As a child grows up, they slowly lose their innocence. When this happens, they learn that the world is not such a happy place. Certain events in a child’s life can cause them to lose their innocence early. In To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Scout loses her innocence several times. Scout lives in Maycomb with her older brother, Jem, and her father, Atticus. Her father is a lawyer, and he defends Tom Robinson, an African American man, in a court case. Due to racial segregation in Maycomb, Atticus has never had a trial in which he defends an African American. Scout becomes more mature as she learns about the Tom Robinson trial. Due to Scout’s exposure to rape and death, she is able to have a better understanding of society.
Atticus teaches …show more content…
Cunningham’s mind about the situation. While Mr. Cunningham and his followers attempt to kill Atticus outside of the jail, Scout immediately recognizes Mr. Cunningham as Walter’s father. She strikes up a casual conversation with him, despite the fact that his intention is to kill Atticus and Tom Robinson. During their conversation, Scout mentions Walter. Mr. Cunningham begins to feel compassion, because he is about to kill Scout’s father while he has a child of his own. Scout continues to talk about Walter, because “he’s his boy, ain’t he?” (Lee 205) Scout does not notice that Mr. Cunningham is at the jail to kill Atticus and Tom. Her innocence makes her too blind to see that the situation is a big deal due to the racial tension between Atticus, Tom, and the mob. It takes her a while to realize why the mob situation is taking place - because Mr. Cunningham and his followers are racist. Due to their racism, they disapprove of Atticus’ role in the trial. But once she learns the truth, she loses more of her innocence. She learns that the trial is able to cause near-death situations for Atticus, and the mob scene was the first. She also learns that not everybody is as considerate as her father, because Mr. Cunningham’s mob was willing to go to violent extremes just because Tom Robinson was black. So when Scout goes home after the mob leaves, she realizes that many people are cruel and
Atticus teaches …show more content…
Cunningham’s mind about the situation. While Mr. Cunningham and his followers attempt to kill Atticus outside of the jail, Scout immediately recognizes Mr. Cunningham as Walter’s father. She strikes up a casual conversation with him, despite the fact that his intention is to kill Atticus and Tom Robinson. During their conversation, Scout mentions Walter. Mr. Cunningham begins to feel compassion, because he is about to kill Scout’s father while he has a child of his own. Scout continues to talk about Walter, because “he’s his boy, ain’t he?” (Lee 205) Scout does not notice that Mr. Cunningham is at the jail to kill Atticus and Tom. Her innocence makes her too blind to see that the situation is a big deal due to the racial tension between Atticus, Tom, and the mob. It takes her a while to realize why the mob situation is taking place - because Mr. Cunningham and his followers are racist. Due to their racism, they disapprove of Atticus’ role in the trial. But once she learns the truth, she loses more of her innocence. She learns that the trial is able to cause near-death situations for Atticus, and the mob scene was the first. She also learns that not everybody is as considerate as her father, because Mr. Cunningham’s mob was willing to go to violent extremes just because Tom Robinson was black. So when Scout goes home after the mob leaves, she realizes that many people are cruel and