Boo is an example of a mockingbird, as mentioned by Atticus. The disclosing of the character of Boo demonstrates Scout and Jem's loss of innocence. They can no longer see Boo as a mysterious threat in their life, instead they saw Boo as a person. "...he's crazy..but Atticus I swear to God he ain't ever harmed us, he coulda cut my throat...but he mend my pants instead..." In a way, Boo serves as a symbol of the transition of Scout and Jem's maturity, as the kids exhibit their ability to empathize with
The setting affects the character development of Scout as she faces the troubles of acting like a “girl” (4.41) because she dislikes acting in the ladylike manner that is expected of women in the 1950s. Furthermore, Scout fears that acting like a “girl” would lead Dill and Jem to stop interacting with her due to the feeling of the subtle
The novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee is a simplistic view of life in the Deep South of America in the 1930s. An innocent but humorous stance in the story is through the eyes of Scout and Jem Finch. Scout is a young adolescent who is growing up with the controversy that surrounds her fathers lawsuit. Her father, Atticus Finch is a lawyer who is defending a black man, Tom Robinson, with the charge of raping a white girl. The lives of the characters are changed by racism and this is the force that develops during the course of the narrative.
Scout Finch is the main protagonist of the novel and although a bit slow she does grow overtime. At first Scout is very naive and innocent due to the fact in the beginning of the story she is 6 years old. She can be described as a tomboy, troublemaker, and a rebel since she mostly hung around with her older brother Jem and was raised by her father Atticus who was mostly at work. Scout has not been raised with the proper mannerisms to become a proper lady which which was something well desired especially in the South. The reason for this is because Scout’s mother died before she could even remember. This also accounts for her tomboyish nature. As she gets older however, she starts to lose her rambunctious attitude for more of a proper and lady like demeanor which she learns from her Aunt Alexandria, the definition of a true southern belle. Scout is 6 at the start of the book as is around 9 near the end of it so she does mature slowly but surely unlike her brother Jem. Jem’s development throughout the book goes a bit quicker since he is 10 at the start of the book and becomes 13 by the end. The book shows off Jem’s preteens which is always a drastic change for anyone. Jem is a good, kindhearted kid who always tries to do the right thing but is still at the age where he can be a bit mischievous as well. His misadventures with Scout often put him in a place where he can attempt to be the responsible one. Jem is at the age where he believes he’s an adult but is not mature enough to actually be one. For instance, the scene where Atticus has to shoot a rabid dog Jem tries his best to brave about the entire situation but inside he is still a young boy and is a bit afraid. Towards the end of the novel, Jem gets even more mature and starts becoming more of a splitting image of his father, Atticus Finch. Mr. Finch is probably the most morally just character
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the main character and narrator, Scout Finch, embarks on her own adventure throughout her childhood years to learn more about the world around her as well as herself. As the novel progresses, she continues her process of coming of age as she faces troubles, explore new areas, and interacts with her community. On her journey Scout grows and matures, realizing who she is and how she feels about her place in the world. Harper Lee masterfully represents the challenges in the coming of age process through Scout. Thus, through transformative conflicts, symbolic setting, and a critical first person narration, Lee reveals how as one grows up, one must face the injustices and normalities
The book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel. It is set in the 1930s, a time when racism was very prominent. Harper Lee emphasizes the themes of prejudice and tolerance in her novel through the use of her characters and their interactions within the Maycomb community. The narrator of the story, Scout, comes across many people and situations with prejudice and tolerance, as her father defends a black man.
Harper Lee is the writer of the famous book To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee wrote multiple other books but, many were not published because writers didn’t think that they were worth being published until she showed them To Kill a Mockingbird. This book gives several examples of maturity and responsibility learned from adults. Being around mature grown-ups leads to responsibility and change as shown in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
Finally, the cemented knothole represents the maturity of Jem Finch. “Someone had filled our knot-hole with cement.” Scout explains, “ ‘Don’t you cry, now, Scout…don’t cry now, don’t you worry-’ (TKAM 83). Jem is trying to put on a strong front so Scout does not cry and get upset about the hole. Once more Jem is illustrating maturity by protecting his sister’s feelings.
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.