Role Of Scout Finch's Moral Development In To Kill A Mockingbird

Tracy McMillian, a author who is a relationship expert once said, “Caring - about people, about things, about life - is an act of maturity.” In the book To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee, Scout Finch matures throughout the story. In the begging Scout seems to be on stage one in Kohlberg’s moral development. Kohlberg’s moral development is a theory made by a psychologist named Lawrence Kohlberg. Compared to the end of the book level six seems to best describe Scout’s current level of moral development. Throughout the book Scout learns many lesson’s about life, and realizes the world is not always how it seems, and sometimes Scout has to put herself in someone else’s shoes to understand them, and the choice’s they make.
In the beginning

of the book To Kill a Mocking Bird, Scout Finch only seems to do some of the right things so she won’t get in trouble. Scouts solution to her problems or disagreements was to fight other children. For example Scout goes after a boy in her class named, Walter Cunningham. This happened on her first day of school after she got in trouble and thought it was Walter’s fault. This is a technique she did not get in trouble for. After a while, when scout tries to fight others besides the on incident with Walter. It was brought to her father, Atticus’s attention. Atticus tells her not to fight again. Scout grumbles about it but gets over it. Scout only doesn’t fight because she does not want to get in trouble, not because she doesn't think it is right. Thus, making her on level one in Kohlberg’s stages of moral development.
Scout Finch from the book To Kill a Mockingbird, matures a lot throughout the story and by the end of the book Scout is on level six of Kohlberg’s moral development. She does the right things because she knows it is right. For example on page 279, Atticus said, “Scout,” he said, “Mr. Ewell fell on his knife. Can you possibly understand?” Atticus looked like he needed cheering up. I ran to him and hugged him and kissed him with all my might. “Yes sir, I understand,” I reassured him. “Mr. Tate was right.” Atticus disengaged himself and looked at me. “What do you mean?” “Well, it’d be sort of like shootin‘ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” (Lee, 279). Scout is doing the right thing because she knows it is the right thing to do. Scout knows it is right to say Boo did not kill Bob. In all reality Boo did kill Bob but Scout knows Boo would not want all the attention from the town as a hero.
Scout from the book To Kill a Mockingbird, learns many lessons about life and realizes life is not always fair. Scout learns if she puts herself in someone else's shoes she would see things differently. An example of this is when Atticus explains to them, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." (Lee, 30). What Atticus is saying, is that everything is not what it seems. Especially when it comes to people. You may not know what is actually going on in their life, and judge them because how they dress or act. Before you judge someone put yourself in their place and see.
Scouts perspective on life almost totally changes from the beginning of the book till the end. At the beginning scout is an innocent child with some anger problems that just tries to avoid getting in trouble. At the end of the book, after learning many lessons in life. Scout is only six and a child but she has the maturity near to a grown-up’s.