How many times have you been faced with a challenge or been forced to make a decision during your lifetime? Everybody is forced to grow up and make a tough decision many times throughout their lifetime and they need to mature and train to get through their specific challenge that they want to overcome. In both To Kill A Mockingbird and the short story “Through The Tunnel” the main character is either forced to grow up or face challenges. To begin,, in To Kill A Mockingbird the main character, Scout, has never previously walked away from a fight, but she walks away from Cecil Jacobs after almost getting into a fight with him. Scout is faced with a challenge and a true test of her maturity after she almost gets into a fight with Cecil Jacobs. Scout has never previously walked away from a fight but her father, Atticus, asks her not to fight anyone anymore so when Cecil Jacobs makes Scout mad she backs off which was really difficult for her. “I drew a bead on him, remembered what Atticus had said, then dropped my fists and walked away, “Scout’s a cow-ward.” ringing in my ears. It was the first time I ever walked away from a fight.” To Kill A Mockingbird Page 81. Scout is faced with a challenge and it shows how she …show more content…
Jerry wants to get through an underwater tunnel but he needs to grow and train his lungs to be underwater for a longer period of time to get through the tunnel. Jerry trains his lungs, and does not give up. He comes back everyday to train and prepare his lungs to get through the tunnel. “That day and the next , Jerry exercised his lungs as if everything, the whole of his life, all that depended upon it.” “Through The Tunnel” Page 4 Jerry eventually does make it through the tunnel but just barely, he almost drowns and makes it out just in time. Jerry is faced with a challenge and does not give up until he accomplishes his
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.
Atticus continuously tells her that this is wrong and that she needs to learn to control her anger, “You might hear some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ‘em get your goat? Try fighting with your head for a change” (Lee 101). The day after this discussion with Atticus, Scout is approached by a fellow student who had previously made a mean comment about her father. “I drew a bead on him, remembered what Atticus had said, then dropped my fists and walked away.it was the first time I ever walked away from a fight” (Lee 102).
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee discusses that children are forced to mature in times of crisis, as their innocence is stripped away from their naive ways of thinking. At the beginning, children are characterized as innocent little beings that think carelessly, without considering the consequences, and often see things superficially. However, this situation changes when the evils of this world was revealed openly, and it was inevitable that the children would lost some parts of themselves. They would no longer see the world as perfect and fair, rather they would come to understand that the world is actually judgmental and unjust.
A five year old is the epitome of innocence and naiveté. But as time progresses, this fragility is lost and children must learn gradually cope with the outside world and mature via gaining new experiences that grant them wisdom and knowledge. Three characters, Jem, Scout, and Dill in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee living during the Depression-era in Maycomb County, deal with the harsh reality of Maycomb’s racism and prejudice while maturing through gaining knowledge, experience, and courage. The kids grow up learning many lessons from Atticus or from their own experiences. In her depiction of Jem, Scout, and Dill, Lee reveals their maturation from being the children they are to having a thorough understanding of their society and the people within it.
Everyone goes through different changes as they grow up. Maturing, coming of age, and doing the right thing are important themes in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. This theme is most often seen in the character Jeremy “Jem” Finch. He portrays this theme when he begins to enter puberty and becomes a young man. Jeremy starts to become more independent, wiser and more able to comprehend adult situations; Jem begins to get a better grasp on things. Other characters that demonstrate this theme are Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, and Arthur “Boo” Radley. Harper Lee shows how Scout comes of age in similar ways to Jem. Scout begins to grow up and become more tolerant of others by “putting herself in another person’s skin”. Boo displays his “coming of age” in a somewhat different way than Jem and Scout. There’s a scene in To Kill A Mockingbird where Boo has the chance to do the right thing by putting himself in harm’s way in order to save lives, and he takes the chance. To Kill A Mockingbird is a book that is overflowing with the theme “coming of age” (whether it is shown through the main character or others). This theme is important to the story because these characters are a small example of the changes that Maycomb needs to undergo. Jeremy Finch is the character in which this theme is most represented in.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee utilizes the significant symbol of a mockingbird to convey the coming of age theme of knowing someone’s background before forming opinions. When Scout and Jem get airsoft guns for Christmas, Atticus knows they will go “after birds,” so he allows them to “shoot all the bluejays” as long as they do not “kill a mockingbird” because it is “a sin” (Lee 119). Through close analysis, the advice Atticus presents has a much deeper meaning to it than originally perceived. The “mockingbird” is a symbol for all of the innocent people that are portrayed unjustly and the “bluejays” represent the malevolent individuals. Also, Lee’s decision to use the word “sin” suggests that killing a mockingbird is absolutely iniquitous,
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's To Kill a Mockingbird: The Significance of a Mockingbird In a society surrounded by corruption, racism, and cruelty it is rare to find purity. Innocence is constantly being destroyed. For this reason, the harmless citizens need to be treasured and protected. Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird portrays the injustices of the 1930’s that expose the innocent to the malice of the society’s intentions. Some characters in the novel are characterized as harmless and pure and are symbolized by mockingbirds.
Cecil Jacobs is only a child, but acts on the hatred of his parents. Not thinking or knowing what he is really doing to Scout. In the journal of discipline there is a setup for how scout is growing too slowly learn and grow in his mind and use of words. “Much of the credit scout’s moral discipline is owed to Atticus. He i loving, patient, and understanding father who guides his children to virtue while respecting them as individuals capable of judgement and decision. He teaches them compassion and tolerance, frequently advising scout to “step into the shoes” of others like Cecil Jacobs during the situation in the courtyard. Under this Literary Criticism we are being told that scout has learned to show tolerance and discipline, something scout’s doing in this scene. The way Harper Lee uses literature during the conflict in the courtyard reflects back to how literature is a human ability used to reach out, telling stories to other humans. By using the knowledge we possess it will helps see the big picture, more aspects of how literature can be used as confession, therapy or furthermore, entertainment.
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.
Symbolism. Why is it important in a novel? Why do authors incorporate symbols into their writing? Symbolism aids the reader in understanding what the author wants to portray. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, she writes about the racism in a small town in Alabama named Maycomb set in the 1930’s and about two children growing up and learning that their town is not as perfect as they thought. The theme topic appearance versus reality helps to get a better understanding of the symbols used in the novel and that you should not judge something by their appearance, you should judge by the reality of what it is. “As Atticus once advised me to do, I tried to climb into Jem’s skin and walk around in it.” (Scout page 77) In her novel, there are many symbols throughout the narrative that relate to the theme topic appearance versus reality. Harper Lee writes symbols into her novel, such as the snowman, Mrs. Dubose’s Camellia flower and Dolphus Raymond’s Coca-Cola bottle to help reinforce the theme topic of appearance versus reality throughout the novel.
Maturity is a coming of age when a person is growing emotionally and mentally. Maturity is gained by experiences and decision-making, thus learning from mistakes. This is evident in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Through characterization and symbolism Lee displays maturity.
In addition, Scout learns about morality from Atticus after she is taunted at school. Cecil Jacobs begins giving Scout trouble at school because Atticus is defending a black man. Scout isn’t sure what he means by that or why it is such a bad thing, so she consults Atticus to learn more about the matter. Atticus explains to Scout that he is defending Tom Robinson, a black man, in a trial. Atticus says he has to do it although he knows he isn’t going to win, he says “‘ If I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t this county in the state legislature. I couldn't even tell you and Jem not to do something again’’’ (100). Atticus wants to fight for what he believes is right, even if there is almost no chance of him winning. In addition, Atticus asks Scout not to fight when someone makes comments about him or this case. Through Atticus actions, Scout learns to have integrity, even if it means making tough decisions. For example, Scout walks away from a
It was not until Atticus had told Scout not to fight on his behalf, that Scout found the courage inside her to walk away. Her actions here show her respect for Atticus, and her dignity. She realizes now that fighting is not always the best way for her to solve her problems. Even after all the kids were calling her a coward, she had enough dignity to follow her father’s wishes and not fight.
Examine the Themes of Innocence and Experience in To Kill a Mockingbird. Innocence is a time when a person has never done something; it is the first step in the journey from innocence to experience. The second step in this movement is experience and this is what is achieved after. a person has done something they have never done before or learns something they have never known before. This theme of growth from innocence to experience occurs many times in To Kill a Mockingbird and is one of the central themes in the first part of the novel, because it shows how Jem and Scout change and mature over a small period of time.