A Moment Of Development In To Kill A Mockingbird

“Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional” (Chili Davis). As the quote explains how aging is mandatory and maturing is not for everybody, it ties into Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and the growing up process for many characters. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee portrays growing up by showing how characters that matured, have a fresh look at the world accordingly criticizing its flaws. Jem has a moment of development when he takes an adult approach towards a situation based on how he was raised. When Jem and Scout find Dill, Jem does something that is considered evolving when he doulbe-crosses his friend. Jem tells Dill, “You oughta let your mother know where you are” said Jem… Then he rose and broke the remaining code of our childhood. He went out of the room and down the hall” (Lee 188). Jem basically tells Dill he needs to get out of hiding. Jem takes it upon himself to tell Atticus where Dill is. When Jem tells on Dill, all the trust in their friendship was lost. Telling the truth was more important than friendship at the moment. Jem realized the flaws in lying. This quote has shown that Jem has matured in his thought process from things that are appropriate from wrong. …show more content…
As Dill comes over Scout makes an adult decision that would have been different a year ago. As Scout was talking to Dill she said, “Dill asked if I’d like to have a poke at Boo Radley. I said I didn’t think it’d be nice to bother him…” (Lee 198). Scout is stating how it is wrong to bother Boo Radley who is innocent. Knowing it is wrong to bother innocent people, Scout changed her ways furthermore taking a more respectful route towards Boo Radley. Scouts attitude, has changed since the last time, Dill, Jem, and her were making fun of Boo Radley because of the