In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout is one of the main characters and the narrator. During the time the book begins, she is a little 6 year-old girl who is mature for her age, and she continues to mature as the book progresses. Over the course of the novel, Scout develops an exceptional character which is constantly changing from the effects of different events and characters. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee uses the minor characters Boo Radley, Miss Maudie, and Aunt Alexandra to help develop Scout into a strong and compassionate human being from the innocent child she used to be. Boo Radley, even though he is not in the book that much, plays a very important part in developing Scout into the person she is at the end of the book. …show more content…
Author, he’s asleep. You couldn’t if he was awake, he wouldn’t let you…’ I found myself explaining” (Lee 372). Scout talks to Boo as if she does everyday, this is because she does not want Boo to feel left out of alone anymore than he already does. Scout is a very outgoing person who can make anyone feel as though they belong even if that person does not think they do and we can see that here with her discussion with Boo. Succeeding this encounter, Boo makes the request for Scout to walk him home. Once they reach his house and he goes inside, Scout stands on the porch and views the world as he does. Replaying the events of the past summers through his eyes, Scout finally understands the ways of Boo’s world (Lee 374). This helps Scout mature by the reason of her interpreting his life. She now knows that Boo sees her life as an example, she has a loving family and a superior life which he wishes he could have. However, he knows that this is not a possibility. While Scout does not really know Boo on a personal level, she knows Miss Maudie a little better. This is because for a tiny bit of time, the two of them sit and talk everyday. Therefore, Scout knows Miss Maudie well and she helps change Scout into the matured girl she is at the end of the book. While at a tea party, Miss Maudie is sitting net to Scout while all the other ladies ask her questions about her future and what she wants to do with her life-- “Miss Maudie’s
Scout tries to resist her community’s attempts to shape her into a ‘proper’ young lady in several different ways.
From this, one can see that Scout is still in a juvenile state of mind. Furthermore, one can see how the beliefs of the townspeople have been transferred to Scout, who had taken them as they are considered the social norm. She unknowingly accepts their racism when she thinks of Dolphus Raymond as a “sinful man” because he associates himself with black people and “…had mixed children and didn’t care who knowed it.” (201) She does not understand why he freely displays his transgression to the town when it is acknowledged as a wrong thing to do in Maycomb. However, Scout slowly starts to develop her own sense of right and wrong and create her own judgments of others. Boo was once the monster of her childhood, but after witnessing his cordial and courageous actions, she realizes that “he hadn’t done any of those things…he was real nice.” (281) In the end, Scout matures and sheds her childhood nickname to become the young lady called “Jean Louise” by family and friends. (211, 224, 229) This change in Scout is a result of her loss of innocence and is a focal point in the novel to give a thought-provoking perspective on the events of the book.
Scout identifies Boo as a mockingbird, equating that he is defenseless with purity, just like the bird. She can acknowledge his perspective in their town, as she knows the scrutiny he’d face if this were revealed publicly. This proves that Scout is growing in her courteousness and maturity after her exposure to the world’s harsh reality. Likewise, Lee indicates Scout’s attainment of maturity when she’s able to express her sorrow for the neglect the town has put Boo Radley through. As Scout walks Boo home, she reflects on the number of times she and her older brother, Jem, have made the visit outside of the Radley home, growing more curious every day.
Scout walked around in Boo’s shoes and saw that while he had done as much as he could for the kids, they on the other hand had done nothing to show how much they appreciated it. She was finally getting the hang of putting herself into others shoes and in doing so she makes her biggest moment of clarity in the book, that they needed to show that they care about Boo as much as he cares about them.
In high school, he got in trouble with law, but his father assured the town officials that Boo’s behavior would be taken care of. For the next 15 years, he only left his house late at night. Throughout the story, Scout and her brother, Jem, attempt to lure him out, but they are unsuccessful, until Miss. Maudie’s house caught on fire. Without the kids noticing, Boo snuck out of his house and wrapped a blanket around Scout because she was cold.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout transitions from a young inexperienced child to a mature young woman through lessons Atticus taught her. For example, in the beginning of the book she questions things like
" To which he replies, " 'don't say [ni--ers] Scout. It isn't polite" (Lee 122). Although Scout realizes that Atticus has indirectly answered her question, she is still undecided as to whether or not she should subscribe to Maycomb's intolerance, since she is still quite impressionable, and contests Atticus's decisions. Furthermore, her impressionability, apart from its derivation from her gender, undoubtedly forces Scout and her generation to become the key towards social change, and right the wrong that injustice imposes upon various individuals. Scout's age and gender encumber her ability to form her own opinions throughout the novel. Yet, Atticus conveys the importance of morality and equality by demonstrating a level of acceptance towards his client and his client's ethnicity. It is not that Scout underestimates her father, but rather, that she is very young, perhaps too young, to understand his motive and the prejudice that is attached to his case. Likewise, the Finch's neighbor, Arthur "Boo" Radley, serves to teach Scout the harm in discrimination during three separate summers. Although Boo is made the subject of games that involve him as a murdering maniac, he becomes, "a compelling enigma […] that also represents Scout's most personal lesson in judging others based [solely] upon surface appearance" (Felty 299). For her entire life, Scout has always
Scout’s maturation and non-judgmental attitude that develops throughout To Kill a Mockingbird help her mature into an individual with integrity. Contrary to the beginning of the novel, Scout establishes herself as a wise character in the latter portions of the book. After an incredulous Atticus is told that Jem did not kill Mr. Ewell, Scout reassures Atticus by saying, “Well it’d sort of be like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” (Lee 276) Taking Atticus’ advice into consideration, Scout climbs into Boo Radley’s skin and finally respects Boo’s decision to remain indoors and not be proclaimed a hero. Additionally, Scout matures into a very open-minded
She tries to learn as much information about everything as possible. For example, Scout loves to ask her father questions about the world she lives in. She is interested in learning about her father’s job as a lawyer. Also, Scout is extremely intrigued by the mystery of Boo Radley. Boo is a young man who never leaves his home.
Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee is a novel set in the United States during the 1930's. This novel deals with the hardships of growing up, among other important themes. Scout, the main character in the book, underwent many challenges during her early life that resulted in her maturing at a young age. Scout learned the meaning of racism, courage, and tolerance (comprehension).
Scout stands up for Walter Cunningham and says "That Walter's as smart as he can be, he just gets held back sometimes because he has to stay out and help his daddy. Nothing's wrong with him."(p304). Scout realizes that Walter Cunningham is not the way he is by choice but because his life holds him back by seeing what it would be like to be him. When Scout goes on the Radley's porch and thinks about how things would look like through Boo's eyes she realizes "Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley's porch was enough"(p.374). When Scout was younger she believed that Boo was this monster because of all the rumors that were spread about him but in reality Boo is this kind man who is kind to Jem and Scout. After realizing this Scout now sees hat Atticus was right and that she she shouldn't judge someone just by things she hears and people might do what they do for a
“I had never seen our neighborhood from this angle. There were miss Maudie's, miss Stephanie's- there was our house, I could see the porch swing…” (Lee 373) After Scout walked boo home, she saw the neighborhood
Lastly, Boo wants to secretly give Jem, Scout, and Dill some signs to show them that he is not afraid to communicate with them. He wants to show Scout, Jem and Dill that he is interested in learning more about them and the entire world. By doing this, Boo matures into a person who will begin to communicate and interact with the world.
As Scout gets a little older, she soon realizes that she will have to start acting like a lady. She begins to understand why Aunt Alexandra wants her to act the way that she does. She comes to understand her Aunt and believes there is something interesting in learning how to be a lady. She most realizes this when Jem and Dill go swimming and she couldn't go because they are swimming nude. Aunt Alexandra decides to invite the missionary Ladies for a tea party to discuss the current events in the town of Maycomb (their hometown). Aunt Alexandra dresses Scout up in a dress
A story is always different depending on the person telling it. This is the case in To Kill a Mockingbird, a classic book by Harper Lee published in 1960. The book is about a child growing up in a racist community in Alabama and the challenges she faces. During her childhood, She messes with Boo Radley, a neighbor, goes to the trial of Tom Robinson, a innocent black man, and is attacked on Halloween night. The story has received much popularity, and has since then been made into a movie. Although the book and the movie follow the same general plot, the book contains many important events missing from the movie that lead to the character development of the main character, Scout.