Theme Of Coming Of Age In To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird
Does the quote “You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view,” (Lee 34) mean anything to you? Does it make you want to mature so you can be able to view different perspectives and understand other people’s thoughts and why they think the way they do? In pages 30-34, Harper Lee uses character, conflict, and foreshadowing to convey the theme of “coming of age”. These pages of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, allow you to ask these questions with the literary devices that she uses. This essay will explain why the literary devices of character, conflict, and foreshadowing, to help convey the theme of “coming of age” through examples used in these pages.
Harper Lee uses the

character Scout Finch as one of the main characters in pages 30-34. Scout is very immature and does not know how to consider things from other people’s point of view. The text states “Catching Walter Cunningham in the schoolyard gave me some pleasure,” (Lee 30). If Scout had the ability to view from Walters perspectives, she would have seen what Walter’s perspective was, and she wouldn’t have punched him and got some pleasure out of doing so. Scout knew that Walter had both a tough home and school life. She states “Walter looked as if he had been raised on fish food: his eyes, as blue as Dill Harris’s. Were red-rimmed and watery. There was no color in his face except at the tip of his nose, which was moistly pink. He fingered the straps of his overalls, nervously picking at the metal hooks. ” (Lee 30). Anybody who knew that he had such a tough time, but would still treat him like he was an outcast, and was not worthy enough to be treated with some respect, Scout definitely did not look through their point of view.
In pages 30-34 Harper Lee uses the literary element of foreshadowing to help convey the theme of, coming of age.

One example of this is when, Calpurnia tells Scout “Hush your mouth! Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house’s yo’ comp’ny, and don’t you let me catch you remarkin’ on their ways like you was so high and mighty!” (Lee 33) we can tell once again see that Scout is not capable to view from different perspectives, this text foreshadows that Scout will soon be able to view from other perspectives because she is starting to get into lots of trouble for thinking that she can just come to a consists based on what she thinks, and without even “stepping into the other persons shoes”. Jem also helps foreshadow coming of age by stating “Come on home to dinner with us, Walter. ” Scout has such good role models such as Jem that she can look up to. Jem is showing her that she should step into his shoes and see how the other person would feel. This can also foreshadow that, since Scout has such good people to look up to she will change and grow up into a young woman who is capable to look at different perspectives and understand why they believe what they believe. Also In pages 30-34 Harper Lee uses the setting of the school area to help foreshadow the theme of coming of age. The setting helps foreshadow the theme because, the school is where kids learn, and grow into fine young adults. After all that has went in with Scout and her getting into trouble, we

can assume that she will “learn” how to look at different perspectives since she is at a place where the kids learn how to do new stuff on a daily basis

In pages 30-34 Harper Lee uses conflict to help convey the theme.

One of the major conflicts that is presented in these pages is when Scout punched Walter in the nose at school. The text states, “But when I was rubbing his nose in the dirt Jem came by and told me to stop,” Scout was punching him because she thought she was better than him and she did not stop to think about his perspective. This conflict can help convey the theme of coming of age because, when Jem was telling Scout to stop she was once again getting into trouble for not “stepping into their

shoes”