Theme Of Childhood In To Kill A Mockingbird

Alike several of its preceding works, Harper Lee’s coming-of-age novel To Kill a Mockingbird explores the childhood adventures and findings of a youthful and curious child. The heroine, Scout Finch, starts out as a naive six-year-old tomboy but gradually matures and develops values as new discoveries are made. Together with her brother Jem Finch and her daring and inventive friend Dill, Scout enhances her understanding of the adult world and begins to lose her innocence through a series of events spanning over three years. To Kill a Mockingbird illustrates Scout’s journey through childhood to maturity as she discerns truth from falsehood, acknowledges the existence of evil in the world, and develops compassion for those less fortunate. Firstly, Scout begins to mature as she realizes that the truth is not always what it seems. This is shown during the trial when Scout starts to recognize Tom’s innocence and abandons her old assertion that he deserves to be locked up in jail. As the trial progresses, Scout allows herself to embrace the fact that a Negro like Tom could be as kind and respectable as any white man. Evidently, Scout’s opinion of Tom during the trial that, “It occurred to [her] that in their own way, Tom Robinson’s manners were as good as Atticus’s” (Lee 260) differs tremendously from the statement she makes earlier on in the novel, “Cal, I know Tom
This story revolves around the childhood experiences of Scout Finch and portrays her growth in character and consciousness as time passes. Evidently, the loss of innocence in the protagonist and their efforts to thrive and to fit into their community is apparent throughout all coming-of-age stories. To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the many coming-of-age novels studied today by critics and students