Adults are a form of social influence, which is described as "... the process by which an individual's attitudes, beliefs or behaviors are modified by the presence or actions of others," (Cardwell, Clarke, Meldrum, 1996). Influence is a strong and powerful force that changes how people make their choices and live their life, and adults are the most powerful influences on Earth according to children. Adults can give children happiness, love, and care. But, they can also bring fear and pain. The way a child grows up is dependant on the people they grow up around, and for most, those people are adults. Children like Scout, who take in a lot of information from their environment and the people in it, are very dependant on who is a part of their lives and how they are raised. Throughout the Southern Gothic Novel, To Kill …show more content…
Scout is an impressionable character who has her morals split, after adults such as Cecil’s father and Aunt Alexandra, who do not think about others before making a decision, influence Scout to make choices without first considering others’ feelings, while adults such as Atticus and Miss Maudie, who consider others before making a decision, influence Scout to acknowledge more than just herself before making irrational choices, because to know how to be considerate of the world, Scout needs an influence with morals that recognize others before themselves.
Cecil Jacobs and the adults in his life heavily influenced Scout and her decision-making process in a way where Scout thought it was right to have the same inconsiderate views as them. For example, Cecil’s parents directly told Cecil that Scout’s father was defending an African American, who then continued to provoke Scout using his parent’s words because they thought it was going to