Skip to main content

In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, how do we see Scout maturing in Chapter 24? What other character is she starting to act like?

Scout demonstrates that she is growing up because she is an active and willing participant in the tea party, just like Aunt Alexandra.

Chapter 24 demonstrates that Scout is growing up because she wants to be an active participant in the Missionary Circle meeting.  She doesn’t complain about wearing a frilly dress, and she offers to carry the pitcher into the meeting.  This impresses her aunt, who wants her to learn how to take part in these functions.



I tried pressing my behind against the door as Calpurnia had done, but the door didn’t budge. Grinning, she held it open for me. “Careful now, it’s heavy. Don’t look at it and you won’t spill it.”


My journey was successful: Aunt Alexandra smiled brilliantly. “Stay with us, Jean Louise,” she said. This was a part of her campaign to teach me to be a lady. (Ch. 24)



Scout’s reaction to the meeting shows that she is beginning to think about being a lady.  She looks at the ladies’ clothing, nail polish, and makeup, and thinks that they smell “heavenly.”  She tries to take part in the discussion, though she doesn’t like it when they make fun of her for usually wearing pants and for watching the trial.


Another way that Scout is shown to be more mature is her reaction to the ladies’ discussion on the Mrunas of Africa and Helen Robinson.  Scout doesn’t understand how they can be so hypocritical.  She is old enough to realize that they are being disingenuous, pretending to be concerned about Africans in one breath while they say something racist about the Robinsons in another.


The racist talk continues, with the women self-congratulating themselves on how they handle the African-Americans in Maycomb.  Miss Maudie, a woman Scout has always respected, intervenes. When she puts them in their place, Alexandra is grateful.  Scout notices, and wonders at this.



When she had them well on the road with Mrs. Perkins, Aunt Alexandra stepped back. She gave Miss Maudie a look of pure gratitude, and I wondered at the world of women. Miss Maudie and Aunt Alexandra had never been especially close, and here was Aunty silently thanking her for something. (Ch. 24)



Scout has more respect for Alexandra after this meeting.  She realizes that she is more nuanced than she realized, particularly after her reaction to Tom Robinson’s death.  Alexandra is clearly shaken, but she gathers herself, makes sure Scout is ready, and goes back into the meeting.  It is a moment of camaraderie and connection for the two of them.  Scout is becoming more like Alexandra all the time.  She is becoming a lady.

Labels

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

How did the United States become an imperial power?

"Imperial power" is a bit of a vague label. It tends to mean several things at once, so let's unpack it. In the sense of "this country was built on conquest by force," the "imperial power" part of America actually predates the United States proper. The territories that would become the United States were imperial colonies, established by the great European empires of the 17th and 18th centuries. Much of the US Constitution and American governance generally goes back to England, history's largest and most successful imperial power, but vital aspects of American culture come from other imperial powers, such as France and Spain. Much of American culture comes from sources other than the old empires, but they were key influences on what the United States became. In the sense of "this country treats conquest by force as a fundamental component of its culture, economy and politics," the United States has always been an imperial power. Even earl...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more