A Friend's Influence In To Kill A Mockingbird

A Friend’s Influence

Friends can be chosen, but they still have to be brought into a person’s life somehow. However, once they are there, they can make the biggest impact on a child. Friends are a more powerful influence on children than parents. This statement is no more true during any time in someone’s life than their childhood. Though people nearly always grow up with their families, they choose who they want to spend their extra time with, and these relationships are crucial to building who a person is. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout is influenced by many of her friends that live around her in Maycomb, some of whom are Dill, Miss Maudie, Jem, and Calpurnia.

One of the biggest influences in Scout’s life is Dill. “Social support
Miss Maudie is a laid-back woman who has been around for quite a while. She understands what it can be like as a young girl growing up and learning about the world around her. This helps Scout immensely as it gives her someone to turn to. It also helps her learn things from more reliable sources than her friends. For example, when she asks about Boo Radley, Miss Maudie responds, “His name’s Arthur and he’s alive” (Lee 57), with the reasoning that, “he’s alive… because I haven’t seen him carried out yet” (Lee 57). Calpurnia is also a mother figure that Scout has in her life to go to when times get rough. Though there is no blood relation between Scout and Cal, they are very close and grow even more so as the novel progresses. She gives Scout refuge in the kitchen when the boys won’t let her join their games. Kenneth Rubin states, “Friendship promotes the development of perspective taking and moral reasoning skills” (Rubin). At this point in Scout’s life, having good role models like Cal and Miss Maudie is a great benefit to her learning and developing ideas. They are both wise women and teach Scout things in their own ways; though she may not know it now, it impacts the rest of her
Even though he is her brother, he is also her best friend, and they get along better than Scout does with any of the kids at school. As Susan McHale stated, “Like friends, siblings are a focus of free time activities in childhood, but they also share family-centered activities such as meals and outings” (McHale). Jem may be Scout’s brother, but he has just as big of an impact on her life and growth as any other person in or out of Maycomb. He can get annoyed with her presence, but he loves her greatly and enjoys how she looks up to him, even if he doesn’t show it that often. She is fascinated by his knowledge, though sometimes his attempts at being authoritative drive her crazy. She also enjoys being with him, and his presence is comforting to her when she is afraid. For example, she is excited the next year of school because, “The only thing good about the second grade was that this year I had to stay as late as Jem, and we usually walked home together at three o’clock” (Lee 77). She appreciated him near, and she also owes him her life. If it weren’t for Jem, then she may never have gotten the nerve up to go close to the Radley house or have been protected when Mr. Ewell attacked them. No matter the time or place, Jem has always been there for Scout and has made a massive impact on her life.

Dill, Miss Maudie, Calpurnia, and Jem have all had an important impact on Scout’s life, helping her to grow in