This narrative method allows Lee to tell a "delightfully deceptive" story that mixes the simplicity of childhood observation with adult situations complicated by hidden motivations and unquestioned tradition. However, at times the blending causes reviewers to question Scout's preternatural vocabulary and depth of understanding. Literary critics have expressed doubt that children as sheltered as Scout and Jem could understand the complexities and horrors involved in the trial for Tom Robinson's life. The story, however, is recalled by the adult Scout; this allows her first-person narrative to contain adult language and adult insights yet still maintain the innocent outlook of a child. The adult perspective also adds a measure of hindsight to the tale, allowing for a deeper examination of events.
The narrator was an adult woman, looking back as she remembered her childhood and how Jem, her brother, broke his arm. Lee might have chosen Scout as she was a child and children have different views than adults. For example and adult wouldn’t be frightened of Boo but Scout was and had childish imaginations. Another fact was that there won’t be any arguments against Scout as she is just a young girl. However if this was an adult, like Atticus there would be arguments against him and he might even be punished being against racism such as the trial.” Because you are children and you can understand it”.
The story was told in first person perspective, with Scout speaking. I think that this mainly allowed us to follow Scout’s personal development; it allowed us to see Scout’s thoughts and emotions. For example, in the beginning of the book, Scout enjoyed terrorizing Boo Radley in an attempt to make him get out of his house. Later on, though, she realized that doing this was really just hurting an innocent person. On page 279, Scout finally understood Boo well, and she felt that she had developed so much that “there wasn’t much else left for her to learn, except possibly algebra.” This sort of progress in Scout’s character made the story much more interesting for me, and helped me to better recognize the messages that the author was trying to convey.
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?
It’s Me, Margaret because it’s one of those books that everybody except me had read – it’s a classic! But here’s my thoughts on reading it as a 14-year-old girl who got the opportunity to read it as an actual pre-teen.. Published in 1970, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret seems to be Judy Blume’s most famous novel Margaret Simon likes long hair, tuna fish, the smell of rain and things that are pink. At 11-years-old, she’s just moved from busy NYC to the quiet suburbs – Farbrook, New Jersey – where she’s faced with a whole bunch of weird new firsts.
When you are a kid and you stand out, it can be encouraged or found upon. In this case the kids who bullied Jodee did not like her for standing out in a way that now, as adults they admire. Everyone grows up and “looking behind” at their life come to terms with what they did right and what they did wrong. “Then, suddenly, I understood that if sand “Over the Rainbow” to them, it would be a sign of forgiveness, and a reminder of the happy moments of friendship I had once shared with them before the rift between us” (page 255) Jodee could have taken this moment and walked away from it because of fear. But she instead was “seeing through” the faces of the people who once were a problem and see’s the honest and sincere people who stood in front of her that day.
This shows Scout’s prejudicial character for feeling immediate fear for the blanket because it was specifically Boo who put it on her. We can further see that Scout really indulged in what she heard about Boo and how much the rumors blinded her. Lee connects the quote she used above with another quote from page 89 where Scout says, “Jem, I ain’t ever heard of a nigger snowman.” This quote characterizes Scout’s innocence and portrays the theme of racism. Being the intelligent person she is, but due to her young age, Scout unknowingly uses the offensive word ‘nigger’ because she is too young to understand what nigger really means and how it is racist. This quote portrays the theme of racism when Jem responds to Scout by saying, “He won’t be black long,” describing the snowman to be black on the inside, but white on the outside.
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.
At one point in the story, it seems as though other people besides the Finch family are seeing that judging people based on their looks is wrong. Ms. Gates, Scout's third grade teacher, explains to the class that prejudice is a bad thing. She states “Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced.” (p.245) She emphasizes this to the class, showing that she really understands and despises it when people look down on others based solely upon their looks. Also, a little bit before, Ms. Gates explains to the children what democracy is, and how it works. Scout says that a democracy means that their is “equal rights for everyone.” (p.245) The teacher then goes on to state how the U.S. is a democracy, and how that differs from Germany as a dictatorship.
After Atticus finishes his cross-examination of Mr. Ewell, Jem whispers excitedly, “We got him.” In fact, he’s sure the jury will acquit Robinson. Scout’s a little more skeptical, but is not disillusioned at the jury’s decision. They suddenly realize their fellow neighbors aren’t quite as decent and honorable as they seem. If that’s true, maybe Maycomb isn’t so great, either. This story was told from Scout’s point of view; which made for a very entertaining read.