Coming Of Age Moment In To Kill A Mockingbird

The true definition of being mature is having reached the most advanced stage in a process. In relation to the human species, maturity has to do with intelligence and learning from past experiences in life. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, it is quite evident how both characters, Jem and Scout, were able to mature greatly throughout the course of the book. While there have been a great number of experiences they've gone through, a specific one comes to mind when thinking of a coming-of-age moment. The passage in which Jem and Scout have an interaction with Mrs. Dubose, their neighbor, author Harper Lee uses external conflict and symbolism to help develop the theme that empathy and sympathizing with people can help make things right by seeing

Dubose, the sick and elderly neighbor of the Finch family. Jem and Scout walk past her house every day to get to town where they always experienced a nasty encounter with Mrs. Dubose. She had once said, “Don’t you say hey to me, you ugly girl! You say good afternoon, Mrs.Dubose” (115). As it is noticeable, her language is cruel, yells and harasses them, and never speaks with pleasant words. They were subject to prejudice and mockery. After communicating this issue with their father, Atticus’s advice was to stay acting like a gentleman since she was old and sick. One day Jem and Scout had walked past her house and she had commented on Atticus, “Your father is no better than the n—--- and trash he works for” (117). Though Jem was able to contain himself from lashing out at all her other commentary, once she had commented on their father, he had gone mad. Jem ended up grabbing a baton and completely destroying Mrs. Dubose’s

Symbolism is strongly presented when Atticus explains to Jem the wishes of Mrs. Dubose before her passing. She had vowed to go clean before she died and to die beholding to nothing and nobody. Atticus saw this as pure courage as it takes a strong-willed person to be able to do this sort of thing. She had a goal and fought her way to it. Atticus states, “It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (128). Atticus explained to Jem the true definition of courage and how much respect he holds for her. She was able to finish what she started and didn’t give up halfway through even if that would’ve been the easiest thing to do. Given this information, Jem was able to look at things from a different perspective. Even though he did say horrible things and wasn’t a necessarily nice person, she did have a good side to her. Atticus was able to show Jem that because of everything Mrs. Dubose has gone through and the circumstance she was in, that was what made her act the way she did. Jem was able to feel sympathy and in some sort of way, forgive her even. Mrs. Dubose symbolizes being misjudged just like Tom Robinson was. Tom Robinson was falsely accused of rape but was found guilty purely of the fact that he was black. Just like Tom was quick to be judged, so was Mrs. Dubose. From the outside, Jem thought she was a cold-hearted, cruel person