Growing Up Scout, an immature six-year-old. Jem, a childish ten-year-old. They learn many valuable lessons in this book and mature while doing so. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird shows how the kids, especially Jem, grow and mature during the course of the whole novel by their childishness in the beginning, then seeing them grow over the three years in which this novel takes place, which leads to Jem protecting his sister in the fight and Scout learning that Boo isn’t as scary as he seemed. Jem, the oldest child, matures throughout the novel by showing more adult qualities, like protecting his family, as he ages throughout the novel. He starts out the novel clinging to his father’s watch; when he carries it “[he walks] on eggs,” but when
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Scout is only six, but she knows that the Radley Place is somewhere that she should not go near. The second summer Dill came, she ends up “[staring] at the Radley Place steps in front of [her]” and “[she] froze” (Lee 50). She is scared of Boo, the town hermit who never leaves his house, and all the rumors that Jem had explained to her about the Radley’s. Then, later on in the story she learns something, something that she had never expected. After finally meeting Boo, Scout knows “Atticus was right,” she remembers him telling her that “you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them” and she knew in that moment “Just standing on the Radley porch was enough” (Lee 374). Being on their porch, made her realize what Boo felt. She looks at life from a new perspective and learns that Boo is not as scary as he first seemed. Scout learns lessons throughout this book, but the main one is that she cannot judge a person before she has met them.
Jem and Scout in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird mature throughout the three years this novel takes place, by helping each other and learning about life. Jem grows up and shows this by helping his younger sister Scout. He shoves her out of the way, protecting her, but hurting himself. In the process, Scout learns that Boo Radley was not as scary as he first seemed. Kids are childish.
Scout is only six, but she knows that the Radley Place is somewhere that she should not go near. The second summer Dill came, she ends up “[staring] at the Radley Place steps in front of [her]” and “[she] froze” (Lee 50). She is scared of Boo, the town hermit who never leaves his house, and all the rumors that Jem had explained to her about the Radley’s. Then, later on in the story she learns something, something that she had never expected. After finally meeting Boo, Scout knows “Atticus was right,” she remembers him telling her that “you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them” and she knew in that moment “Just standing on the Radley porch was enough” (Lee 374). Being on their porch, made her realize what Boo felt. She looks at life from a new perspective and learns that Boo is not as scary as he first seemed. Scout learns lessons throughout this book, but the main one is that she cannot judge a person before she has met them.
Jem and Scout in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird mature throughout the three years this novel takes place, by helping each other and learning about life. Jem grows up and shows this by helping his younger sister Scout. He shoves her out of the way, protecting her, but hurting himself. In the process, Scout learns that Boo Radley was not as scary as he first seemed. Kids are childish.