Growing up is a maze full of dead ends. However it is along these paths in the wrong or right directions that help others learn and mature for the years to come. Throughout the course of the novel, several characters as well as items mentioned signify coming of age- whether it’s briefly stated or more symbolically noted. There are also many instances where characters like Jem and Scout have to mature due to their surroundings. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout, Jem, and Miss Maudie’s cakes are all symbols of one of the most common themes of the book: coming of age.
Scout easily embodies childhood innocence because she has a naïve way of thinking. However, she doesn’t mature as quickly as Jem does, and tends to put herself in many situations …show more content…
This is the most metaphorical symbol of the three because it’s not simply stated in the book. Whenever Miss Maudie baked her famous cakes, she always made one big one and three little ones for each kid: Jem, Dill, and Scout. Scout explains that Miss Maudie would yell each kid’s name from across the street to get their cakes and says that their “promptness was always rewarded” (Lee 34). After the Tom Robinson trial, Miss Maudie realizes the kid’s devastation and takes notice in Jem’s reaction in particular. She proceeds to make her three cakes, but what’s different is that she makes only two little ones and one big one. Scout and Dill are confused when they see this, but Scout explains that they “understood when she cut from the big cake and gave a slice to Jem” (Lee 182). This small gesture is a big factor that contributes to the theme because it shows that coming of age is not something that goes unrecognized. Kids and adults are treated differently due to their different levels of understanding; Jem clearly understands more than Dill and Scout at the moment because he’s more mature and Miss Maudie takes notice. This is why she gives Jem a piece of the big cake. He’s now seen as an adult; he’s grown
Scout easily embodies childhood innocence because she has a naïve way of thinking. However, she doesn’t mature as quickly as Jem does, and tends to put herself in many situations …show more content…
This is the most metaphorical symbol of the three because it’s not simply stated in the book. Whenever Miss Maudie baked her famous cakes, she always made one big one and three little ones for each kid: Jem, Dill, and Scout. Scout explains that Miss Maudie would yell each kid’s name from across the street to get their cakes and says that their “promptness was always rewarded” (Lee 34). After the Tom Robinson trial, Miss Maudie realizes the kid’s devastation and takes notice in Jem’s reaction in particular. She proceeds to make her three cakes, but what’s different is that she makes only two little ones and one big one. Scout and Dill are confused when they see this, but Scout explains that they “understood when she cut from the big cake and gave a slice to Jem” (Lee 182). This small gesture is a big factor that contributes to the theme because it shows that coming of age is not something that goes unrecognized. Kids and adults are treated differently due to their different levels of understanding; Jem clearly understands more than Dill and Scout at the moment because he’s more mature and Miss Maudie takes notice. This is why she gives Jem a piece of the big cake. He’s now seen as an adult; he’s grown