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Jem And Scout Coming Of Age Essay

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Jem and Scout’s Coming of Age Books are uniquely suited to help people change their relationships and the variety of habits of daily life in this world. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the author exemplifies the moving behavior of humans teaches reader the factors of human personalities, such as innocence, kindness, and the moral of human dignity. Scout and Jem, on their journey to growing up as they move away from childhood, have coming of age moments where they have the ability to see individuals with a combination of good and evil. A moment that Jem and Scout encounters is learning about innocence from people. In Chapter 10, Miss Maudie explains about the significance of mockingbirds, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make …show more content…

Atticus describes to Jem and Scout about Mr. Cunningham, “Mr. Cunningham’s basically a good man...he just has his blind spots along with the rest of us...you’ll understand folks a little better when you’re older. A mob’s always made up of people, no matter what. Mr. Cunningham was part of a mob last night, but he was still a man” (Lee 210). Jem and Scout learn that Mr. Cunningham has a “blind spot,” which he is racist against people of color and leads Tom Robinson to jail to enact violence. Other than that, Mr. Cunningham is a hard-working man who struggle each day to take care of his family. Also, Scout explains to Atticus what happened as she met Boo Radley. “‘An’ they chased him ‘n’ never could catch him ‘cause they didn’t know what he looked like, an’ Atticus, when they finally saw him, why he hadn’t done any of those things...Atticus, he was real nice...’ ‘Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them’” (Lee 376). Scout sees if “you climb in his skin and walk around in it” (Lee 39), she could see Boo’s personalities by meeting him, even though he was thought to be

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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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I made the mistake of reading the first Little House on the Prairie book once again after finishing the series. It was just so hard to believe that the distinguished Laura Ingalls Wilder was once a naughty five-year-old, always secondary to her flawless older sister. This transformation made me realize that in reality or literature, characters change as they grow. Their change depends on the events taking place in the book, which explains how and why Laura Ingalls rose up to be the head of the family when her older sister was unable to do so. Many literary works portray growth or refinement of certain characters; physically, mentally, or emotionally.

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When Mr. Cunningham is over at the Finch house, Scout overhears him telling Atticus that he never knows when he’ll be able to pay Atticus back and Atticus tells him not to worry. Curious, Scout asks Atticus if he’ll ever be paid by the Cunninghams. In response to Scout’s questions, he replies with,” Not in money, but before the year’s out I’ll have been paid”(23). Atticus is also a great exemplar of selflessness. He completes tasks for others and doesn’t expect big things or anything in return.

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He’s in my grade” (Lee 174). Scout is trying to get Mr. Cunningham’s attention but after calling his name does not work she starts talking about his son. This got his attention and made him embarrassed. Scout is at the jail where Atticus is to stop the mob from lynching Tom. Scout does not fully understand what all the men are doing at the jail.

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Scout learns to not judge people by the things they do. Scout most clearly learns this when she realizes how Boo Radley secretly helps her. For example, when Miss. Maudie’s house catches on fire, Boo came up behind her and put a blanket around her when she was outside, cold. Also, at the end Boo saved Scout from being hurt by Bob Ewell.

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Scout shows bravery when she talks to Mr Cunningham, the leader of a mob trying to kill Tom Robinson. While the mob was attempting to go in the prison where Tom Robinson was, Scout stopped the mob by showing kindness and agape love to Mr. Cunningham, by saying “‘Hey, Mr. Cunningham. How's your entailment getting along?’” (Lee 175), and talking to him about his son. After Scout acted bravely, Mr. Cunningham acted nicely to Scout, and instructed the mob to

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Unlike Jem, she is not nearly as impervious to prevalent biases present in her community. They constantly interfere with her thoughts on her peers and it shows. When Walter Cunningham, a classmate of Scout’s from a less wealthy (and less privileged, one might argue) family joins them for dinner, she gives no thought to Walter’s value and deduces it as close to none, insisting that “He ain’t company, Cal, he’s just a Cunningham” (Lee 33), no doubt as a result of uneducated surrounding authority figures, such as the undeniably ignorant Miss Caroline. Furthermore, Scout quickly succumbed to the primitive fables behind Boo Radley. Her point of view, which is of the likes that “Boo Radley drove the scissors into his parent’s leg” (Lee 13), has been distorted by rumors of the Radley family borne of nothing more than childish boredom and the lack of palpable

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When a large riot came to get Atticus, Scout was timid at first, but once, she saw a familiar face, Mr.Cunningham, she realized they were just regular people just like her she remembered that “there’s just one kind of folks. Folks.” (304) and used this opportunity to try to stop them. She walked up to him and started talking to him like it was a normal conversation, and that is all it took to save her father.

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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.

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In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem and Scouts changing perspective of Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley represents a coming of age moment because it demonstrates a breaking away from the childlike imagination that had previously explained all of their questions and superstitions about the Radley’s. A coming-of-age moment is the transition of thinking that occurs when someone learns empathy. At the start of the novel, in many situations, Scout and Jem demonstrate childish behavior and thinking when Jem is taunted into touching the side of the Radley home by Scout and Dill. The book reads, “Jem threw open the gate and sped to the side of the house, slapped it with his palm and ran back past us” (18). From this portion of the novel we can tell that Jem and Scout clearly regarded the Radley home and its occupants with novelty and even fear.

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In the book, Atticus helps Jem gain moral growth by learning not to judge others based on their past actions. One way Jem gains moral growth, is by learning not to judge Mr. Cunningham because of his past actions. One instance of this is when

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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.

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Coming of Age In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, both Jem and Scout are forced to grow up by what they experience. They do not ask to grow up; it is forced upon them. Harper Lee uses different elements and literary techniques that are inserted into different themes of the story that are also in the chapters of the story. In Chapter 3, after Scout is reprimanded on her first day at school for knowing how to read, and for her attempts to assist Miss Caroline by explaining who Walter Cunningham is and that she has shamed him.

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As a result of Atticus’s forgiving and sympathetic nature, Mr. Cunningham is still a friend of Atticus. You can tell that Atticus is a very loving and hopeful person. He will look past small mistakes people make. Their “blind spots”. Because he has a welcoming personality, his universe of obligation is bigger and includes more people than others do.

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Remember the days spent dancing with imaginary friends, tea parties with stuffed animals who could talk, then going to bed with the boogie man under the bed? The novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is about Jem and Scouts journey through their youth as they work to deal with tough subjects such as rape, racism, and the realization that the world is not how they once viewed it. Throughout the story, Lee demonstrates the loss of childhood innocence, which shows that one's true perspective of the world is obtained through maturity. To begin with, all children experience innocence in their youth, but as they grow up, their understanding of the real world betters.

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