ELA 10C–4 Mockingbird Essay 702196501
An Innocent Society Have you ever walked down the street with a toddler? The things they say, and bring up seem absurd to anyone that’s older than they are. You might think, “What a funny thing to say.” And maybe shush them, but in their mind, they’re doing nothing wrong. Everyone is born as an innocent child, kind to everyone, and not knowing any better. But why does this seem to change as we get older? As one gets older, they are exposed to different environments, and begin to lose their innocence, and in turn, gain maturity. In Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”, the idea that innocence is lost as one gets older is displayed many times throughout the book. During the book, Jem is exposed to very ugly situations when he starts paying attention to his father’s court case. He starts to question why Tom Robinson is
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After her school performance showing off what Maycomb has to offer, she and Jem get attacked by Bob Ewell, who wanted to get back at Atticus for defending Tom Robinson. Scout later has to walk Boo Radley home after he helped Jem and her get away from Mr. Ewell, and she starts to look at things differently. “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.” pg. 374. Although Scout may not be showing as high a level of maturity as Jem, this is still her losing part of her innocence because she is looking at things differently than before the incident with Mr. Ewell. “As I made my way home, I felt very old…” pg. 374. While Scout thinks this, you get the idea that she is growing up. You wouldn’t hear a young child say that they felt old, because they wouldn’t. Scout is getting older, and losing her innocence in the process, but she is also gaining experience, and