How does Scout develop and mature as the novel progresses? Essay

How does Scout develop and mature as the novel progresses? Atticus says, "Scout , you're not old enough to understand some things yet" Scout Finch, who is a six-year-old girl at the beginning of the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird, is nine by the end of it. The novel, written by Harper Lee, is written in a very adult style because Scout is recounting memories of her childhood in Maycomb County, Southern Alabama. Scout is a very lively, intelligent girl but has a hot temper, which gets her into a lot of trouble with the adults. Unlike the typical late nineteenth century American female stereotype, of a woman staying home sitting on the porch while the man of the house goes and earns the money, Scout enjoys taking part in boyish activities with her older brother, Jem, but when she starts school, she does not just take part in the curricular activities, but also begins to learn about life and the way her society works. There are many events in the story that contribute to Scout's learning experiences, such as fights with Walter Cunningham, reading to Mrs Dubose, going to church with Calpurnia, the outcome of the Tom Robinson trial, and meeting social outcasts like Boo Radley and Dolphus Raymond. The story is set in the 1930s, where there is racial segregation in Alabama as a result of the American Civil War and the economy is corrupt due to the Wall Street crash (this was known as the Great Depression). At the time that the book was written, in the 1960s, men like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were fighting in the Civil Rights Movement for racial equality in the United States. All of these factors affect the main themes of the novel and the events that occur within it. Pride is an important aspect o... ...ause they could not explain him, they feared him. This is similar to the situation Scout found herself in with Dolphus Raymond. He was a white man who married a black woman and fathered mixed race children. This was deemed unacceptable behaviour by Maycomb standards and therefore Dolphus pretended to be a drunk. In that way the people of Maycomb had an excuse for him marrying a black woman. Scout only realises why he pretends to be drunk when she finds out that he just sips Coca-Cola all day. She then starts to feel some sympathy for the people who are victims of racial and social prejudice. After learning about Boo Radley and Dolphus Raymond, Scout learns not to believe everything she hears. All of these factors have, in their own way, influenced the development of Scout's ethics and have shown how they affect her, along with how she reacts to them.