How Does Scout Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is a story that takes the reader on a journey through the sleepy town of Maycomb, Alabama, in the mid 1930’s. The story revolves around a young white girl named Jean Louise Finch, more commonly known as Scout. Scout’s life is filled with many events, like the Tom Robinson trial, that play a key role in her character development as she grows up in the racist community she is a part of. Throughout the novel, Scout learns that the society she lives in is filled with people who are dangerously influenced by racial prejudice. She matures from a naive girl who could not even comprehend the idea of racism to a knowledgeable person who realizes how unfair the racial justice system is. Scout is introduced into the novel as an innocent girl who does not understand much about what the society she lives in is like. She is still learning the culture and behaviors of the people in

Just after the trial ends, Tom Robinson tries to escape the guards, and the guards “accidentally” shoot and kill him. With this news, Atticus and Jem feel horrible. Although Scout is not as affected, she can tell that it is a tragedy, especially when Jem yells: “I never wanta hear about that courthouse again, ever, ever, you hear me? You hear me? Don’t you ever say one word to me about it again, you hear? Now go on!” (Lee, 251). Since Scout has never seen her brother mentally explode before, she knows that this is no ordinary drama. But maybe the excitement is just for her family, as just two days later, Scout finds that the news of Tom’s death has essentially disappeared within Maycomb. Additionally, when the topic was being discussed, Scout overhears multiple people, and she can tell that nobody has any sort of remorse or compassion for Tom and his family; they are only talking about the evil within all colored