The novel To Kill A Mockingbird (1960) by Harper Lee would be nothing without change. Change makes up a tremendous part of how the characters interact with each other as well as how they grow and evolve throughout the novel. Whether it be physical, mental or emotional changes, Lee depicts how these changes affect the outcomes of prominent events that occur throughout the novel. Without these necessary changes, the novel would not have the same impact on its readers. Through transformation of the characters in the novel, Lee demonstrates that people undergo change due to the outside influences. The setting of a story can set the tone and dictate how characters will behave or interact with each other. In To Kill A Mockingbird, the setting is
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Scout is a tomboy and enjoys hanging around with guys. But, as mentioned earlier, Maycomb is a traditional town and generally believes young girls are meant to be ladies. Various characters throughout the novel made comments to Scout about wanting her to be a lady or to be more ladylike. On numerous occasions, Scout’s aunt, Aunt Alexandra, would tell her to be more ladylike, or would force her to participate in more ladylike activities. When the family goes to Finch’s Landing for Christmas, the reader receives a taste of what Aunt Alexandra is like. Alexandra never thought highly of Scout because she was not ladylike (Lee 108). She did not wear a dress or jewelry and Alexandra thought Scout should be “a ray of sunshine in her father’s lonely life.” (Lee 108). Aunt Alexandra did not understand Scout and was not open to getting to know her. Alexandra is traditional and stuck in her ways and beliefs, which is partially why she could not accept Scout being a tomboy (Shackelford 6). In Maycomb, the old fashioned thinking was that young girls had to behave like young ladies. Mrs. Dubose was another woman who made comments to Scout. As previously mentioned, Mrs. Dubose would yell rude phrases to the Finch children. She would direct comments to Scout about how she was not a lady and how she should shape up. For example, Mrs. Dubose said if Scout did not wear dresses and change her ways, she will be stuck as a waitress in the local cafe (Lee 134). Another example is when Jem and Scout would read to Mrs. Dubose, she would call Scout dirty (Lee 141). As pointed out by Dean Shackelford, Mrs. Dubose is an excellent example of narrow mindedness (Shackelford 5). Slowly, as the novel goes on, Scout displays signs of becoming girlier. For example, over the summer the boys would leave her out, so she began to spend time with Miss Maudie (Lee 55). Scout felt comfortable around Miss Maudie and enjoyed hanging around
Scout is a tomboy and enjoys hanging around with guys. But, as mentioned earlier, Maycomb is a traditional town and generally believes young girls are meant to be ladies. Various characters throughout the novel made comments to Scout about wanting her to be a lady or to be more ladylike. On numerous occasions, Scout’s aunt, Aunt Alexandra, would tell her to be more ladylike, or would force her to participate in more ladylike activities. When the family goes to Finch’s Landing for Christmas, the reader receives a taste of what Aunt Alexandra is like. Alexandra never thought highly of Scout because she was not ladylike (Lee 108). She did not wear a dress or jewelry and Alexandra thought Scout should be “a ray of sunshine in her father’s lonely life.” (Lee 108). Aunt Alexandra did not understand Scout and was not open to getting to know her. Alexandra is traditional and stuck in her ways and beliefs, which is partially why she could not accept Scout being a tomboy (Shackelford 6). In Maycomb, the old fashioned thinking was that young girls had to behave like young ladies. Mrs. Dubose was another woman who made comments to Scout. As previously mentioned, Mrs. Dubose would yell rude phrases to the Finch children. She would direct comments to Scout about how she was not a lady and how she should shape up. For example, Mrs. Dubose said if Scout did not wear dresses and change her ways, she will be stuck as a waitress in the local cafe (Lee 134). Another example is when Jem and Scout would read to Mrs. Dubose, she would call Scout dirty (Lee 141). As pointed out by Dean Shackelford, Mrs. Dubose is an excellent example of narrow mindedness (Shackelford 5). Slowly, as the novel goes on, Scout displays signs of becoming girlier. For example, over the summer the boys would leave her out, so she began to spend time with Miss Maudie (Lee 55). Scout felt comfortable around Miss Maudie and enjoyed hanging around