Essay On Scout's Coming Of Age In To Kill A Mockingbird

It is the Great Depression and every day people are struggling to earn a paycheck. Stuck, in a small county in Alabama, where each season is summer. Racial tensions are high and the hot days don’t make it any better. News spreads quickly in a desolate place like this, the whole town will know what so-and-so did in a matter of days. With the threat of being openly shamed by their community, many conform to the ways of others, even if it doesn’t make sense. This is the position of a little girl formally called Scout. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout is led to her coming of age through her perspective. Harper Lee, the author, allows her to cross paths with others in her community, such as Mrs.Dubose, Mr.Raymond, and Boo Radley to assist

Mrs.Dubose would heckle Scout and Jem as they walked by her house, so they would be upset when they returned home and Atticus would inquire why. He made the excuse that Mrs.Dubose was “ an old lady and [that] she’s ill”, so Mrs.Dubose did not mean what she said (115). Some people may have difficulty controlling their words. Scout must understand this and control how she acts since they can’t. Scout’s confrontations with Mrs.Dubose build an understanding of others with certain disabilities. Other people are not as mentally stable as Scout, and from dealing with Mrs.Dubose, she has learned how to compromise with others like Mrs.Dubose. Scout was also taught the true meaning of bravery by Mrs.Dubose. Mrs.Dubose told herself that she “was going to leave this world beholden to nothing and nobody” (127). Atticus called her “the bravest person [he] ever knew” as she had “won [...] according to her views” (128). Scout had learned that bravery did not require status or strength, it is when you work through something no matter the result. Scout can understand why people may live in contrast to herself. She can accept others in her community for keeping to their values and not conforming to their societal