To Kill a Mockingbird Formal Writing Assignment Throughout the book To Kill a Mockingbird, I focused on the character Scout as she developed and matured in the town of Maycomb County. I believe Scout has grown during the events of the book in the following ways: Scout learned how Maycomb society worked through the people in her life, like Atticus and Aunt Alexandria. When Aunt Alexandria visited the Finch household, she introduced Scout to high society, which Scout did not enjoy. Nevertheless, Alexandria attempted to get Scout into wearing dresses and gossiping about town life. This attempt may have failed, but it showed Scout exactly how a lot of ugly gossip and ideas in general traveled around. The complexities of Maycomb’s societal life …show more content…
likely still confused Scout, but she witnessed the differences of the talk between adults and the talk between children. Atticus tried to help Scout and Jem understand the ramifications of issues like defending Tom Robinson in court, and how that affected the town. Scout understood very well by the end of the book that people would often do cruel and irrational things towards others when they felt threatened by someone. When we first met Miss Maudie, we learned that the Foot-Washing Baptists hated her, and said she and her flowers were going to Hell (Maudie was a big flower cultivator, and loved gardening. The Foot-Washers didn’t though, and thought she should be inside more, studying the Bible.), Miss Maudie states this when she says, “Foot-washers believe anything that’s pleasure is a sin. Did you know some of ‘em came out of the woods one Saturday and passed by this place and told me me and my flowers were going to hell?(42)”. This quote is symbolic in that not just foot-washers, but nearly everybody will be hostile towards someone with different viewpoints. One very close to home change that Scout encountered, was watching her older brother Jem go through the ‘trials of boyhood’.
In the beginning of the book, Jem was friendly to Scout, and he was her sole playmate growing up. But as time went on, Jem would often ignore Scout and leave her for other boys, because she was a girl. He even spent more time with Dill, who was decidedly younger than both Jem and Scout. He would regularly scold Scout for being pathetic and girl-like, which was funny because she was just using her common sense, though she used that to rain on Jem and Dill’s parade whenever they wanted to do something like sneak into the Radley house. “I swear, Scout, sometimes you act so much like a girl it’s mortifyin’(37)” Jem also began to display a different way of thinking, which confused Scout on many occasions. “Jem was twelve. He was difficult to live with, inconsistent, moody. His appetite was appalling, and he told me so many times to stop pestering him I consulted Atticus.(114)” This is an excellent example of how Jem’s sudden changes in behavior worried Scout. Jem was Scout’s big brother, the person who grew up with her all her life, and now he was acting strange and aloof. This would understandably upset Scout, especially because she wasn’t old enough to understand what was happening to Jem. You can see this when Scout says things like, “ Reckon he’s got a tapeworm?(114)”, and “He ain’t that old,” I said. “All he needs is somebody to beat him up, and I ain’t big
enough.(114)” And finally, Scout learned about the differences between the Blacks’ society and the Whites’ society. When Calpurnia took Jem and Scout to her church, they got to see how tightly knit the group was, almost like a clan of sorts. Everyone knew each other and what was going on in their lives, like a big family gathering. They also spoke differently, using a lot of slang. The church didn’t have any hymn books, so the congregation did something called ‘lining’, where one person spoke a verse and the congregation would sing it, call and response style. All in all, Scout experienced a lot of character growth throughout the novel, way more than what was covered in this paper. And the interesting thing is, Scout isn’t even done growing once the novel is over. We can tell from the older Scout’s narration that she now knows much more about what had happened to her as a child, then when she was actually a child. It’s an intriguing idea that Scout will continue to develop long after the book is finished. In a way, it keeps the story alive, because you know Scout will have many more adventures down the road. It’s one of the reasons why I enjoyed the book so much. I’m quite glad that I read it.
Jem had changed throughout the story from acting like a child and doing things that children do to becoming more mature and taking part in the community. When Dill had ran away from his mom and stepdad during the summer Jem and Scout had found him under the bed in Scout’s room. Scout was planning to hide him in her room: however, Jem had other plans. “Dill’s eyes flickered at Jem and Jem looked at the floor. Then he rose and broke the remaining code of our childhood. He went out of the room and down the hall. “Atticus, can you come here a minute, sir?” (pg. 74) For years, Jem and Dill had been the best of friends. Dill had found Jem trustworthy, however, Jem was willing to do what was right even if it means losing a friends trust. Towards the end of the summer, when Dill was getting ready to leave Jem felt that it was necessary that Dill should learn to swim. He has spent the next week going to the creek to teach him. "Jem had discovered with angry amazement that nobody had ever bothered to teach Dill how to swim, a skill Jem considered necessary as walking. They had spent two afternoons at the creek, they said they were going in ...
Scout was the narrator of the book "To Kill a Mockingbird" (by Harper Lee). At first she didn't know a lot about Maycomb (the town they live in), the people in the town and life. Through the book she had lots of new experiences and learned a lot. This knowledge caused significant changes in her characteristics and perspective. As the novel progressed, she has grown up. She has become a better person.
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.
One of the ways Jem changes is by becoming more mature.Jem proves that he is maturing when the kids find Dill under Scout's bed and the first thing Jem says is “let your mother know where you are" and tells Atticus that he was there.This shows that Jem is starting to think like an adult and didn't care about breaking “the remaining code of childhood”. Even though it would mean Scout and Dill getting mad at him he still did it because he knew it was the mature thing to do.This shows that Jem cares more about doing the right, mature thing and less about having Scout and Dill mad at him.
To Kill a Mockingbird "I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father's one of them." – Miss Maudie The quote above states that Atticus Finch was a man who did unpleasant things, but this quote is false. Miss Maudie had every good intention when she told Jem and Scout this and her point was taken in the way she intended it to be taken by the children. Her point could have been better worded if the portion that reads "our unpleasant jobs" were replaced with "what is right." Atticus did unpleasant things only because he knew that they were the right thing to do. Miss Maudie told the children about their father in this way only to avoid saying that the rest of the town was wrong.
Scout is the main character in this book, everything happens from her point of view. But, what happens with her, how does she change and develop? Throughout the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout develops by becoming less aggressive, more independent, and more able to see things from other people's points of view.
The next most obvious person in the book that drastically matures is Jem. At the beginning of the book Jem is much like Scout in that he has the innocence of a young child. For example Jem tells Scout and Dill various made-up stories about Boo Radley to satisfy his need for excitement in his life and for the childish need to scare Scout and Dill. His immaturity is also mirrored when he makes up a game in which he puts Boo’s “… life’s history on display for the edification of the neighborhood.” After that he shows his lack of being able to control his temper and lack of respect when he destroys Miss Dubose’s camellias. There is no doubt that Jem was immature at the start of this book but as the book progresses we see a drastic change in him.
Scout is the narrator of the whole book. She is the young daughter of a lawyer, Atticus. They live in Maycomb County with Scout's brother and Aunt in the 1930's. At the beginning of the book, she doesn’t know much about the prejudice of Southern America. She basically knows nothing about prejudice. She thinks every person is the same as her. But she finds that out at last. She also finally finds out that most people are nice. She just has to put herself in those people's situations. "As I made my way home, I thought Jem and I would get grown but there wasn't much else left for us to learn, except possibly algebra" (Lee pg. #). This statement shows that she understands the prejudice and people's thinking, at last. That makes her life a lot different.
Jem’s maturity throughout the novel affects his behavior by causing him to react more negatively towards any type of disturbance. This affects Scout and
During the course of the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem experiences an obvious transformation, through particular moments that have effect on the young man he is shaped into. Jem’s growth in the novel is apparent in his interactions with Mrs. Dubose and the Tom Robinson trial. He has distinct moments with Atticus that formulates his authentic personality. As a boy he does not yet understand the truth that little Maycomb County holds. It is through his change in age that he formulates vital morals that break the wall that hides the real world.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout Finch represents a young southern tomboy who strives to find her identity. The adults in her town of Maycomb...
Scout Finch is not the stereotypical girl from the 1930’s. Agents the wishes of everyone around her, she grows up in overalls instead of dresses. Scout plays in the dirt and sand, instead of in the kitchen. In the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird, by Harper Lee, Scout is the wild spirited narrator, growing up in the small town of Maycomb. As she gets older, she learns mostly from her father Atticus how to interact with people. Scout learns to show dignity and respect to everyone, under any circumstances.
The siblings go from young and constantly valuing each other's company to not even wanting to be in the same room. When children mature, they begin to appreciate being alone rather than being with other people. This is seen in the example that right before the trial, Scout wants to spend all her time with Jem and Dill, whereas Jem only wants to be in his room and read football magazines. The simplicity of this act shows Jem growing up, and ending his age of innocence.
Another way Scout changed a lot was in the way she treated Boo Radley. At the beginning of the book Jem, Dill, and herself enjoyed playing "Boo Radley" as a game and tormenting him by trying to have a chance to see him or prove their bravery by touching the house. As time went on, Scout's fears and apprehensions regarding the Radley place slowly disappeared. She mentions how "the Radley Place had ceased to terrify me (her)..." As she matures and is more able to take care of herself, she realizes more and more that Boo Radley is a human being, just like herself.
Everyone has most likely picked up a book and read the first few pages then put it down because it’s not interesting enough plenty of times. Harper Lee wrote a fantastic book that replicated part of her childhood that got to people on their insides. The famous novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” is still such a powerful novel because of many reasons such as that you should stand up for what you believe in, all men are NOT created equal, and