How Does Scout Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird

Society influences people’s actions despite if they are morally right or wrong. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Lee uses unforgettable characters to explore Civil Rights and racism in the segregated southern United States of the 1930’s. The novel is told through the eyes of Scout Finch as she develops into a young woman. As she matures by learning from her father, Atticus Finch, she sees the actions of how racism is detrimental to society. The people of the town have a negative view of Boo Radley, which helps Scout to see how people view others in an unjust way. Scout’s maturity was influenced by these people’s view and events in her life, just as society’s beliefs and views are influenced from other people’s

perspectives from her town. This is proven by her unchanging family morals, her evolving understanding of racism and segregation and her growing understanding of Boo Radley.
One of the strongest examples of Scout’s maturity, is her understanding of the effects of racism on society, and learning about segregation in her hometown of Maycomb.

Scout’s maturity is displayed when she questions, “Do all lawyers defend n-Negroes, Atticus?”(Lee, 100). Scout starts to understand the negative effects that racism has to her family. Her family is being persecuted because they accept others regardless of their race. The people of Maycomb are very close-minded and do not accept the Negroes in the town due to a lack of understanding of a foreign ethnicity. Scout also begins to see the way the segregation of the churches have acted towards other races in the town as she go to Calpurnia’s church. Scout hears a town person saying, “You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here… they got their church, it is our church ain’t it Miss Cal?”(158). This demonstrates the vast separation between the whites and blacks in the town. This is Scout’s first encounter with reverse discrimination. The experience of Scout attending church presents Scout with understanding and sympathy towards those who might be different or less fortunate such as Negros. Scout’s experiences throughout the novel, have helped her become a young lady with good morals from her family, which has given her strength in difficult

times.
Throughout the novel, Scout is reminded by her father Atticus and her Aunt Alexandra of their original old family traditions. Scout has always been a fighter as she is confronted by Cecil Jacobs “Scout’s a Coward!”(11). It was the first time she has ever walked away from a fight. This demonstrates Scout’s willpower and determination. She realized that if she did fight Cecil she would betray Atticus by her actions. She did not want to upset her father since the defense of Tom Robinson during the court case caused an immense effect on him. The Finch family traditions have been valuable in the town of Maycomb, as she demonstrated by trying to show her family morals by backing off from Cecil Jacobs. Scout also tries to find the right things to do when it comes to the involvement of Boo Radley, the Finch’s neighbor. She questions Ms. Maudie, “Do you think they’re true, all those things they say about B—Mr. Arthur?”(60). The rumors over the years regarding Boo Radley have been a mystery to everyone, but Scout has been wanting to know the real truth. As Jem and Dill have been feeling the same way about Boo Radley, Scout acts differently about sneaking up on the Radley’s front door. As the reasons are shown in the novel of Scout’s family traditions in the town in Southern Alabama the effects of society of mankind has made an impact on one another. Scout’s maturity is shown throughout the story, as she grows up, she is influenced by Boo Radley’s moral character. This influence helped make Scout a better individual.
The people in Scout’s town created an enormous influence on Scout, which impacted her throughout her childhood.

Due to the manner she was raised she was able to understand people in a distinct way. As scout reveals “We had almost seen Boo a couple of times a good enough score for anybody”(325). Scout has always tried to get a glimpse of Boo, but never obtained a chance to see him. There have been many stories of Boo spread throughout the town in regards to his disappearance. The gossip and rumors have caused most people to think of Boo, as some sort of monster, but Scout saw him differently. It seemed that Boo Radley had given Scout and her brother a gift in the tree nearby their home which brought their relationship to one of a distant friendship. Scout also confesses” Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes… just standing on the Radley porch was enough”(372). Scout at first saw Boo Radley as an evil spirit, but her perspective of him transformed and she later saw him as a guardian angel as he ended up saving her life. She ended up gaining a great respect for Boo. In the past years of Scout’s life the stories about Boo Radley were scary and a mystery to Scout, but as Scout and her brother tried to continue to get Boo Radley to come out of his house their opinion of him changed from fear to

curiosity.
In the novel, we see that each individual in society has distinct styles of examining the actions of right and wrong, but Scout formulates her own opinion. The town of Maycomb has affected Scout’s growth of understanding of racism and segregation and her family traditions have influenced her morals. In addition her understanding and compassion for Boo Radley has helped Scout to mature and develop into a responsible individual. Scout has become a better human being by realizing that people’s differences make the world a better place.