How Does Scout Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird

Everyone comes into the world as an innocent child, but some people are forced to leave the world of innocence faster than others. Some kids live in a community that raises them in a manner in which they are forced to mature at a young age. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the events of a single summer to demonstrate the loss of innocence in Scout and Jem. As Scout matures at a young age, she must learn to control herself and respect others. Hardships are forced upon her by her community throughout her life as a child. Hartley illustrates the process of maturation when she says, “in the process of growing up, the children learn the value of self-control, tolerance, and respect” (Hartley 15). Hartley elaborates on the components of Scout’s maturing process. Scout goes from a young girl with no self-control
When the book commences, Scout decides to unleash her wrath on a boy named Walter. In the midst of her bullying, Jem, her brother, yells at her to ‘let him go’ (Lee 30) because she does not have the mental capacity to know when to stop. At this age most children do not know when to stop what they are doing. Another instance when scout does not control herself is when she invites Walter over for dinner and insults the way he eats by saying “he would probably have poured it into his milk glass had [she] not asked what the sam hill he was doing” (Lee 32). Once again Scout does not look through another person’s perspective because if she had, then she would not make rude remarks. A third way Scout shows her lack of maturity is when she kicks a man in the leg for grabbing Jem and yells ‘don’t touch him’ (Lee 204). Scouts first reaction is to kick the man instead of thinking the situation out. She could have spoken to the man instead of resorting to violence. While there are many examples of Scout’s lack of maturity, she does begin to mature near the end of the book