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Coming Of Age And Perspective In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

585 Words3 Pages

To Kill A Mockingbird:
Coming of Age and Perspective

How do we start to understand the people around us? In chapter 12 of “To Kill A Mockingbird” Harper Lee uses setting, conflict, and character in order to develop the theme of coming of age. Coming of age involves us recognizing that everyone has a different perspective. The character Scout, in the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird”, learns this theme by realizing the variety of perspectives around her.

Lee demonstrates how Scout is starting to recognize the different perspectives of the people around her by using the setting of a colored church, and comparing it to her own church. As stated in the novel,
” There was no sign of piano, organ, hyman-books, church programs-the familiar …show more content…

As stated in the novel,“ You ain’t got no business bringin‘ white chillun here
—they got their church, we got our’n. It is our church, ain’t it, Miss Cal?” In this scene Scout is seeing the perspective of Lula and how Lula has a different mindset compared to Calpurnia. As stated in the novel,” Jem said’ let's go home Cal they don’t want us here-’ I agreed: they did not want us here. I sense, rather than saw, that we were being advanced upon.” In this moment, both Jem and Scout are made aware of the perspective of the colored folk.

Scout in this chapter has to recognize that Calpurnia interacts differently to the world compared to herself. As stated in the novel,” That Calpurnia lead a modest double life never dawned on me. The idea that she had a separate existence outside our household is a novel one to, to say nothing of her having command of two languages.” At this moment, it dawns on Scout how different their lives are and how they interact with others differently. As stated in the novel,” It’s right hard to say, she said. Suppose you and Scout talked colored-folks talk at home it’d be out of place, wouldn't it. Now what if I talked white-folks’ talk at church, with my neighbors? They'd think I was puttin’ on airs to beat Moses.” In this quote we see that Calpurnia already acknowledges the perspectives of the people around her; she is trying to teach both scout and

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