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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.

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