How did Scout’s understanding of prejudice develop throughout the film? The masterful film ‘to kill a mocking bird’ directed by Robert Mulligan is a story of innocence to experience. The central protagonist Scout Finch initially presents as a naïve ‘six year old’ whose understanding of people and her community is superficial, however her perspective is soon enriched by a myriad of confronting and compelling experiences. Her ‘longest night’ towards realisation and a subtle epiphany is predominantly nurtured by her father Atticus and also a racially fuelled trial that engulfs the town. Scout’s limited knowledge of the intricate nature of those around her is immediately obvious as the film opens on her front porch.
The youth described above is six-year-old Jean Louise “Scout” Finch. In the powerful novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Scout is like most children: loud, playful, and energetic. She can be rude, demanding, and rowdy, which causes a problem for some around her. Scout is naïve at this stage in her life, and has much to learn about society, etiquette, and most of all, morals. In her small town full of gossip, lies, racism, and more, will Scout be able to blossom into a mature, wholesome, young woman?
Lily’s African American nanny and also her only friend, Rosaleen was trying to vote, but the police put her in jail. In jail Rosaleen was beaten up badly by the white police officers. Monk Kidd illustrated the many truthful hardships African Americans had to endure during this time, and constantly drew comparisons between ‘white’ and ‘black’ lifestyles. As Monk Kidd repeated the colloquial slang such as “nigger” and “negro”, it became very vivid to the reader the way in which people saw clear divides in the society, and the ways in which they were willing to judge and torment these people, due to race. “The Secret Life of Bees” explores the importance of forgiveness.
Lee uses this scene to show the turning point in which Scout starts to see that using her fists is not the only way to dispel the negative words being thrown towards her. Scout puts the lesson she had learnt in practise when Cecil Jacobs abuses Scout about her Father, for defending a black man. Scout "drew a bead" on
Labeling and stereotyping. They don’t seem like a big deal until it causes chaos in the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. In Maycomb, this is a big issue in the community. Scout is watching and understanding this world differently, being young and very influential racisms changes her, in maturing and her personality. Scout is the main character, she is the reason the Finches get in all these dilemmas.
Scout matures as the novel continues. Scout is childish and disrespectful at the beginning of the novel. Often tossing people into predetermined classes based solely on their family or race. But, she is learning throughout the novel. By the end of the novel she has come to
He doesn’t know any better and could possibly end up doing something really bad because of this feeling. Mrs. Joe also continuously mentions how Pip is lucky that she has brought him up ‘by hand.’ One day when Pip was asking questions about the marshes, Mrs. Joe loses her patience and yells at Pip, saying, “I tell you what, young fellow, I didn’t bring you up by hand to badger people’s lives out. It would be blame to me, and not praise, if I had. People are put in the Hulks because they murder, and because they rob, and forge, and do all sorts of bad; and they always begin by asking questions.”(Page 13) This places a lot of guilt on Pip, making him feel like he shouldn’t ask any questions at all. To tell a little kid not to ask so many questions is a terrible thing.
The Puritan community in The Crucible was vulnerable in many ways and susceptible to irrational and panicky accusations of the Salem Witch Hunts because of their strict and constricting ways. The children in the community are treated very poorly and less than everyone else in the town. As the Salem Witch Hunts were essentially started by the children the fact that they were treated as lesser beings contributed to the communities demise. “He (Reverend Parris) regarded them as young adults, an until this strange crisis he, like the rest of Salem, never conceived that the children were anything but thankful for being permitted to walk straight, eyes slightly lowered, arms at their sides, and mouths shut until bidden to speak,” (Miller 3). Miller foreshadows the Witch Hunts to come.
The story is narrated by the protagonist, Scout, as an adult woman nostalgically recalling her early childhood over a two-year period. It is presented with the naivete and youth which characterise the observations of an innocent. Because Scout does not perceive or understand the full implications of what she sees and hears, Lee is able contrast the consistency, justice and honesty of children and the double standards, prejudice and sordid adult values inherent in her revelations and mature characters. The first half of the novel revolves around the Scout’s childhood in Maycomb, a fictional “tired old town” in Alabama, before the alleged rape to enlighten readers on the entire social backdrop and subconsciously groom the children for “Maycomb’s usual disease”. In the course of the novel, Lee uses the symbol of a mockingbird to articulate justice by stressing the sin of killing one, as it is utterly innocent and defenceless.
“It’s…remember the good times…now I know that the things my brother was doing were bad….The church taught me that was wrong….showed me how gangbanging ain’t nothing but the devil’s mess” (54). She realizes that being part of the gang is not the life she wants and learns right from wrong. She learned now from Church that what the gang does is evil. “It made me throw-up sick again thinking how I took that mama’s purse while her Niña was crying, and I felt killer mad too…”(89). Cecilia regrets doing some of the tasks that she was made to do; once these tasks, in actuality crimes, have been committed, she