Examples Of Growing Up In To Kill A Mockingbird

Why is growing up not always so much fun? Can you remember a time in your childhood that marked a turning point in your life where you began to look at society differently? Growing up is supposed to be fun and about laughing, singing and enjoying new experiences. Unfortunately, there is also a downside to growing up, and that includes greater responsibilities, and experiencing the world for what it really is. Some children experience this much earlier than others. This can be emotionally painful for many, but unfortunately this happens yet they are not mentally mature enough to handle it. In the fictional novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, two of the characters in the book learn some major life-lessons when they are faced with …show more content…
Children have the tendency to question things they are unfamiliar with to fulfill their inner curiosity. As Scout stands on Boo Radley’s porch she begins reflecting upon what her father has been preaching to her for some time. “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough….I have never seen our neighborhood from this angle.” (Lee 374) In the past, Scout and Jem have always been mystified and inquisitive about Boo Radley and why he has never been seen outside. They always enjoy poking fun at him and consider him a scary “ghost”. But, because of this curiosity, Scout chooses to take her father’s advice and decides to put herself in Boo’s shoes and pretend to be Boo. She realizes that Boo has been able to see her and Jem all along while witnessing the other happenings in the neighborhood. She attempts to look at the outside world from his point of view. By doing so, she is able to paint a visual picture in her mind to better understand how Boo perceives the outside world as he is held “prisoner inside his very own home” or at least that’s what people think. Without doubt, Scout is maturing. She no longer feels like the young, naïve child she once identified with at the beginning of the book. All along her childlike innocence has …show more content…
Both of these characters have something in common. Scout and Jem both start out as typical, southern kids, but they come to understand the real world very quickly. The unpleasant events that occur throughout the book accelerate their process to mature into young adults too early in life. Maturity doesn’t necessarily develop at a specific age, but rather it comes through experience and life