how does scout change in to kill a mockingbird essay

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Global Health and Education

To Kill a Mockingbird Essay: Scout Finch

To kill a mockingbird essay: character analysis and growth of scout finch, a great path to maturity: scout finch.

“A mature person is one who does not think only in absolutes, who is able to be objective when deeply stirred emotionally, who has learned that there is both good and bad in all people and all things, and who walks humbly and deals charitably,” promoted Eleanor Roosevelt during her dedicated years as an advocate for the U.S.’s citizens.  As the First Lady, she, like many other good people in the world, had achieved the success of maturity and gave her life to the people.  Likewise, in the fiction book To Kill a Mockingbird , Harper Lee concocted a brilliant masterpiece filled with themes about a young girl named Scout and connected her adventures to her own memories of growing up in the prejudiced South, specifically in Alabama, in the 1930s.  The story reflects a major meaning of life and maturity through the prejudiced death of an innocent black man, and the events before and after the case prove to be enlightening experiences for Scout.   Known as tomboy Scout, Jean Louise Finch transforms in the course of three years from an innocent child to a courageous young lady by learning to control her originally stormy temper, apprehending the prejudice and racism around her, and caring for others after absorbing different perspectives.

Character Traits of Scout Finch in the Beginning of To Kill A Mockingbird

How scout finch grows.

Furthermore, Scout matures as she experiences the harsh realities of prejudice and racism around her when she learns about Walter Cunningham’s lifestyle and encounters the unfair trial of Tom Robinson.  At the beginning of the school year, she previously hurts Walter Cunningham after she is punished by the teacher for trying to defend him.  At the same time, she is learning from her aunt, who comes to stay with Scout and her family to serve as her feminine role model.  When Scout suggests to her father that she wants to visit their cook’s home and play with Walter Cunningham, Aunt Alexandra erupts with disdain, “…she said, ‘Because-he-is-trash, that’s why you can’t play with him…’” (225).  In addition, Scout’s older brother calms her as she furiously reacts, “…and he led me away sobbing in fury to his bedroom” (225).  Scout considered everyone, including impoverished Walter, equally. When Aunt Alexandra disapproves of him, Scout sobs because the unfairness in the world angers her. She matures in her thinking and sees people as a big dysfunctional family, but everyone is still considered equal to each other.  Therefore, she views the world with equality in mind and knowing that it was unfair, which is further revealed in her reaction to the verdict of Tom Robinson’s trial.  He is wrongly accused of raping an impoverished and neglected white girl, and the society wrongly uses prejudice of black people to influence their conclusions, “A jury never looks at a defendant it has convicted, … not one of them looked at Tom Robinson” (211).  Scout is now aware of the prejudice around her.  In this, she displays insight of the world beyond her and how it affects equality.  Her instinctive guess of the outcome also shows her experience with the racism that exists between white and black people.  Unraveling the injustice in the world and experiencing it strengthens Scout’s mental and emotional growth .

Character Development of Scout Finch

Conclusion: the growth of scout and her maturity.

Overall, Scout gains the power of knowledge and experience by learning to suppress her originally short temper, realizing the unfairness in society, and viewing the world thought others’ points of view.  Moreover, she learns to be more careful with her actions after she hurts her classmate Walter and realizes her mistakes while later, Scout is respectful with her aunt’s hypocritical missionary circle.  Scout also senses the inequality in the world with her aunt’s comments about Walter’s impoverished lifestyle and the prejudiced verdict of Tom Robinson.  Finally, Scout completes an essential step to her maturity when she learns from her misunderstanding of her aunt’s caring intentions, and she masters the art of understanding others, especially Boo Radley, after placing herself in his perspective of events.  Scout not only masters maturity physically but also emotionally, socially, and mentally.  Often, she makes mistakes that cause her to stop and consider them, and as a result, she matures by learning from them and improving herself for later events in the story.  Conquering her temper was a small step to advance into the adult world while protesting inequality and understanding others brings her to another level of maturity that is evident in many of her later actions.  Equipped with the knowledge and experience of controlling temper, disapproval of inequality, and the art of comprehending those around her, Scout, like other benevolent people, earns the honor of reaching true maturity after conquering obstacles.  Finally, achieving those aspects of maturity allows people like Scout to face society with confidence, respect, and kindness , allowing them to be ready for the real world.

Learn More about Jem Finch, Scout Finch, and Atticus Finch’s Character Analysis in Our Second To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

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Tagged as: analysis , college , education , essay , growth , harper lee , high school , learn , literary analysis , Literature , maturity , read , school , scout finch , to kill a mockingbird , university

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Your article is excellent. My class just started reading the book and I showed this all my students. Insightful read.

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To Kill a Mockingbird

By harper lee, to kill a mockingbird essay questions.

Analyze the relationship between Boo Radley and the children. How does this relationship change throughout the book? What are the causes of the developments in this relationship?

Discuss the concept of fear as presented in the novel. Compare the children's early fear of Boo Radley to their fear or lack thereof when Bob Ewell attacks them. Is Scout correct in stating that real fear can only be found in books?

Discuss the concept of family and Lee's presentation of the American family. What does it consist of?

Although critized openly, Atticus is respected throughout the town of Maycomb. Why is this true?

Discuss the concept of education. Does Lee argue for a dominance of education in the home or institutionalized education? What evidence does she provide?

Trace the theme of the mockingbird throughout the novel and analyze what the bird symbolizes or represents.

Trace Boo Radley's development from monster to savior. How does Scout's understanding of Boo develop? What lessons does Boo teach Scout?

Discuss Atticus's approach to parenting. What is his relationship with his children? Can his parenting style be criticized? If so, how?

Scout and Jem mature considerably through the course of the novel. What developmental changes do they go through, and what causes these changes?

Discuss the town of Maycomb as you might discuss a main character in the book. What is the identity or "character" of the town, and how (if at all) does it change and grow over the years? How does its diversity give it a pluralistic character?

Discuss law as it is represented in To Kill A Mockingbird . What power and limitations exist within the legal system according to Atticus, Jem, and Scout?

To Kill a Mockingbird Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for To Kill a Mockingbird is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Discuss the concept of education.

Shortly after the novel begins, Scout starts her first year at school. The educational system in Maycomb leaves much to be desired. Scout is ahead of her classmates because Atticus has taught her to read and write, and Calpurnia has even taught...

How old was Scout when her mother died?

Scout's mother died when she was two years old.

Our mother died when I was two, so I never felt her absence.

Where can I find the literary devices used in each chapter a book?

To find literary devices used in each chapter of "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, you can refer to literary analysis guides, study aids, or academic resources that offer chapter-by-chapter breakdowns. Here are a few places where you might...

Study Guide for To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird is a book written by Harper Lee. The To Kill a Mockingbird study guide contains a biography of Harper Lee, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About To Kill a Mockingbird
• To Kill a Mockingbird Summary
• To Kill a Mockingbird Video
• Character List

Essays for To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

• The Impact of Class Structure
• Justice in To Kill a Mockingbird
• The Journey Motif in Works of American Literature
• Prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird and Goin' Someplace Special
• Character Analysis in To Kill A Mockingbird

Lesson Plan for To Kill a Mockingbird

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Introduction to To Kill a Mockingbird
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher

Wikipedia Entries for To Kill a Mockingbird

• Introduction

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — To Kill a Mockingbird — “To Kill a Mockingbird”: Life Lessons Learned by Scout

"To Kill a Mockingbird": Life Lessons Learned by Scout

• Categories: Character To Kill a Mockingbird

About this sample

Words: 1469 |

Published: Jun 29, 2018

Words: 1469 | Pages: 3 | 8 min read

Table of contents

Life lessons in "to kill a mockingbird", scout's growth throughout the story "to kill a mockingbird", calpurnia - learning empathy through service, boo radley - overcoming fear through understanding, tom robinson - confronting injustice and prejudice, society's capacity for evil and good, the mystery of boo radley: a lesson in empathy, scout's transformation: lessons learned.

• Lee, H. (1960). To Kill a Mockingbird. J. B. Lippincott & Co.
• Nance, W. S. (2019). Empathy and the Moral Hero in To Kill a Mockingbird. The Journal of Aesthetic Education, 53(4), 69-82.
• Johnson, C. L. (2001). Putting in Your Oar: The Idyll of the Oarsman in To Kill a Mockingbird. The Mississippi Quarterly, 54(3), 325-343.
• Frank, L. S. (2016). Educating Scout Finch : Theoretical Reflections on the Pedagogy of To Kill a Mockingbird. Pedagogy, 16(1), 87-102.
• Shaffer, B. R. (2012). The Spatial Dynamics of To Kill a Mockingbird: Place, Architecture, and the Imagination. The Southern Literary Journal, 44(2), 47-67.
• Dolin, K. (2007). "A Tangle of Palms and Vines": The Bizarre, the Exotic, and the Symbolic in To Kill a Mockingbird. The Southern Literary Journal, 39(1), 106-124.
• Japenga, A. (2010). To Kill a Mockingbird: Atticus Finch and the Legal Profession. South Carolina Law Review, 61(2), 439-455.

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