ipl-logo

Significance Of Scout's Growth In To Kill A Mockingbird

591 Words3 Pages

Rylee Gipson
Mrs. Cottrill
English 11
14 June 2023
Scout’s Growth and Development
“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is a realistic fiction book that follows Scout Finch, a young girl with a tomboy persona, with an initially innocent and naive worldview, who is growing up in the racially divided town of Maycomb, Alabama. Throughout the novel, Scout’s character undergoes significant personal growth as she gains a deeper understanding of empathy, prejudice, tolerance, and the complexities of the world she’s living in. This essay will show Scout’s development from the beginning to the end of the novel.
In the beginning, Scout is portrayed as a curious and innocent child, unbothered by societal biases. As Scout describes her brother Jem’s injury caused by a neighbor of theirs, Scout’s narration of this shows her innocence. “When Jem was nearly thirteen, he broke his arm badly at the elbow… I must admit that our activities halted when Atticus discovered it” (Lee, 5). This quote shows Scout’s carefree nature and her …show more content…

After school, Scout begins to question her father, Atticus, about some hateful remarks some of her classmates had made. Atticus explains, “If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view” (Lee, 30). This quote signifies a crucial moment of growth for Scout as she begins to learn how important empathy and understanding others are. Additionally, Scout's growing empathy is demonstrated during Calpernia’s church visit, “Calpernia was something else again. She was all angles and bones; she was nearsighted; she squinted'' (Lee, 139). Scout’s observation showcases her increasing ability to see beyond racial and social differences, acknowledging Calpurnia’s

Show More
Related
1875 Words | 8 Pages

Would you rather do the right thing and be alienated by your community for being different or do what everyone tells you to do and regret it for the rest of your life. In Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird, a story about coming of age and the loss of innocence, we dive into the mind of a young woman by the name of Scout Finch. Scout is different from the people of her small town of Maycomb, located in the state of Alabama in the two decades following the First World War. Scout is a oddity in the town, as well as the era in general, with a mind that chooses to see what others in the town choose to turn their eyes away from. In the story we follow the three main themes of naivety, hypocrisy and alienation.

Read More
866 Words | 4 Pages

To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Harper Lee’s Book To Kill a Mockingbird has had a lot of controversies over the years. This is because of the many different themes it covers in the book. The novel is narrated by a little girl named Jean Louise Finch, also known as Scout. Scout is driven, mature, and wise for her age. There is a lot of changes that happen throughout the book for the community and also the children in the book because of what their father is doing.

Read More
986 Words | 4 Pages

Scout’s narration as an adult and having an adult perspective on a year of her childhood shows the reader how her character was changed and grew from these experiences. Her self-reflection tells the reader that Scout has come to see her father as a great man who works for justice and how she is a better person for it despite being raised in a small, racist, southern

Read More
1247 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
1017 Words | 5 Pages

Most young children are yet to discover that there is more to life than themselves. In this particular novel, the main character Scout, tends to think more about herself than others. Although she attempts not to do so, her childish self-kicks in which results in selfish actions. For example, Scout is heated that her cousin Francis, is disrespecting Atticus because he is defending an African American. Although Scout does not understand the meaning of a “nigger lover”, she simply assaults Francis because of the humiliation she faces and the tone of his voice.

Read More
803 Words | 4 Pages

Atticus teaches his kids young to respect every human being and not to assume the reputation of a human before standing in their shoes, “If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view until you climb into his skin and walk around it.” (Lee, 39) Atticus explains to his daughter Scout after a long day at school, and absurd day, she shouldn’t conclude a story of a person’s life because of the situations they might be going

Read More
1235 Words | 5 Pages

While one of the main themes of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is understanding another human’s perspective. Scout Finch, the story’s protagonist, shows growth and maturity as she learns to deal with the injustice of a prejudiced society. Scout is a young girl from Alabama whose father, Atticus Finch, is asked to defend an African-American man who is charged with rape. The southern way of life during the Great Depression would not allow Tom Robinson a fair trial, and Scout and her brother Jem are forced to deal with a county’s ignorance and racist attitudes. While in the beginning of the book Scout seems to be an innocent, naive little girl, she matures as time goes on and ultimately learns the lessons her father wants her to understand.

Read More
1032 Words | 5 Pages

Jem’s displays his newfound maturity when he confesses to Atticus that Boo “ain’t ever hurt us” and has only shown kindness to Scout and him (Lee 96). Jem’s epiphany marks his transition to adulthood, as he begins to question things and not simply accept what he’s told or heard through others. On the other hand, Lee also uses conflicts to symbolize maturation. In the beginning of the novel Scout punches first and thinks later, but later learns to control her impulses. Such as when she “drop[s] her fists and walk[s] away” from Cecil instead of beating him up (Lee 102).

Read More
930 Words | 4 Pages

The main characters Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Bob Ewell face moments that deal with racism all told from the perspective of a six year old girl, Scout. The intended purpose of expressing racial relations in Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,”

Read More
709 Words | 3 Pages

To Kill A Mockingbird Essay Introduction To Kill A Mockingbird (TKAM) written by Harper Lee is a novel that reflects the notions of conscience, courage, and conviction through the eyes of Jean Louise (Scout) Finch. The novel takes you on an investigation with this little girl, Scout as she matures and grows by lessons taught to her by her wise father, Atticus Finch. Scout is living throughout the Great Depression in her small town Maycomb Country and experiences prejudice and racism through the events which span across the novel. Scout matures into a genuine and respectful girl and learns many important lessons from her father which teach her how to see the good in people and to never judge a person based on the colour of their skin or their

Read More
1247 Words | 5 Pages

Calpurnia is an ideal influence for Scout’s coming of age moments. She teaches Scout the importance of manners, and treating people with respect. When Walter Cunningham comes to eat lunch with Scout and Jem one day, Scout

Read More
697 Words | 3 Pages

Harper Lee implements various literary elements to display how innocence is the ignorance of cruelty. When Atticus protects Tom Robinson from a lynching, Lee utilizes Scout’s dialog and characterization to show the irony of a little girl’s innocence. To begin with, the author uses Scout’s dialog to show her ignorance of the conflict. Scout greets the only familiar face by saying, “Hey Mr. Cunningham. How’s your entailment getting along?”

Read More
1914 Words | 8 Pages

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that show the life of a southern state od Alabama during the “black racism” time period, where majority of the people had the mentality that (quote) with the exception of a few. To chosen to portray it from the eyes of Scout Finch, from a child’s point of view. Living in Maycomb, in the midst of a conservative society of the 1930’s and 20’s Southern America Scout Finch is an extra ordinary child.

Read More
1099 Words | 5 Pages

In the book, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee, the author writes about what happens in the small southern town of Maycomb, in Alabama. Lee uses the influence of belief in traditions such as roles and family bonds to show that they are causes of conflict. Throughout the book, roles such as gender, age, race, and family confines characters to act, look, and even speak certain ways, causing internal, external, and family conflicts. This theme that different types of roles and family bonds are the root of conflict is developed through the use of physical setting, anti stereotype, and historical setting The author shows that Scout faces external conflicts caused by the pressure to fit into the stereotypical gender roles accustomed to girls at this time in history.

Read More
766 Words | 4 Pages

In spite of Scout’s inability to fully comprehend the significance of what Atticus is doing for Tom, she readies herself to defend Atticus, which ultimately portrays that she does not regard society’s expectations on how she should

Read More

More about Significance Of Scout's Growth In To Kill A Mockingbird

Related Topics

Open Document