Ignorance. Hate. Prejudice. These ideas were widely spread throughout Maycomb County, as well as the whole country. Yet, Jem and Scout Finch managed to embody innocent wisdom, understanding, and acceptance. They managed to hold on to these precious values without their mother’s guidance – arguing that if Jem and Scout, from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, had not lost their mother had their characters would be extremely altered; they would have missed out on many important lessons from female characters who served as mother figures, they would have learned more about Atticus as he would not have closed himself off so much, and Jem and Scout would have much less insight on race, as Calpurnia would have been unnecessary, and they would not have been able to learn from her. …show more content…
They were taught many important lessons by these women, lessons they would not have learned if their mother was alive. Scout learned that “one sprig of nut grass can ruin a whole yard”, something she never would have learned from her mother (Lee 56). By finding solace in mother figures throughout the story, the children inadvertently furthered their growth into morally stable people. Calpurnia, one of their mother figures, taught them lessons about race they never would have learned otherwise. By taking them to an African-American church Calpurnia involuntarily taught them that “[whites] got their church, [blacks] got [their own]” (Lee 158). Without these lessons, Jem and Scout would not have many of the morals and beliefs they carry, and they would not have this valuable information from their mother figures if their real mother was