To Kill A Mockingbird Coming Of Age Analysis

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Coming of Age and Prejudice
Living during times of hatred and prejudice can either ruin a child’s mind or give him/her the push they need to see life through a different lens. Jean Louise Finch, better known as Scout, deals with this predicament as she grows up in the 1930’s. During this time, The Great Depression and racism are prominent issues in Maycomb, Alabama where To Kill a Mockingbird is set. Members of the town fear those who are different which sparks the racist beliefs that they spread. In turn, there are many misconceptions made about certain people including Boo Radley, who is rumored to be a crazy, dangerous man. Throughout the novel, Scout learns to fight these thoughts in order to form her own. By chapter 31, she finally meets …show more content…

She takes him home and reflects over the past few years as she stands in his yard. Her revelations are conveyed through different techniques that Harper Lee weaves into her novel. Key moments and ideas of the novel are pushed to the surface and made evident to the reader through Harper Lee’s use of dialogue, metaphor, and symbolism, thereby displaying Scout’s growth as she learns to see past prejudice.
The specific dialogue incorporated into the passage shows Scout’s maturity. She notices Boo hesitantly watch her injured brother, Jem, from a corner of his room. Once she realizes that he is scared to touch him, Scout assures him that, “You can pet him, Mr.Arthur, he’s asleep,” (372). Being able to notice how shy he is without him saying so means that Scout is paying careful attention to Arthur’s actions. He is someone she has never seen in person before yet she can already anticipate what …show more content…

Once Scout returns home from Boo’s house, she finds Atticus reading a book titled The Gray Ghost. She summarizes that it involves people who believe someone called Stoner’s Boy is ruining their clubhouse. According to her, “they chased him ’n’ never could catch him ’cause they didn’t know what he looked like, an’...when they finally saw him, he hadn’t done any of those things,” (376). The interactions between the characters in this book represents Scout’s progress as she learns to understand Boo Radley. At first, she is slightly curious about him and goes along with Jem and her friend, Dill, when they suggest trying to lure him out of his house. This never works for them because they see Boo as a ghost rather than the real person that he is. After he saves Jem and her from the menacing alcoholic, Bob Ewell, she is able to see Boo without fear in her eyes. She recognizes him as someone kind and finally sees him as he truly is. Later, Scout describes that she, “took him by the hand, a hand surprisingly warm for its whiteness,” (371). Similarly to Stoner’s Boy, Boo is misconceived to be an awful person. Rumors around town describe him as a cold, creepy recluse with deadly intentions. Based on his ghastly white skin and dull eyes, their beliefs would typically be perceived as true. Despite that, Scout does not fear grasping his hand and is slightly shocked to find the warmth and kindness hiding

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