To Kill A Mockingbird Character Analysis

All children have a moment where they start to mature and come of age. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus tries to teach his daughter Scout to act more sophisticated and ladylike. When Scout was younger she would ignore Atticus’s request, but now that she has matured you can see her wanting to adjust her personality. Harper Lee uses the characterization of Scout to show the motif that she is coming of age, in the novel she has progressively become more empathetic, she doesn’t act on her impulses, and Scout is finally learning and gaining perspective of how people in Maycomb act toward each other.

Even though Scout seems to be unfamiliar with how to act around other people when they are going through certain hardships, she began studying Atticus in an attempt to learn how to convey empathy. Scout says to her brother Jem “‘ Do you itch Jem’ I asked as politely as I could (Lee 71).” Scout is making a great effort to show empathy toward Jem for what he is going through. She has been observing what Atticus says and does intently during these situations. In a previous chapter Atticus spoke to Scout about not being so tough on Jem and encouraged her to show some empathy for what he is experiencing. When Jem and Scout are reading to Mrs. Dubose she mentions “ In the corner of the room was a brass bed, and in the bed was Mrs. Dubose. I wondered if Jem’s activities had put her there, and for a moment I felt sorry for her. (Lee 121/122).” Scout feels sorry for Mrs. Dubose and feels