Like wise Kohlberg once said “The child can internalize the moral values of his parents and culture and make them his own only as he comes to relate these values to a comprehended social order and to his own goals as a social self”. Kohlberg demonstrates that the apple never falls far from the tree, that a child does not only inherit genetic characteristics, but also absorbs behaviors from their parents. Harper Lee shows that when children are raised in a household with a parent already very high on the Kohlberg 's Stages of Moral Development, than that child is likely to develop a moral compass at an earlier age. The characters in To Kill a Mockingbird embody what really happens in our society. Studies say that when a parent is more intelligent than most then their child will have a better chance of being smart. These patterns of behaviors are not just a coincidence, this application of intelligence can also be transferred to moral development.
Atticus’ parenting styles are much different than the ways of the town, unlike a lot of the people Scout and Jem are around with, Atticus never hits them or abuses them in any way.
It was the night that Scout, Jem, and Dill went to the Radley house to try and sneak a peek at Arthur. When the kids heard a gunshot they took off, Scout and Dill escaped unharmed, but Jem 's pants got caught on the fence, he left them there out of fear of being caught. Scout, Jem, and Dill ran off to their own homes thinking in the back of their minds about what they would do about the pants, knowing that they’re trespassing was going to be discovered in the morning if the pants were not retrieved. The Finch children were about to go to sleep until Jem told Scout that he was going back to the house to remove the evidence. Scout thought that Jem was insane for the task that Jem was about to try to face, but then finally he convinced Scout why. ‘“Atticus ain’t ever whipped me since I can remember. I wanta keep it that way”’ (75). Atticus’ parenting style is vastly different than other members of the community, for that reason Jem does not want to make Atticus disappointed causing Jem to be constantly seeking Atticus’ approval. As a result Jem goes from stage one of Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development, where he wants to just avoid being punished, to stage three where he wants to not only avoid being punished but to have Atticus’ unconditional approval. Atticus teaches Jem at a very young age to ignore the views of the community and to treat everybody with respect regardless of their social position. It was Scout 's first day of school and Walter did not have any money to buy lunch. Mrs. Fishers solution was to give him money, but Walter refused to accept the cash knowing that he was unable to ever pay her back. Scout had to explain to Mrs. Fisher that the Cunningham family was financially unstable. Mrs. Fisher was embarrassed her lack of awareness and even more embarrassed that a child knew more about the community than she did. Scout had questioned Mrs. Fishers authority and for that reason Mrs. Fisher whipped Scout. So when class got released Scout started to beat up Walter for what happened in the classroom as payback, Jem then went up to Scout and broke up the fight, and then Jem in an attempt to make amends Jem invites Walter over for dinner. ‘“Come on home to dinner with us, Walter,” he said. “We’d be glad to have you.”’ (30). …show more content…
Using Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development Scout gets to the third stage, she listens to what Atticus tells her and respects the opinion of somebody other than herself. What Scout did by not fighting Cecil was showing respect to Atticus and took into consideration the views of an authority. Scout chooses to walk from a violent confrontation which shows she acts more like a lady. It makes the change from a child to a lady much more difficult when a child does not a mother figure in her life to copy, this could explain why Scout becomes less violent at a later
Atticus’ parenting styles are much different than the ways of the town, unlike a lot of the people Scout and Jem are around with, Atticus never hits them or abuses them in any way.
It was the night that Scout, Jem, and Dill went to the Radley house to try and sneak a peek at Arthur. When the kids heard a gunshot they took off, Scout and Dill escaped unharmed, but Jem 's pants got caught on the fence, he left them there out of fear of being caught. Scout, Jem, and Dill ran off to their own homes thinking in the back of their minds about what they would do about the pants, knowing that they’re trespassing was going to be discovered in the morning if the pants were not retrieved. The Finch children were about to go to sleep until Jem told Scout that he was going back to the house to remove the evidence. Scout thought that Jem was insane for the task that Jem was about to try to face, but then finally he convinced Scout why. ‘“Atticus ain’t ever whipped me since I can remember. I wanta keep it that way”’ (75). Atticus’ parenting style is vastly different than other members of the community, for that reason Jem does not want to make Atticus disappointed causing Jem to be constantly seeking Atticus’ approval. As a result Jem goes from stage one of Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development, where he wants to just avoid being punished, to stage three where he wants to not only avoid being punished but to have Atticus’ unconditional approval. Atticus teaches Jem at a very young age to ignore the views of the community and to treat everybody with respect regardless of their social position. It was Scout 's first day of school and Walter did not have any money to buy lunch. Mrs. Fishers solution was to give him money, but Walter refused to accept the cash knowing that he was unable to ever pay her back. Scout had to explain to Mrs. Fisher that the Cunningham family was financially unstable. Mrs. Fisher was embarrassed her lack of awareness and even more embarrassed that a child knew more about the community than she did. Scout had questioned Mrs. Fishers authority and for that reason Mrs. Fisher whipped Scout. So when class got released Scout started to beat up Walter for what happened in the classroom as payback, Jem then went up to Scout and broke up the fight, and then Jem in an attempt to make amends Jem invites Walter over for dinner. ‘“Come on home to dinner with us, Walter,” he said. “We’d be glad to have you.”’ (30). …show more content…
Using Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development Scout gets to the third stage, she listens to what Atticus tells her and respects the opinion of somebody other than herself. What Scout did by not fighting Cecil was showing respect to Atticus and took into consideration the views of an authority. Scout chooses to walk from a violent confrontation which shows she acts more like a lady. It makes the change from a child to a lady much more difficult when a child does not a mother figure in her life to copy, this could explain why Scout becomes less violent at a later