Boo Radley Judgment Essay

Scout’s Developing Judgment Everyone passes judgment, without knowing the motives behind someone’s actions. An example of this is in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, where an old man who chooses to be distant from society saves two young kids who had completely misjudged him. At the beginning of the story, Scout and Jem are quick to believe the stereotypes told about Mr. Radley, and they pass false judgment because of Boo Radley’s actions, such as never leaving his house. Throughout the story, the two observes the conflict in Maycomb County and she becomes less judgmental, understanding people have a reason behind their actions. Being faced with societal conflict has forced Scout and Jem to understand that people have motives behind their actions. At the beginning of the story, Scout and Jem are very judgmental and feel that what they believe in is always true, causing the two to be unable to see things from a different perspective. An example of this is when Ms. Caroline asks Scout to have Atticus stop teaching her to read. Scout

Caroline would be angry at Scout for knowing how to read and is unable to see that Ms. Caroline wanted Scout to be taught to read through the Dewey Decimal System. Scout doesn’t understand why she needs to re-learn to read through this system, unable to understand it could effect her reading skills in the future. Although Ms. Caroline comes off rude, she has a reason for telling Scout to stop reading. Despite being younger at the beginning of the book, Scout and Jem still don’t realize people have motives behind their actions because there hasn’t been any societal conflict for them to learn from. The conflict in Maycomb County regarding the Tom Robinson case is just what Scout and Jem need to understand why people may disagree with their personal beliefs, and the events that take place in the town as the book progresses connect to the siblings becoming less