Maturity In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

In order to mature, we must endure life’s hardships and learn from our actions, both good and bad.

Many perceive the concept of being “mature” as making morally correct decisions. One’s maturity shows in various situations. Actively trying to respond to these situations in the best way is difficult when everyone’s definition of the right choice is different. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus tries his best to teach his children how to be mature even if others in Maycomb don’t agree with his ways. There are several instances when the Finch children learn from their mistakes, in turn making them more mature. An example of this is how Scout often doesn’t understand why other kids get to act or be a certain way and she cannot. Atticus explains this by saying “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it” (Lee 33). This makes

Dubose’s flowers, and must repay by reading to her. In this case, Jem thought he did the right thing by defending his father. Atticus, knowing this, does not punish that behavior. When she later dies, Atticus reveals his real motives behind making them visit her. He only wanted to help her become sober before dying (though she did not approve of him representing a black man). He says “If you hadn't fallen into her hands, I'd have made you go read to her anyway” (Lee 127). This is an example of maturity. Being selfless when the person you are helping holds a different set of beliefs can be hard. Jem did something wrong here and learned an almost unrelated lesson. Going out of your own way to help someone seems like a simple task, yet it would not have been planted so greatly in Jems mind if he had not read to her every day. This shows that people may not always come to the best conclusions without the influence of more mature