Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” is a Bildungsroman novel that reveals that prejudice replaces the absence of youth and innocence, but even cold people have youth left. Scout's moral development throughout the book is shaped by events that have happened to her and Maycomb County. Pivotal moments for Scout include her stopping an entire mob of men from lynching Tom Robinson, and her interactions with Boo Radley at the end of the book. Scout’s moral compass was also shaped by her father, who believed that everyone was good at heart. To begin, one important event in which Scout can mature and grow is when she single-handedly prevents a mob of men from Lynching Tom Robinson. Although she may not have realized it at the time, Scout saved a man's life that night by showing kindness to Mr. Cunningham and his son. “‘He's in my grade,’ I said, ‘and he does well. He’s a good boy,’ I added, a real nice boy. We brought him home for dinner one time.’” (15) Not only does Scout obstruct the mob with her heartfelt words, but she additionally highlights the theme of the book. These men planning to kill Tom had lost their youthful, innocent spirits long ago, therefore, when Scout provoked their …show more content…
At this moment, Scout realized that she had contracted prejudice against Boo, although her preconceived notions turned out to be false. Boo, a man thought of as a murderer, turned out to be a kind-hearted soul who was merely afraid of the outside world. Scout finally realized that “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.” (30) Scout finally saw what was underneath the wild stories and rumors, she saw a real human being, merely afraid. A shift begins to happen in her mindset in which Scout now understands the feeling of empathy and she begins to have it for