How Is Scout Portrayed In To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel by Harper Lee, describes the events and trials surrounding a window of Jean-Louise “Scout” Finch’s childhood growing up in the small southern town of Maycomb. In doing so, Lee reveals young Scout’s internal conflict in relation to her views on topics such as racism, discrimination, and societal rank. Her impressionability as a child causes her to be bombarded with opinions wherever she turns, and must therefore sort through the confusion around her to discover her own personal set of morals. Lee accurately conveys this through characterization, the irony and even hypocrisy of the stances of others, and through a range of motifs.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming of age story, through the eyes of Scout, a young girl living in Maycomb County, Alabama. Scout is raised in an odd time in American history when racism and prejudice were routine. Scout was surrounded by people that forced to learn many crucial life lessons and help her mature into a respectable lady. List points

Over the course of the novel, “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Scout changes immensely in many ways. Jean Louise Finch(Scout) the daughter of Atticus Finch, becomes very different at the end of the book, than the beginning. Scout becomes more mature, a respectful lady, and begins to accept people the way they are. Throughout the novel Scout changes in many ways.

To Kill A Mockingbird Essay Throughout the book “To Kill A Mockingbird”, Jem and Scout learn about respect from many different people. Such as, their father Atticus, Mrs Dubose who is a morphine addict, and Tom Robinson who is a respectable black man, on trial for a crime he did not commit. Jem and Scout learn about respect from their father Atticus. Atticus is a prime example of a respectable man. He stands up for what’s right, and for what he believes in no matter what other people think.

As the book progresses Scout is having constant difficulty with her lack of maturation. Many problems are starting to occur in the book, and they are problems that she just doesn't understand yet. Scout is still young and doesn’t quite understand why she isnt told everything, and why she isn’t just as mature as Jem. “ That’s because you can’t hold something in your mind but a little while, said Jem. It’s different with grown folks, we-”

Oftentimes, Scout is confused as to why someone would treat her or anyone differently because of their gender, age, or skin color. For example, on Scout’s first day of school, she tells her teacher, Ms.Caroline, that she can read. Ms.Caroline is not happy about that, and tells Scout to stop reading. Scout is angry at Ms. Caroline, and says to Jem, “...that damn lady says Atticus been teaching me to read and for him to stop it…”(Lee 23). This shows how Scout is angry that Ms. Caroline is trying to change how she learns.

These thoughts that occur within Scout’s mind are significant because it marks the beginning of her realization of the racism that has been happening. In like manner, Scout also realizes how different things are for colored people compared to white people. “I did not understand Tom’s situation: he

Scout learns a lesson when Calpurnia yells, “Don’t matter who they are, anybody who sets foot in this house’s yo’ comp’ny.” after Scout embarrassed Walter by saying he has bad manners (Lee 33). Scout learned that she should always respect others. She was embarrassed by what she said because she realized it was wrong. Scout is surrounded by people in her town who are judgemental, and she

“Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our lives. But neighbors give in return. We never put back into the tree what we took out of it: we had given him nothing, and it made me sad” (Lee 373). To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a story about the sleepy town of Maycomb. It takes place during a dark time for America, the Great Depression. The tale is told from the point of view of Scout Finch, a naive, young girl who matures throughout the book. Through her flashbacks, the reader discovers how Scout develops with Atticus’ guidance; as she learns how a mockingbird symbolizes innocence, the discrimination towards African Americans, and how empathy can change a person’s outlook

In Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” the main character, Scout, matures in many ways and learns plentiful new things throughout the story. What does Scout learn and how does it affect her character at the end? What was the reason for this character to have such dramatic changes? These questions will be answered by this essay.

Peer pressure heavily influences Maycomb citizens throughout the novel, often pertaining to racism. One night, Jem and Scout go out late in the evening to find Atticus after he leaves the house for an unexplained reason. They find him in front of the jailhouse facing a mob angry about his defense of a Negro named Tom Robinson. In this mob, Scout sees Mr. William Cunningham Sr., the father of a friend at school. She is later upset about the fact that Mr. Cunningham almost hurt Atticus in his hurry to join in with other men in their potentially harmful activities.

In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee as the novel progresses Scout’s innocence is gradually evaporating. Scout is losing her innocence of a child from being exposed to the “real world” and experiencing the prejudice ness of others. At the beginning of the novel Scout is a young girl who has never faced the “evil” of the world. Maycomb county Alabama during the Great depression is extremely racially prejudiced. Scout encounters the evil of society when Atticus takes on the case of Tom Robinson. One day at school ¨He (Cecil Jacobs) had announced in the schoolyard the day before that Scout Finch’s daddy defended niggers”(99) Scout’s became very angry by this and her “fists were clenched and I was ready to let fly”(99) Scout being harassed by

Soon, Scout notices that something is up with Atticus and sees that a mob has cornered him in the county jail. While she watches, she sees the “flash of plain fear” () in Atticus’ eyes and leaps into the crowd. She can sense the violence in the crowds heads and takes matters into her own hands when she sees her father being threatened. She attempts to cool the tense situation by talking to Mr. Cunningham about his son. As she is talking the mob sees that she is purely innocent and good and it made them think of themselves and how they were acting so harshly.

In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee presents a large social atmosphere that includes many different cultures and extremes. The story takes place in the southern town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. This novel illustrates how the southerners perceived different ideas about each other and social norms. It is told through the eyes of a young girl, Scout Finch, as she is growing up and becoming influenced by societal attitudes. Throughout the course of this book Scout learns many lessons including: how a society functions, why there is conflict between different cultures, and what makes cultures different from each other.

“The hardest part of growing up is letting go of what we are used to and moving on to something you are not”-Paul Walker