Sunday, August 4, 2019
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Essay -- To Kill a Mockingbird Essa
Itââ¬â¢s interesting to see the ways different authors depict how a character matures. In Harper Leeââ¬â¢s novel, To Kill a Mocking Bird we can easily see how she chose to do it. The novel is set in Alabama in the 1930ââ¬â¢s, while black vs. white racism was a big issue and problem for many. Atticus is the father of Scout and Jem, young children who witness the discrimination first hand when their father, a white man, defends a black man in court. Lee does a great job developing the characters; especially the narrator, Jean Louise Finch (Scout). Scoutââ¬â¢s thoughts, conversations, and actions, illustrate that sheââ¬â¢s emotionally maturing from the innocent child that she was. Through Scoutââ¬â¢s thoughts, itââ¬â¢s obvious that she is growing up. Readers can see this early in the novel in chapter six. Jem and Scout werenââ¬â¢t as close as they used to be mostly because Jem was maturing suddenly and fast. He and Dill started leaving Scout out because she was too ââ¬Å"girlyâ⬠. Scout doesnââ¬â¢t like this at first when she says, ââ¬Å"It was then I suppose that Jem and I first began to part company. Sometimes I did not understand him, but my periods of bewilderment were short-livedâ⬠(61). The fact that she accepts this, something not many young girls would do, shows that she too is maturing a bit. Thoughts that show Scout is maturing also come near the end of the novel. Although Atticus would always tell her to stand in otherââ¬â¢s shoes and see things from their point of view, it never really came through to her. Not until she stands on Boo Radleyââ¬â¢s porch after he saves her and Jem from Bob Ewell. She states, ââ¬Å"A tticus 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 enoughâ⬠(297). Standing on the porch lets Scout finally see things from Boo Radleyââ¬â¢s point of view. Earlier in the novel, she was terrified every time she passed the house. Now as she stands on his porch, the way that she sees things has changed. The reader must realize that Scout herself has changed as well. As well as thoughts, the conversations and interactions between Scout and other characters show how she is mentally and emotionally aging. Near the end is where itââ¬â¢s more obvious that Scout has matured. After the Finchââ¬â¢s are safe from Bob Ewell, they go back to the house with the s... ... after all this behavior: "I ran along, wondering what had come over her. She had wanted to make up with me, that was it. She had always been too hard on me, she had at last seen the error of her fractious ways, she was sorry and too stubborn to say so." (29). This proves that Scout always thought that Calpurnia never liked her and that she didn't care about her, and that she deserves and accepts Cal's apology which is not what she wouldââ¬â¢ve done earlier in the beginning of the novel. Through Scoutââ¬â¢s relationships, choices and actions, as well as the way she narrated the novel allows the readers to really see what kind of character Scout is and how she matured greatly. Itââ¬â¢s surprising that we see it starting as early as page 29, and Lee does a wonderful job weaving it in through the story. When the novel is finished, itââ¬â¢s amazing how readers could glance right over the fact that Scout had matured, however they really have to look at how the author of any book, Harper Lee in this case, analyzes the characters through speech, thoughts, and actions. By the end of the novel Scout had grown up immensely, a very important step in everyoneââ¬â¢s life.
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