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What is maturity in literature
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Montana 1948 by Larry Watson
Maturity may come at any age and time in a person's life. One moment he or she may be a carefree child, and then suddenly realize that they have been transformed into a mature adult by a powerful and traumatic experience. An experience they will remember their whole lives. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the adolescence of Jem and Scout is threatened one fateful night by a dangerous man bent on taking their lives. After this startling experience, they were never the same again. As a result, they rapidly matured into adults. Similarly, young David Hayden, the narrator of Montana 1948 by Larry Watson, also encounters an equally traumatic event. He discovers that his uncle has been sexually assaulting Native American women in his town. This is a heavy burden for a twelve year old boy, especially since it reveals that his beloved Uncle Frank is the "bad-guy". However, one discovers, as the novel develops, that David matures and grows in order to deal with this situation. He must come to understand what has happened and how the immoral actions of Frank will affect his family and its name. But most importantly, he must know that his integrity will be changed. He will learn shocking things that would mean nothing to a child, but everything to an adult. Larry Watson suggests that traumatic experiences transform children into adults. Therefore, disturbing experiences lead to changes of mind, growth in morals, and an emerging sense of adulthood.
David changes his mind about Uncle Frank through the traumatic experiences regarding the discovery of Frank's secret actions. Uncle Frank used to be David's idol and David adored him. But that all changed when David's housekeeper and baby sitter, Marie Little Soldier, becomes violently ill and is in need of a doctor. Wes Hayden, David's father, calls his brother Frank, who is the town doctor, to come and see her. Strangely enough, Marie Little Soldier refuses to be alone in the room with Frank. Later on, Marie tells David's mother horrible things that Frank has been doing to Native American women. David's mother, Gail, tells Wes as David overhears. She says, ' 'Wesley, your brother has been raping these women. These girls. These Indian girls…' [David states] I was beginning already to think of Uncle Frank as a criminal…Charming, affable Uncle Frank was gone for good'; (47, 49).
Each and every person will go through a coming of age experience sometime in their life. Those experiences can come in different forms. But, each coming of age experience ends up shaping us to become a mature adult. In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee tells a coming of age story through Scout Finch, an aging girl’s point of view. Her brother, Jem Finch who experiences coming of age before Scout, realizes that being an adult was not what he hoped. Jem recognizes a different perspective of bravery from Mrs.Dubose, a vile, elderly woman’s perspective. In chapter 11, Harper Lee uses literary elements such as character, conflict, and setting to establish Jem’s new outlook on life.
The death of Marie also altered the way that he thought about his father, in that before he thought that he was not a true sheriff, saying that he “didn’t even look like a proper sheriff” and that he carried “the wrong kind of gun for a sheriff.” However, after Marie passed away, David went on to realise that the “har...
...heme of maturation in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, is conveyed through the characters of Scout and Jem, in conjunction with the assistance of their virtuous father Atticus Finch. Early in the novel, Atticus ascertains himself as a major facilitator in the maturation process of Scout and Jem by incessantly providing mature solutions to his children’s predicaments. Moreover, Scout, a major benefactor of the Boo Radley incident and Atticus’ wisdom, has helped her develop into a very tolerant and mature individual. Undeniably, Jem’s remarkable development into a broadminded and compassionate character can be directly attributed to Atticus’ kindness and Jem’s exposure to the Tom Robinson trial. In synopsis, it is evident that the individuals and social circumstances that surround an individual play a major role in defining the type of individual one will become.
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.
“After what just happened to Marie, I don’t want to be left alone with Uncle Frank”. Davis father is a sheriff, a very unique one as he does not wear a badge or carry any gun. David’s attitude towards his father also changes, David did not believe his father played the role of sheriff as he should have, but this all changes when the incident with Uncle Frank and Maire takes place. As Wesley does the right thing and deals with his brother’s crime the way he would with anyone else’s, this is seen by David as a brave duty charging your own brother.
In the beginning of the story, Jem enjoys the childish games of fantasizing about Boo Radley, taking any dare, and . Scout tells the reader that Jem becomes more and more moody as the story progresses, due to his aging. He thinks more; he shows more compassion; and he is appalled by the unfairness that rears its ugly head in his hometown. While Scout recounts the events of her childhood, the reader fails to notice that “To Kill a Mockingbird” is not a story about the narrator (Scout) maturing, it is actually about Jem maturing, and becoming an adult.
... Uncle Frank. Then I got out and watched him go down the tracks. He was going toward town…”. He chooses to tell his parents what he knows, or at least part of what he knows, about Uncle Frank. This shows that he is developing in the area of honesty. Before, David would have kept all this to himself, rather than face his parents with knowledge he knows will displease them.
When something serious happens that would normally not happen until adulthood, it forces a child to “grow up” such as going through a loss or another difficult time. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, numerous situations occur which cause Scout and Jem to mature and “come of age”. Throughout the book, Scout and Jem face several complicated situations, for example, there are many cases in which people verbally attack Scout and her family. Scout has to learn to control her anger and to not get in fights with those who provoke her. In the novel, Scout and Jem encounter numerous circumstances which cause them to mature and “grow” such as reading for their neighbor, the trial for which their father is a lawyer, and having to defend their dad while controlling their anger.
Larry Watson, in “Montana 1948”, uses the motif of light and silence in many ways to develop, clarify and reinforce ideas about truth and injustice, and portray the nature of some characters. He illustrates the injustice in Bentrock through the motif of light and then demonstrates to the reader the occurrence of something wrong through the motif of silence. The motif of light also sometimes assists the motif of silence to emphasize the significance of the event.
teacher. After hearing his father say that, David feels that he has to hide his
“Maturity is when your world opens up and you realize that you are not the center of it.” –M.J. Croan. Maturity comes in steps, where we are always progressing and learning further about ourselves and how others perceive us. Scout gradually becomes more mature throughout the novel, leaving behind her innocence while also reconstructing her empathy and tolerance for others. Similarly Scout and I were both naïve to the world around us, but because of witnessing first-hand the inhumanity around us blatantly displayed a lack of empathy people contain within them. This was a learning experience for myself because it brought home racial discrimination in an event that will forever impact the way I treat others of a different race, color or religion.
Over all, the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee have grown and matured throughout the whole novel. Boo’s maturity development is shown when he faces his fear of being with the outside world, Aunt Alexandra having some difficulties facing prejudice but, becoming more accepting of others, and Scout developing and learning lessons that she could apply to her everyday life. It shows that no matter whom the person is or what their troubles are, they all grow and mature in their own unique ways.
When children grow up, they face difficult problems, and. they learn to cope and take responsibility. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a flashback about two kids that spans over a few years. Jem ages from ten to thirteen over the course of the novel, and undergoes much change, as his sister describes him. Over the years, he is exposed to issues adults face, and eventually shows an understanding of racism and innocence. As Jem grows up, his view on courage also changes. Jem follows his father's footsteps, and gets much of his knowledge from him.
Growing up happens during the magical times of freedom given to children in their early years. Wise parents discern when freedom is necessary for their children, are very clear about their expectations, and determine fitting consequences for actions out of line. Harper Lee personifies this role of a wise and caring parent in the father figure of her novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus Finch, a character made to mirror the author’s own father, is a lawyer and a well-respected citizen of his Southern Alabama town. Through Atticus, Harper Lee establishes a standard of good and evil, developing the theme of morality during his interactions. Atticus establishes right from wrong in most every relationship, especially with his children, his friends and family, and his occupational ties. These relationships come to the reader filtered through the childlike lens of Scout Finch, Atticus’s young daughter, as she begins to encounter the weighty topics of the adult world.
Harper Lee, used language features to explore the loss of innocence in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. The novel is narrated from a 6 year old’s perspective, Scout. As the story progressed, Scout matured and the language used and the thoughts portrayed throughout the book are more developed and advanced. The key theme displayed in this novel is loss of innocence and is explored through the following language features – Narrative Voice and Structure, Characterisation and Symbolism and Analogy. Lee’s personal style allowed the utilisation of these language features and through the exploration of loss of innocence.