Atticus Maturity

In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a major theme that is evident in the book is the idea of maturity and a loss of innocence, especially in the younger characters. As one of the main characters, Atticus, was a lawyer who dealt with major issues in Maycomb, his children, a young girl named Scout and her brother Jem, were forced to mature at a very young age. They were the most affected by growth in the book, and showed their maturity by becoming more empathetic, controlling their actions, and changing their views on society.

Also, during the missionary meeting, instead of going to Helen Robinson when her husband died, Scout decided to stay at the meeting (317). This shows maturity on Scout's part, because she put aside her curiosity in order to comfort and not worry the other ladies of the circle. By putting others' needs in front of her own, she showed growth past her childish ignorance. The summer after the big trial, Scout

"Do all lawyers defend n-Negroes, Atticus?" she had said, trying hard to follow her father's words. She had never used the word in bad context again, and showed her maturity by showing respect to the black people, instead of acting like her fellow schoolmates. Her brother Jem also changed his views on Maycomb as he grew up. When Scout opposed his theory of "family background", Jem replied, "That's what I thought too, when I was your age. If there's just one kind of folks, why can't they get along with each other? If they's all alike, why do the go out of their way to despise each other (304)?" As Jem witnessed the trial and Atticus's feuds with the other familes in Maycomb, he realized that there was a lot of hate in the world. In conclusion, maturity and loss of innocence were big themes in the book To Kill A Mockingbird. Scout and Jem became more empathetic, controlled their actions, and changed their views on the world. As