To Kill a Mockingbird Maturity

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TKAM Text Response Essay There's a lot of ugly things in this world, son. I wish I could keep 'em all away from you. That's never possible." How do the events of to kill a mockingbird cause scout and Jem to set aside childish understandings and move towards maturity? Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird provides the audience with an insight into the naïve and childish understandings of two young children growing up amongst the cruelty and harshness of the people in the society of the 1930's. Set in Alabama, in the Deep South of America, racism and prejudice were rampant among adults in southern towns, and children were forced to mature through the events and experiences life threw at them. Lee explores how the teachings of Atticus and the comprehensive events of the 1930's can set aside Jem and Scout's childish ways and shape their understandings of life and mature as people. A classic and early example of moving towards maturity is Scout putting away her naïve, violent reactions and learning to tame her uncontrollable fists. In the beginning of the novel, Scout has an uncontrollable desire to use her fists to solve all her problems. She got "some pleasure" when she was "rubbing [Walter Cunningham’s] nose in the dirt", simply over a small issue such as, making "[Her] start of on the wrong foot" in the classroom. Lee highlights these reoccurring fights to support Scout's childlike actions. Scout has a turning point midway through the novel when Atticus explains to Scout, not to "let 'em get your goat" and to keep "your head high" and "fists down". 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
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