Maturity In To Kill A Mockingbird

An author John MacNaughten once said “Maturity begins to grow when you can sense your concern for others outweighing your concern for yourself.” Once someone stops worrying about themselves, and put other people's’ concerns in front of their own, that marks the moment when one has a sense of maturity. Harper Lee Demonstrates the concept of maturity growing as one gets older in the book To Kill a Mockingbird. Six year old Scout Finch, living with her widowed father Atticus and brother Jem in a small town in Maycomb, Alabama. During the 1930’s, money was a struggle among many people but since Atticus was a lawyer, his job put him a little ahead of the economy. The town was very judgemental about people who did not live like them. In this town, Scout and Jem befriend a boy named Dill who lives in the neighborhood during the summer, Scout goes to school and Jem grows up. Atticus accepts a case of Tom Robinson; a twenty-five year old African American male accused of rape. It isn't until Atticus accepts the case that Jem realizes that the world is filled with racism, cruelty and harshness. Maturity, although may seem easy to gain, takes time and experience. Harper Lee illustrates through the characterization of Jem and Scout that maturity is gained through experience When Scout gets ready to

Getting called names and it stuck with her, Scout did something she had never done before; she had walked away from a fight. She knew Atticus never asked much of her and felt noble for listening to his one request. She did not care what her new nickname became, as long as she does one thing Atticus asked of her. The author uses the phrase “Drew a bead” to portray to the reader that Scout ,ready to fight, did not. She grew the maturity to walk away. Lee also uses the word “Noble” to demonstrate that Scout would get called a coward to do what Atticus tells her to