As the book begins, the readers are introduced to Scout, and her knowledge of Maycomb. I noticed how Scout’s narration sounded; she is telling the story as an adult but from a five year old’s point of view during the book, but her narrative included complex words such as “imprudent” (5) and “domiciled” (10), which is unlike what a child would say. Harper Lee uses the unique narration so that Scout would be able to provide background and context to Maycomb, but also so that readers would be able to see how Scout reacted and felt about the events in the book, and how it impacted her life growing up. Scout also used description and imagery as she told the story, which I found intriguing, since children don’t usually care for description and see things simplistically.
I made the mistake of reading the first Little House on the Prairie book once again after finishing the series. It was just so hard to believe that the distinguished Laura Ingalls Wilder was once a naughty five-year-old, always secondary to her flawless older sister. This transformation made me realize that in reality or literature, characters change as they grow. Their change depends on the events taking place in the book, which explains how and why Laura Ingalls rose up to be the head of the family when her older sister was unable to do so. Many literary works portray growth or refinement of certain characters; physically, mentally, or emotionally. For example, Jem Finch, the gullible child who believed his society was flawless, isn’t the same person by the end of the novel. In her novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee demonstrates Jem’s maturity through his behavior and speech.
Jem gets in trouble by Mrs. Dubose and is forced to read to her as a consequence; Scout understands her brother’s begrudging behaviour and tries to help by withstanding the punishment with him even though she’s afraid of the old lady, “You don’t have to go with Jem, you know” (Lee 143). Scout understands why Jem was angered by Mrs. Dubose after she insulted their father since she was upset as well and decided to join her brother through his retribution. During the trial, Scout comes to realize how lonely and sad Mayella must be since she has no friends and has not future because of her father’s ways, “...it came to me that Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world.” (256). After thinking about how isolated Mayella must be despite having a sizeable family, Scout compares the alcoholic’s daughter to the utmost introverted neighbour, Boo Radley. After an unsafe circumstance, Scout leads Boo to his house after he saving her and her brother; she stands on his porch and recounts the past 3 years from his perspective, “It was summertime, and two children scampered down the sidewalk toward a man approaching in the distance.” (374). She finally completely understands him by being where he has, watching and enjoying the children’s theatricals. Standing where Boo watches his neighbours carry on with their lives was enough for Scout to understand what he was thinking and feeling. Scout Finch grew up learning to be appreciative of other’s and their
As Nelson Mandela wisely said “ I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” The story centers around the Finch family and the lessons that both Jem and Scout Finch learn as their father defends a black man accused of rape. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, we see the idea of true courage reflected in Jem Finch’s journey. With her words, Harper Lee paints a picture of what true courage as it is, and Jem Finch takes this lesson to heart as he sees examples of true courage in his life.
Scout matures through the novel, from her interactions with Boo Radley such as when Boo gives Jem and Scout some gifts by putting them in the knothole of
The way people handle moral dilemmas are often different. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird Harper Lee show various moral dilemmas and how different characters deal with it. Scout chose to be different in handling with her moral dilemma and change for the better while Mayella does not change and does wrong. In an odd way two different women (Miss Maudie and Calprina) show great moral choices in this novel. Both Atticus and Bob Ewell are different people and in their moral dilemmas. As you can see in this novel, there are so many different characters and deal with their moral dilemmas differently
Coming of age is a process that comes once in everybody’s life. This process has many results such as gaining strength or getting clever. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a young boy, named Jem, gains maturity, higher level thinking, and empathy skills when he matures. To reveal Jem’s transformation, Harper Lee crafts the story in a meticulous manner and uses purposeful passages and quotes. One such passage is on pages 301 to 304. In the beginning of their conversation, Jem consoles Scout after the incident with Aunt Alexandra. However, the passage mostly focuses on Jem’s conversation to Scout. They argue about society and meanings of difficult concepts such as background. Lee uses this academic argument to establish that Jem has changed from the beginning of the story when he was childish and brash. In the passage, Lee uses the literary elements of characterization, setting, and parallelism to show Jem’s coming of age.
Divorce a common act when a married couple splits up. Sometimes this causes problems, because they might have children. Although they have dispersed from each other, they might take care of their kids if they had any. Dill is a complex character in the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and has to face issues like this. Dill in this story begins to acquire characteristics such as curiosity, rejection, and empathetic ness,
Scout matured quickly through her experiences of the real world. She realized many harsh realities at a very young age. Through her journey she learned the terrible effects of people's racism and hate. Many of the things she learned were not for someone of her age but because of the situations in To Kill a Mockingbird. The story was told by an adult Scout,
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, there are many complex characters. A complex character is a character that goes through a change throughout the story as well as having a variety of traits and many sides to their personalities. One of the main characters, Scout Finch, is a complex character that shows how she can be determined, defensive, and understanding throughout this novel.
Jem is growing up and almost thirteen. He is starting to act like a teenager because he is very hungry, moody, and always telling Scout to leave him alone. While he is excited to become more mature, Scout is still a child. (Coming of Age.) Calpurnia also calls him “Mister Jem.” and treats him more like an adult. Scout is upset that her brother pushes her away and won’t play with her anymore. She asks questions about his strange behavior and doesn’t get why he acts like he does. She will go through these changes when she is older but since she is still so young, it’s hard to understand his
Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem and Scout 's perception of courage drastically changes their behavior as they mature. They learn a lot about courage throughout the novel from their father Atticus and what they learn from him influences their choices and opinions. Although Jem is older than Scout, they both experience change in their behavior. At the beginning of the novel, Jem is still a young boy. He is defiant towards Atticus, he plays all the usual childhood games with Scout and Dill, and he engages in the younger children’s obsession with Boo Radley. As the novel progresses, Jem becomes less defiant and more understanding of adults. Jem witnesses the physical and moral courage of his father before and during the trial of
Maturing is something everyone goes through in life whether you go through it early or a little later in life. In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows a lot about maturing. Growing up in a small town in Maycomb, Alabama where life was a lot more different from today, you mature much different and in different ways. Jem is one person who matures through the whole story and makes realizations about people around him, including his dad, Tom Robinson, and Mrs. Dubose.
Scout Finch is not an ordinary girl, and she does not want to be. Everything about her life proves a little bit out of the ordinary, especially the mysteries of her town. Things start to get even more odd than usual when a neighbor’s nephew, Dill, arrives. He has an untamed curiosity that also boosts Scout’s wonder to figure out the truth of the Radley house next door and the mysterious Boo Radley who lives there. While many questions surround Scout, her father takes a case that will change all of their lives. He agrees to defend an African-American man that was falsely accused, something that was unspeakable at the time. In the town of Maycomb, Scout’s traits of curiosity, tomboy personality, and boldness and courage, help her realize that
Many children have adults in their lives who influence the way they turn out in the future. These people can affect the children in negative or positive ways. Scout learns the importance of respect from Calpurnia, the ways of the world, how to live life to the fullest, and walking in someone else’s shoes to understand them throughout the entirety of To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee truly portrays Scout’s coming of age by using the character’s Calpurnia, Miss Maudie, and Atticus as very important role models in Scout’s life.