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In To Kill a Mockingbird, what changes Scout?

To Kill a Mockingbirdis a bildungsroman, or a coming-of-age story. The book chronicles the many events that teach Scout about the world around her, which is Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. The question might not necessarily be what changes Scout, but how she changes throughout the course of the novel. As Scout learns about racism, prejudice, and discrimination, she is constantly faced with choices about how she will react and what she will believe. Will...

To Kill a Mockingbird is a bildungsroman, or a coming-of-age story. The book chronicles the many events that teach Scout about the world around her, which is Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. The question might not necessarily be what changes Scout, but how she changes throughout the course of the novel. As Scout learns about racism, prejudice, and discrimination, she is constantly faced with choices about how she will react and what she will believe. Will she grow up to be a product of her hometown, or will she be influenced more by the example of her father, who shows patience and tolerance towards everyone? Ultimately, the most influential person in Scout's development is her father. A close second would be her brother, Jem, because she watches and learns from his example as they both encounter the same events growing up. If, however, one event must be chosen that "changes" Scout, it would be the Tom Robinson trial.


First, the Tom Robinson case brings up many discussions between the children and their father about the traditional and prejudiced beliefs of Maycomb (and the whole South for that matter), which are not consistent with logic or reason. For example, Scout learns in chapter 23 that Tom was convicted based on racism and loyalty to tradition rather than logical evidence. Then, she learns to identify situations where inconsistencies with logic exist. Scout demonstrates her developed ability to reason when she identifies an inconsistency with what her third grade teacher, Miss Gates, says about Hitler and his treatment of Jews. Scout asks Jem about it in chapter 26 by saying the following:



"Well, coming out of the courthouse that night Miss Gates . . . was talking with Miss Stephanie Crawford. 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—" (247).



Scout is just beginning to use these reasoning skills, and she can't quite articulate that Miss Gates is a hypocrite, but this passage shows her developing her intellect and her ability to identify inconsistencies in logic. Before the trial, Scout said things such as, "Well Dill, after all he's just a Negro" (199). After all the information and education she gained through discussions at home about the Tom Robinson trial, and how white people have treated black folks with prejudice for decades, Scout is more aware of the condition of her society. She understands that prejudice of any kind is inexcusable and she eventually chooses to be patient and tolerant like her father.

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