Analysis Of Coming-Of-Age In To Kill A Mockingbird, By Harper Lee

Growing up is a challenge that everyone has to go through. During childhood, kids learn little lessons from their parents, teachers, and siblings. During adolescence, teenagers will act like brats to get what they want. They have no regrets, and will do anything no matter the consequences. It is important to learn from your mistakes while growing up, because you become a better person in the future. Coming-of-age involves recognizing different perspectives. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird Scout is an example of a character whose coming-of-age process involves gaining a different perspective. Calpurnia invites Scout and Jem to her black church: “How’d you and Mister Jem like to come to church with me tomorrow?”(Lee 133). While Scout and Jem are there, they learn a lot of ways that blacks live their everyday lives. To avoid having to deal with whites discriminate him, Dolphus Raymond pretends to be an alcoholic and drinks Coca-Cola out of a paper bag: “if I weave a little drink out of this sack, folks can say Dolphus Raymond’s in clutches of whiskey-that’s why he won’t change his ways”(Lee 228). Scout learns that …show more content…
During adolescence, teen’s brains are not fully developed: “They act that way because their brains aren’t done!”(Dobbs). They start adolescence as a stupid teenager, but when they are finished, they are more wise because of their past experiences. Because teen’s brains are not done, they love the feeling of breaking the rules: “Let’s start with the teen’s love of the thrill. We all like new and exciting things, but we never value them more highly than we do during adolescence”(Dobbs). The consequences of breaking rules will haunt them when they are older, so they will know right from wrong. To be wise when you are older requires gaining new perspectives during teen