To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is written in the form of a flashback. In the novel, the reader is presented in the beginning with an image of Scout Finch at 6, and in the end, Scout Finch at 9. The turbulent events of the book, as well as Scout’s own, less chaotic relationships with others, put forth an older, more mature Scout by the end of the novel.
One significant change that we see in Scout is her willingness to consider the feelings of others, even those that she doesn’t like. Aunt Alexandra, when she is introduced, is related to Mount Everest; she is “cold and there” (Lee 77). As time goes on, she becomes more and more of an opponent to Scout. Aunt Alexandra criticizes Scout on many aspects of her character. She complains consistently about Scout wearing overalls and not dresses, on her playing outside with the boys, and on her lack of interest in being lady-like. Throughout the early part of the book, Scout is completely unresponsive to Aunt Alexandra, and is often reprimanded for the way she treats Alexandra or for not doing what Alexandra wants her to do. However, when Scout and Alexandra learn that Tom Robinson has died, and Alexandra takes the news especially hard, Scout acts in a way more acceptable to Alexandra. Instead of complaining about the attitude of her social gathering, as she did earlier in the chapter, Scout “looked at a tray of cookies on the table… [She] carefully picked up the tray and… with [her] best company manners, [she] asked [Mrs. Merriweather] if she would have some” (Lee 237). This is the exact behavior that Scout rejects completely in the beginning of the book and earlier in her relationship with Aunt Alexandra, but in this scene, the reader can see that despite their differences, Scout can empathize with and attempt to comfort Aunt Alexandra.
Another way that Scout matures is through the way she perceives those around her. In the beginning, she describes Atticus as “detached” (Lee 6) and Calpurnia as cruel and irrational. However, as time goes on, the reader can infer from the actions of Atticus and Calpurnia that they are anything but detached, cruel, or irrational. Scout begins to comprehend and understand those around her more when she begins to think about Calpurnia’s life. Scout tells the reader in the beginning about Calpurnia’s physical appearance, her methods of discipline, and how she treats Scout, but Scout doesn’t really begin to think of Calpurnia in terms of being her own person until much later, when Scout comes to the realization that Calpurnia “was of mature years… but then I had never thought about it” (Lee 125). Thus, as time goes on, Scout begins to understand and empathize with the people around her as real people, rather than one-dimensional characters in her life.
The poignant scene between Scout and Boo Radley at the end of the novel serves to sharply contrast with the earlier chapters. Scout believes in the beginning of the book that Boo “dined on raw squirrels and… cats, there was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time” (Lee 13). Many of the early chapter’s adventures are concerned with seeing Boo Radley, and the children view him as a monster. For example, when Scout finds out that the person who draped a blanket over her shoulders was Boo Radley, her “stomach turned to water and [she] nearly threw up” (Lee 72). However, by the end of the novel, Scout has matured greatly, and learned to accept and understand Boo Radley. Whereas she once envisioned Boo’s bloodstained hands, in the final chapter she takes Boo’s hand voluntary, describing it as “surprisingly warm for its whiteness” (Lee 277). Finally, in the scene in which Scout describes the view from the Radley Porch, the reader can draw an even broader idea about Scout. She describes all of the houses she can see from the porch, and that in daylight she “could see to the post office corner” (Lee 279). Never before had Scout truly understood or seen the world from the viewpoint of Boo Radley, but upon doing so, i.e. seeing the neighborhood from his porch, she gained not only a more intimate respect and knowledge of his life, but also her everyday surroundings.
To Kill a Mockingbird is about racism and injustice in the south, yes, but it also tells a more personal story: a young girl growing up in such times. Scout Finch matures in many ways over the course of the book, but one main theme is evident in every lesson she learns: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee 30).
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