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How Is Scout Portrayed In To Kill A Mockingbird

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The name of the novel being explored is 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the 1950's in Alabama Maycomb during the racist times towards the blacks. Throughout this topic the focus is on the main character/narrator Scout (Jan Louise Finch). This essay will explore Scout's character and the negative and or positive influence she has on other characters at the start, throughout and at the end of the text.

At the beginning of the novel 'To kill a Mockingbird' Scout is a naïve, has a very tomboy like personality, is a judgmental five year-old girl who was oblivious to the cruelty's of the outside world. Scout also discriminates against people before she gets to know them. Throughout the beginning of the text Scout is naive, this makes her oblivious to the cruelty's of the world. Scouts naivety is preliminary because of her young age, we can see this when she says “No, everybody's gotta learn, nobody's born knowin'. That Walter's as smart as he can be, he just gets held back sometimes because he has to stay out and help his daddy. Nothing's wrong with him. Naw, Jem, I think there's just one kind of folks." This implies that scout is …show more content…

One person that Scout has a positive influence on is Tom Robinson. This occurs when the lynching mob (that includes Mr. Cunningham) comes to the town jail to obtain Tom and lynch him, Scout and Jem followed Atticus to the Jail as they were worried for him. When Scout saw Atticus was troubled she ran to him. Scout then sees Mr. Cunningham the only face she recognized she asks him "how's your entailment going?". This impacts Mr. Cunningham in a soft spot for the little girl. Mr. Cunningham makes the men stand down and leave. This Implies that Scout's naivety causes her to be oblivious to the violent nature of Mr. Cunningham and the rest of the mob, but because of this she has a positive influence on Tom By saving his

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She grew up never understanding what was going on around her, but as she grew older she understood the bad things that were happening around her. Scout grew up in a very racist town, surrounded by racists every day she had to know what was right and what was wrong. “There’s something in our world that makes men lose their heads—they couldn’t be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins. They’re ugly, but those are the facts of life”(Lee 330).

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These thoughts that occur within Scout’s mind are significant because it marks the beginning of her realization of the racism that has been happening. In like manner, Scout also realizes how different things are for colored people compared to white people. “I did not understand Tom’s situation: he

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Atticus is a bold man considering he knew the mob would eventually come and he had to be prepared to protect Tom Robinson from harm. In addition, he was willing to risk his life for a black man which was very peculiar during the time but dared to stand his ground and fight for justice. Also, Atticus did not mind what other people thought of him or cared less about his reputation being ruined or his family being put on the line for defending a black man indicating he had the perseverance to fight for righteousness. When Scout sees that her father is in danger, or given that he is surrounded by unfamiliar faces, she realizes one of the men is Mr.Cunningham. In an attempt to cool the tension, Scout tries to find common ground with Mr.Cunningham by saying, "Entailments are bad" (Lee 205).

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When Mr.Cunningham is about to leave after conversing with Atticus about his entailment, he exhibits his thoughtfulness; influencing Scout to have better compassion. He says to him “‘Let that be the least of your worries, Walter,’” Atticus's effective interactions with other members of Maycomb, such as his conversation with Mr. Cunningham, influence Scout to be more compassionate and understanding of others' situations. After Scout reads Mr.Underwood’s editorial, she realizes how much effort Atticus put into freeing Tom Robinson even though he knew he would lose; causing her to have a better understanding of certain concepts. According to Scout, “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men’s hearts Atticus had no case.”

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Scout, the main character grows spiritually, physically, and most importantly morally. She experiences the injustices of Southern racial policy and does not understand how to react to it. However, her behavior at the end of the story demonstrates her outstanding and extensive moral growth. In the beginning Scout shows immaturity by fighting and yelling at other. She shows her new maturity when she walks Arthur (Boo) Radley home after he rescues her and Jem from Bob Ewell.

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Another example of Scout's tolerance can be seen in her interactions with her father's client, Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. Despite the intense racism and prejudice of the community, Scout is able to see Tom as a person, and not just as a black man. This is demonstrated when Scout says "Tom Robinson, a human being in white men's world" (Chapter 23). Through this statement, Scout is able to see the humanity in Tom and understand the injustice of his situation. In addition, Scout's relationship with her father Atticus Finch, who serves as a model of tolerance throughout the story, also helps her to

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After Scout fights with Walter Cunningham, Jem invites him over for dinner but Scout is very rude. After a scolding from Calpurnia, Scout wants to fix her mistake and invite Walter over to play to make her for her actions. This shows that even though she can act tough and mean that she means well and has a good heart. Another kind-hearted act occurs during the trial. During Tom's testimony she realizes Dill does not feel well, she escorts him outside to get some fresh air.

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Scouts developments throughout the novel revolve around the lessons she is taught be three people, Calpurnia, Miss Maudie, and Aunt Alexandra. These three characters each have their own lessons to teach including forgiveness, understanding, equality and much more. These lessons allow Scout to have a wider perspective of the situation she finds herself in. Scout in the novel is presented to us as a growing a developing character. The lessons she is taught by her three feminine influences help her development a lot in the throughout the novel as they are a wide variety of lessons most likely helping think of what to do in most situations she finds herself in.

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Tagging along in her journey is her elder brother, Jem as well as their friend Dill. Scout also has to witness a trial that would make or break her father, Atticus when he must defend an innocent black man in a case of rape. It makes perfect sense for Atticus to take a stand for Tom Robinson and his human rights. Firstly, Tom is innocent of his accused

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Think back to when you were little kid around 7 or so and you had no worries about life or anything. All you would think about is candy and toys and nothing about the world of adults. No worries of the weather or what the grown ups would talk about. Scout’s childhood innocence takes a turn from her care free days to the real world of racism and bad people. In To Kill a Mockingbird Scout witnesses the trial of Tom Robinson and how racism is taught to her unknowingly from it.

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Scout then explains that the Cunninghams are hard workers, they are poor and accept no charity and they can only pay back with hickory nuts and turnip greens. Miss Caroline takes that as an insult towards Walter and punishes her by ordering her to sit in the corner while the other students laugh at her. Scout then pummels Walter to the ground in the playground for embarrassing her in the classroom, but she stopped when Jem pulls her back from Walter. Scout’s father Atticus invites Walter to dinner at the Finch house, and there Scout pulls another disrespectful move on Walter where she explains that he has “ruined” his dinner by pouring all the molasses all over his plate. Calpurnia, Scout’s cook, then calls Scout to the kitchen and says to apologize to Walter and is asked to eat in the kitchen instead of the dinner table as her

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“The hardest part of growing up is letting go of what we are used to and moving on to something you are not”-Paul Walker Growing up is one of the hardest, as well as one of the most important parts in life. Growing up should be fun, but in Scouts case learning about the cruelty and the reality she is living in is no fun. As the novel advances Scout experiences various emotional changes because of different events that take place. She starts to realize the unfairness that exists between different races and the discrimination that is rounding at the time.

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The novel To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the segregated South of the 1930’s. The book is told in the eyes of an eight year old girl, Scout Finch. Her father, Atticus Finch, is an attorney who is struggling to prove the innocence of a black man incorrectly accused of rape. The historical context of the book lets one see the social status of different groups during the civil rights era. The story explores who fits into certain societies, who is respected in the community, written and unwritten rules concerning family, gender, age, and race, expectations of certain people, and what conflicts arise out of tension.

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In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee presents a large social atmosphere that includes many different cultures and extremes. The story takes place in the southern town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. This novel illustrates how the southerners perceived different ideas about each other and social norms. It is told through the eyes of a young girl, Scout Finch, as she is growing up and becoming influenced by societal attitudes. Throughout the course of this book Scout learns many lessons including: how a society functions, why there is conflict between different cultures, and what makes cultures different from each other.

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