How Does Scout Finch Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird

Paulina Danilova 14383

Mrs. Willshire

English 1, Period 3

18 February 2023

A Veil Over Scout’s Perspective In 1930s Alabama, lives a girl, Scout Finch. When her father, lawyer Atticus Finch, takes on the difficult case of defending accused rapist Tom Robinson, Scout is suddenly exposed to the real world and the true nature of the town of Maycomb. She is thrown into its racist and prejudiced nature. The events she experiences begin to take a toll on her character. In To Kill A Mockingbird, the author Harper Lee changes Scout’s character from an innocent child with little experience to a maturing young girl who can understand parts of the world and her life that she previously ignored, which Lee uses to reveal the larger idea of how children

For example, while Scout and Jem are walking to the school, they pass by the Radley house, and Scout tells Jem, "It is a scary place though, ain’t it?...Boo doesn’t mean anybody any harm, but I’m right glad you’re along" (292). Boo is no longer a monster. She reveals her newfound ability to see people's true intentions by looking past the town’s prejudice and implicit bias. She knows because of her interactions with Boo and looking beyond the face value that Boo is a very kind and caring person. She ignores rumors of the townsfolk and discovers Boo’s true nature herself. Moreover, after Scout and Jem get attacked by Bob Ewell, the adults concur that he tripped and stabbed himself, although that was not true. They need to keep the secret and tell Scout, “‘Mr. Ewell fell on his knife. Can you possibly understand?’ Atticus looked like he needed cheering up. I ran to him and hugged him and kissed him with all my might. ‘Yes sir, I understand,’ I reassured him… ‘Well, it’d sort of be like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?’” (317). She realizes that not all things are black and white, and though that is not what happened, and Boo Radley would probably not be arrested for killing, she still should keep the secret to protect him and his personal life. To truly protect Boo Radley would be to preserve his lifestyle, and treat him like the mockingbird: an innocent figure, who has done nothing to anyone. Additionally, after being saved by Boo Radley, Scout walks him home, and as she stands at the porch that had previously been a symbol of fear, she realizes, “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.” (321). Fully seeing the world through Boo Radley’s perspective demonstrates her fully developed