How Does Harper Lee Present the Relationships Between Scout and Jem, Atticus and Dill in to Kill a Mockingbird.

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Scout is portrayed as an unusual girl in To Kill a Mockingbird both in her own qualities, and in her social position. She is intelligent (she learnt to read before starting school), she is confident (she fights boys without showing any fear), she is thoughtful, and she is generally good. Early on in the book, you realise that Scout is the way she is due to Atticus’ upbringing. He has nurtured her mind, conscience and individuality as well as allowing her to make her own decisions on social hypocrisy. The story seems to be told by an adult Scout telling the events of her childhood. The woman telling the story obviously recognises the fact that her father is exceptional. Despite this, the child Scout complains that her father is boring. "Our father didn't do anything . . . he never went hunting, he did not play poker or fish or drink or smoke. He sat in the living room and read." The child Scout marvels in the fact that her father knew she was listening to his conversation with Uncle Jack. The adult Scout however, marvels in the fact that her father wanted her to overhear his conversation. Although the story takes place over the course of three years, Scout learns a lifetime's worth of lessons in that span. Here, the reader should remember that in many ways To Kill a Mockingbird is Scout's memoir — the adult Scout can better understand the impact of various events than the child living through them. You quickly realise when reading To Kill a Mockingbird that Scout is who she is because of the way Atticus has raised her. While most girls Scout’s age would be wearing dresses and learning manners, Scout, thanks to Atticus’s parenting style, can decide for herself to wear overalls and learn to climb trees with Jem and Dill. She is very intelligent for her age as Atticus has taught her how to read before she even started school. Atticus builds his morals up in Scout

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