How does Lee use the character of Scout to create a sense of hope in To Kill a Mockingbird

How does Lee use the character of Scout to create a sense of hope in To Kill a Mockingbird?
During the 1930’s in Maycomb Alabama, prejudicial, preconceived and hypocritical views reigned over empathetic and open-minded attitudes, but by Harper Lee’s use of Scout as the protagonist in the novel, a sense of hope is created. Scout represents exploration and the need for knowledge and through using her as the protagonist, harper lee can convey that through having an educated and understanding generation, there is hope for the future. Scout, being the daughter of the most progressive thinking man in Maycomb, is able to empathise with many people and through using her optimism and developing views and opinions she is able to “finally see” that most people are “real nice” if you get to know them and prove that there is a real sense of hope carried throughout To Kill a mockingbird.
Harper Lee uses Scout to represent a new generation of people who are willing to push the boundaries of social normalities, fight for justice and accept that “there’s only one type of folk. Folk” even if it means going against the wishes of society. She as well as many other children of the time are being taught to think independently, which creates a sense of hope, as these children are the future forefronts of Maycomb society. This is proven when the verdict at the end of the court case seemed strikingly unfair to Scout, who was able to make herself colour and class blind in order to develop her own understanding of the events occurring in Maycomb. Scout is educated and will promote change in the community along with the other young, educated and colour blind people of Maycomb who have learnt a new and mature way of thinking. And as Maycomb “fears what it doesn’t understand” with children like Scout pushing to tear down the wall of prejudice surrounding Maycomb and understand why it was put there in the first place, fear is diminished and there is hope for a healthier society.
A sense of hope is created in To Kill a Mockingbird because of Scout’s constantly shifting perspective that promotes change. She resists the urge to blend into society and doesn’t succumb to the irrational adult views that are constantly thrown at her, which creates hope that others will do the same. Scout’s perspective and character regularly change and develop throughout the trail and court case as she learns the real difference between good and evil that has nothing to do with the pigmentation of ones skin. She learns that ‘fine folks are people that do the best with the sense they have” and that she should use her sense and thriving moral compass to decide who she thinks the fine folks are within the court case, and in Maycomb in general. Acting on Atticus’s example and her need for exploration and knowledge, Scout exemplifies that you don’t need succumb to “Maycomb’s usual disease” to be a good citizen, but instead, “do the best with the sense you have” in order to draw your own non-prejudiced conclusions. By Scout doing this, Harper Lee creates a sense of hope that society will one day be able to make choices uninfluenced by the colour of ones skin or their social class.
Harper Lee creates a sense of hope for the future in To Kill a Mockingbird by using the young and optimistic character of Scout to show that the glass is always half full and that change is possible. Lee uses Scout’s innocence that comes with her age to contribute unbiast and constantly developing opinions to the novel that include lessons from Atticus about morals and ethics that help teach those reading the novel valuable lessons about equity and the meaning of class. And as the shortcomings of human nature reveal themselves throughout the courtcase Scout shows that she has learnt to “keep her head about things” and stay optimistic just as Atticus taught her to do. She is able to ‘fight with her head for a change” and agree that although Tom may not have won the case and although it was “as simple as black and white”, the jury were stalled and it was enough to make a lasting impact and a hopeful ‘baby step” towards racial equality. And although there is still injustice in plain sight, Harper Lee conveys through Scout’s character and the lessons she learns that although there is still injustice in plain sight, at least it has been seen, and that through staying optimistic and open minded, there is hope for Maycomb.
Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee creates a sense of hope through using Scout’s character to represent an improved generation, shifting perspectives and a future of open minded attitudes through optimism. She makes a statement that in the future there will be more than just a ‘person’s conscience” that “abides by majority rule” through using Scout’s influence and optimism to create the recurring theme of hope throughout the novel. Scout lead by Atticus’s example and creates a sense of hope for Maycomb’s future as she experiences the closest thing to a fair trial for a black man that Maycomb has ever seen.