ipl-logo

The Theme Of Coming Of Age In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

866 Words4 Pages

Everyone faces the coming of age, displaying growth and maturity as we age. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee tells the story of a young girl in Alabama during the Great Depression, a major economic crisis (1929–1939) caused by a significant stock market crash, which forced many into poverty. The book illustrates the perspective of an intelligent child opposing the much darker world of Maycomb County, Alabama, to establish the theme of coming of age. Throughout the novel, Lee utilizes the literary elements of character and symbolism to illustrate the mind of a growing child's first step into adulthood to illustrate the theme of coming of age. Symbolism plays a significant part in illustrating the theme of the coming of age, acting …show more content…

Her retrospect on the view of her neighborhood, cited earlier, explains what she says next: "Atticus was right. You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them" (285). These comments reveal how past events like Atticus's teachings, along with Scout's new perspective of her neighborhood, contributed to Scout's character. Even though she did not wear Boo Radley's shoes and walked around in them, it illustrates that she knows Boo Radley's much more pleasant person, not a squirrel-eating devil, whom she thought he was, but an observant and helpful person. Another example is when Scout gives her retrospect on Boo after her very last sighting and remarks, "Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between. Boo was our neighbor. He gave us 2 soap dolls, a broken watch & chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, & our lives... We had given him nothing, and it made me sad" (282). Her sadness toward Boo highlights here gained empathy for the people around her, while her distinguishing other neighbors' behavior shows that she is aware of selfishness in the world. A third example would be when Scout walks Boo home after he whimpers, "Will you take me home?" (282). Scout's previous observations of Boo as frightening and villainous in previous chapters compared to her willingness to help Boo walk home displays her realization of Boo being an ordinary guy, devoid of any unfounded beliefs by her other neighbors. These examples show that character reveals the theme of the coming of

Show More
Related

Examples Of Walter Cunningham In To Kill A Mockingbird

942 Words | 4 Pages

Their great idea was to leave Boo a note to find. Scout describes their scheme, "Jem attached the note to the end of the fishing pole, let the poll out across the yard, and pushed it toward the window he had selected" (Lee 48). Atticus caught the three of them and questioned their actions; he gave them a speech about how they were disrespectful. Through this incident, Scout learned that you should treat others how you want to be treated, as she would not have liked it if Boo had left a note in her window. As the story ends, Scout finally gets to meet Boo in person.

Read More

Scout's Innocence

1013 Words | 5 Pages

She has started to lose her innocence, which leads her to be able to understand more of what people mean even when they say something else. Scout realizes that her and Jem’s savior was indeed Boo Radley: “‘Hey Boo,’ I said” (Lee 362). Boo Radley’s innocence leads him to be courageous by saving Jem and Scout. Boo has watched Jem and Scout through their times of crisis and as they have grown up. “His mouth was slightly open, and he looked at Jem from head to foot.

Read More

Examples Of Tolerance In To Kill A Mockingbird

674 Words | 3 Pages

Scout's growing understanding and acceptance of the people in her community, flaws and all, is one of the most significant ways she demonstrates tolerance. Scout, for example, is terrified of Arthur "Boo" Radley at first and believes the rumors that he is a "monster”. However, as she learns more about him and his situation, she starts to see him as a human being and develops empathy for him. This is demonstrated when Scout says "I was too old and too big for such childish things, but I knew that Jem's ideas about Arthur Radley were, to him, as real as the things he could see" (Chapter 6). This shows that Scout is growing in her understanding of people and her ability to empathize with them.

Read More

Who Is Boo's Loss Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

865 Words | 4 Pages

In the last few chapters, Scout finally saw the real Boo, and he saved her and Jem from Bob Ewell. Boo is transformed from a monster into a human being. He appeared as a hero at the last minute. This makes Scout feels very guilty in her mind that she had never done anything to him. She thought innocently, “We never put back into the tree what we took out of it; we had given him nothing, and it made me sad” (373).

Read More

How Does Scout Finch Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird

1792 Words | 8 Pages

Additionally, after being saved by Boo Radley, Scout walks him home, and as she stands at the porch that had previously been a symbol of fear, she realizes, “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley Porch was enough.” (321). Fully seeing the world through Boo Radley’s perspective demonstrates her fully developed

Read More

How Does Lee Use Empathy In To Kill A Mockingbird

1079 Words | 5 Pages

Once they got to the porch, Boo went inside and Scout stayed on the porch and said “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on Boo’s porch was enough.” The Author uses Scouts’ character and the themes empathy and growing up to show that she learned, for her dad, that even though at the start she didn’t know why Boo stays inside. Standing in his shoes and being empathetic helped her realize that the reason he stays inside was because he doesn’t want a lot of attention and he wants peace and quiet.

Read More

Character Analysis Of Boo Radley In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

586 Words | 3 Pages

Overtime, Scout realizes that they are just disrupting Boo, and decides to stop trying to lure him outside. She almost completely forgets about Boo, until he saves both her and Jem from Mr. Ewell who was attacking them. When Scout first saw Boo, she teared up, since she only fantasized about that very moment. Curiosity struck Scout and her

Read More

How Does Atticus Show Compassion In To Kill A Mockingbird

1212 Words | 5 Pages

When finally being able to meet the man she has spent so much time pondering about, Scout does not act in a childish manner but rather shows compassion. “He had to stoop a little to accommodate me, but if Miss Stephanie Crawford was watching from her upstairs window, she would see Arthur Radley escorting me down the sidewalk, as any gentleman would do” (373). In this small action, we see Scout do one of the most selfless and generous things she has in the entire novel. She is putting Boo before herself and helping him in a way no one else has. She recognises the prejudice surrounding Boo and tries to show others the side of Boo that she has uncovered that very night.

Read More

Theme Of Maturing In To Kill A Mockingbird

1240 Words | 5 Pages

Maturing is something everyone goes through in life whether you go through it early or a little later in life. In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows a lot about maturing. Growing up in a small town in Maycomb, Alabama where life was a lot more different from today, you mature much different and in different ways. Jem is one person who matures through the whole story and makes realizations about people around him, including his dad, Tom Robinson, and Mrs. Dubose. Jem goes into the story thinking his dad is just some old man but as he gets older, he realizes there is more to his dad.

Read More

Examples Of Empathy In To Kill A Mockingbird

584 Words | 3 Pages

One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.” Scout was finally able to understand Boo Radley unlike the town folk who judged him wrongly. She knew that the reason why Boo Radley stayed inside all of those years is because he didn’t want to be part of a cruel and hateful

Read More

Examples Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

1080 Words | 5 Pages

She becomes conscious of the fact that just because Boo did not follow society's norms, that did not make him an evil person. While standing on the porch of the Radley house, everything clicks for Scout as she gains empathy for Boo. “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough” (Lee 374).

Read More

Examples Of Empathy In To Kill A Mockingbird

1015 Words | 5 Pages

He really feels what Boo might be going through. Even though some of the rumors he is reenacting were told to him by the gossip girl of the town and may be fake, he still understands what his life could be like. Learning this trait of empathy helps him step in to boo's shoes when he makes up this game. Also, Jem shows empathy toward both his dad and Boo when his dad asks him why he ruined Ms. Maudie's flowers. After he talked to her about Boo, he responds with " 'she said you lawed for niggers and trash' "

Read More

Theme Of Coming Of Age In To Kill A Mockingbird

1138 Words | 5 Pages

Courage is not strength or skill, it’s simply standing up for what you believe in and what is right. This is the theme that was enrolled after Jem destroys Mrs.Dubose’s camellias and after she died in chapter 11. This passage also reveals Jem’s coming of age moment. After using conflict, symbolism, and point of view, Harper Lee was able to connect the theme with Jems coming of age moment.

Read More

Examples Of Coming Of Age In To Kill A Mockingbird

573 Words | 3 Pages

Scout accepts that her childhood images of Boo were most likely false, and she gains a different perspective on Boo. Furthermore, when Scout hears that Tom Robinson has been killed, she states that she “found [herself] shaking and couldn’t stop. [She] had seen Enfield Prison Farm, and Atticus had pointed out the exercise yard to [her]” (Lee 317). Scout is exposed to the real horrors of the world,

Read More

To Kill A Mockingbird Childhood Innocence Essay

563 Words | 3 Pages

After Boo saves them from Bob Ewell, Scouts perception of Boo as a monster changes. She realizes he is a “nice” person who had just been a victim of her innocence. The loss of innocence closes the door of their own imaginary world and opens the door up for the actual world. In conclusion, during the duration of the novel, Harper Lee portrays that a lack of maturity, causes innocence, making them oblivious to reality.

Read More

More about The Theme Of Coming Of Age In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Related Topics

Open Document