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What passages in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird show Scout's and Jem's moral growth?

For Scout, one of the most evident moments of moral growth occurs soon after Tom Robinson's trial in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.

Prior to the trial, Scout was significantly influenced by racial prejudices. The influence of prejudice is seen in the fact that she questions her father's rightness in accepting Robinson's case. The influence of prejudice is best seen in a conversation she has with Dill outside of the courthouse during the trial. Dill must be escorted out of the courtroom because he begins crying. When he explains to Scout he is crying because of the horrible way Mr. Gilmer, the prosecuting attorney, was treating Robinson, Scout shows she possesses racist beliefs when she responds, "Well, Dill, after all he's just a Negro," meaning that since he is only a Negro, he isn't entitled to the same amount of respect as others (Ch. 19).

However, her perspective significantly changes after the trial. In Chapter 26, Scout begins the third grade. During a class discussion on Hitler, Scout is very surprised to hear her third-grade teacher speak out so vehemently against Hitler's treatment of the Jews. She is surprised because she very clearly remembers hearing a racist remark her teacher made while exiting the courthouse after the jury's guilty verdict had been read, as she informs Jem in the following:


I heard her say it's time somebody taught 'em a lesson, they were gettin' way above themselves, an' the next thing they think they can do is marry us. Jem, how can you hate Hitler so bad an' then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home--. (Ch. 26)



Scout's comment about her teacher's ugliness shows she is well aware of the hypocrisy her teacher is guilty of. Scout's awareness of hypocrisy shows she has achieved significant moral growth since Robinson's trial.

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