The Process of Scout's Maturing in to Kill a Mockingbird

Introduction

As humans, we all change and become wiser as we grow, and Harper Lee’s novel perfectly encapsulates the essence of growth. To Kill a Mockingbird is a story of many messages, but most notably that of maturing in a society drenched in prejudice and inequality. Scout Finch transforms from a naive and innocent child with faith in the goodness of others to a young woman that begins to understand the harsh and unjust realities of the world. While she does not completely understand the discrimination present in her society, she does experience prejudice herself, as those around her often try to change her tomboyish ways and mold her into a more socially accepted lady. As the novel progresses, Scout is able to formulate views on the members of her community, and as she becomes more intelligent, she simultaneously grows emotionally and begins to show concern and empathy towards others. In this essay I will analyze Scout's process of maturity. Scout matures incredibly throughout the book and she learns to view life from another’s perspective before casting judgment, something that guides her throughout the novel, which I believe ultimately fosters her intellectual skills, respect, social awareness and emotional understanding.

Examples of Scout Growing up in To Kill a Mockingbird

Throughout the book Scout's innocence shapes the story in a significant way. For example, when Atticus got approached by the mob in jail, scout walks up to them and says “Well, Atticus, I was just sayin to Mr. Cunningham that entailments are bad and all that but you said not to worry. It takes a long time sometimes… and that you all’d ride it out together”. This quote shows how Scout's immaturity made her talk to the mob not knowing the severity of the issue. She is uninformed of what’s correct to do in this situation due to Atticus’ issue. Additionally, when Jem tells Scout that there are four different kinds of people, she says “I told Jem if that was so then why didn’t Tom’s jury made up of folks like the Cunningham’s, acquit Tom to spite the Ewells? Jem waved my question away as being infantile”. Since Scout is immature, Jem waves her question as if it wasn’t asked, making her statements useless. Due to this Scout is treated with no respect when making suggestions towards more “mature” topics. Scouts immaturity gives her less of say towards important things, and even jeopardizes issues with others.

Social growth

Scout matures socially as she becomes mindful of the discrimination surrounding her, and learns how to make judgments, decisions and tackle any problem at hand. At first, Scout finds herself quickly judging others, as when Walter Cunningham is over for dinner, she acts immature and ridicules him for his eating habits. When Calpurnia confronts her about it, Scout tells her, “he ain’t company, Cal, he’s just a Cunningham-.” Following this, Atticus teaches her the necessity of walking around in another’s skin and considering things from their point-of-view before forming conclusions about them. She takes this advice to heart and puts it into practice many times. One instance is when Jem becomes moody after retrieving his pants from the Radley place, as Scout comments on the situation saying, “I tried to climb into Jem's skin and walk around in it: if I had gone alone to the Radley Place at two in the morning, my funeral would have been held the next afternoon. So I left Jem alone and tried not to bother him.” This very much exhibits her maturity because after she thinks from his perspective, Scout empathizes with him and his difficult situation. She particularly applies this at the end of the novel when she stands on Boo Radley’s porch and says, “Atticus was right...you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes....Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.” In the beginning, she judges Boo based on the myths surrounding him, but when she views the neighbourhood through his eyes, it is apparent that Scout has come to some understanding of Boo as she sees the humanity of him and how he truly cared for her all along, despite never seeing him. In the end, Scout learned to respect and value the differences in people by applying Atticus’ advice.

Emotional growth

Scout displays emotional growth as she finds herself feeling empathy for others, becoming self-aware and learning self-control. An example in the novel in which she displayed emotional maturity is when she walked away from fighting Cecil Jacobs. Scout is a very hot tempered young girl, and she would pick a fight whenever she was provoked by someone. However, when Cecil was criticizing Atticus, Scout says, “I drew a bead on him, remembered what Atticus had said, then dropped my fists and walked away, 'Scout's a cow-ward!' ringing in my ears. It was the first time I ever walked away from a fight. Somehow, if I fought Cecil I would let Atticus down.” This displays incredible maturity because Scout does not want to disappoint her father and she realizes that it’s better to disregard the negativity than impulsively act and put up a fight like she normally would. Scout also learns to feel sympathy, as following Tom Robinson’s conviction, she realizes that he was merely convicted due to the economic divisions that exist in Maycomb. Having begun to understand the racism that plagues her town, she feels for the blacks deprived of the same rights as the whites when she speaks, “Then Mr. Underwood's meaning became clear: Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.” This brings me to my final point, because even though Mayella testified against Tom, Scout pities her. During Mayella’s testimony, she is offended by Atticus questioning her about her friends and referring to her as “ma’am.” Scout puts herself in Mayella’s position and realizes that she is this way because she has likely never been treated politely in her life. The Ewells are a low-class family disregarded by society, and Scout is mature enough to understand her loneliness and the despair in which she exists.

Intellectual growth

Finally, Scout matures intellectually as she develops into a critical thinking and constant knowledge seeking young lady. Scout actively seeks knowledge from her father throughout the course of the novel, and he instills in her conscience and morality. The most notable instance of this is the previously mentioned lesson of putting one’s self in another’s skin before judging them. Why I mention this again is because not only does it help her mature socially, but also intellectually as she gains a sense of awareness through this advice and her way of thinking improves as a result. The most notable example of Scouts of her intellectual maturity through using this advice was when she was able to climb into Walter Cunningham Sr.’s skin and appeal to his humanity. She says to him, “Don't you remember me, Mr. Cunningham? I'm Jean Louise Finch. You brought us some hickory nuts one early morning, remember? We had a talk. I went and got my daddy to come out and thank you. I go to school with your boy. I go to school with Walter; he's a nice boy. Tell him 'hey' for me, won't you? You know something, Mr. Cunningham, entailments are bad.” By speaking this, Scout displays remarkable intellectual growth because she carefully chooses her words in order to make Walter feel guilty for threatening Atticus — the man whom allowed him pay for his legal matters in exchange for crops. She reminded Walter that Atticus had helped and been a friend to him, and she also asks that he say hello to his son, Walter Jr. for her, showing him that he is a father just as Atticus is. This allowed him to feel ashamed and as a result, he and his lynch mob turned back and dispersed.

Conclusion

Overall, Harper Lee presents Scout as a young woman on the path of growth whom tries to make sense of the economic inequality and racial prejudice in her community, while also displaying moral and virtuous values. By the end of the novel, Scout develops into a wonderful character with qualities of intellectual intelligence, emotional control, sympathy, social maturity and respect for the differences in others.