How Is Scout Finch A Complex Character

The novel To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee is narrated by a very riveting character named Jean Louise Finch, also known as Scout. Being a small girl with a big mind, Scout’s perspective of the world is shaped by her own experiences and inner thoughts, helping the reader get a clear view on who she is and how she deals with her problems in her life. There are so many miscellaneous ways to describe Scout, who is a resilient character, facing more than a regular girl her age can handle. Scout has good qualities and bad, from her impulsive behavior to her naive ways, she thoroughly sticks to her beliefs, such as being a tomboy. The reader can’t mistake Scout’s character, but can truly embrace her through the dialogue, setting, and narration

Harper Lee allows the reader to get a full picture of Scout’s view on every situation, and through all the different sides of her personality that is presented, she is undoubtedly a naive girl. The author demonstrates this through dialogue,“Next morning I woke, looked out the window and nearly died of fright…‘The world’s endin’, Atticus! Please do something-!’I dragged him to the window and pointed. ‘No it’s not,’ he said. ‘It’s snowing’” (Lee 86). This excerpt from the book showed how Scout, who was not at all familiar with snow, mostly due to the fact that they lived in Alabama, thought the world was ending because she was naive. Naturally, seeing something so peculiar can make you scared. For example, Scout had assumed the world was ending from something unnatural, which shows how innocent she is and how easily she believed her life was over. Another great example, was the very important scene of when Scout jumped into a dangerous situation and started to ramble to Mr. Cunningham, “‘Don’t you remember me, Mr. Cunningham? I’m Jean Louise Finch. You brought us some hickory nuts one time, remember?’…‘I go to school with Walter,’ I began again. ‘He’s your boy, ain’t he? Ain’t he, sir?’Mr.

Just as Harper Lee had shown all of Scout’s traits through narration and dialogue, she had displayed them through the setting as well, including how Scout was a tomboy. She had shown this at the end of chapter three. After making a compromise with Atticus about continuing to read outside of school, Scout tries to seal their deal by spitting into her hands for a spit shake. This was not a womanly thing to do, and it showed how Scout was a tomboy. The setting affected this because of the situation Scout was presented with. Atticus was a very well mannered and formal man and they were making a serious deal behind Scout’s teacher’s back. In this specific case, Scout still went for a spit shake, no matter who the person was. Another way the author showed how Scout was a tomboy was through setting was during the missionary circle in chapter twenty-four. All the ladies in the group were well dressed and mannered. Miss Maudie had taken note of how Scout had also worn a nice dress and asked where her britches were. Scout had answered back that they were under her dress and everyone had laughed. This scene showed how even though the setting was with everyone well dressed, including Calpurnia, Scout still stayed true to her tomboy ways and had worn her britches under her dress, no matter the occasion. In many ways, Scout being a tomboy, made her a stronger and more tough