Scout's Journey from Innocence to Awareness

May 12, 1999

The older you grow, the more you begin to distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom. - Abraham Lincoln

Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is about a young girl's maturation during the most influential years of her life. Scout's journey through life in her small town of Maycomb in the South includes learning about the people around her. She must learn to understand and sympathize with the diverse people with whom she spends every day, like the mysterious neighbor Boo and the kind neighbor Miss Maudie. 

She sees adults behave like children when faced with the many troubles of life. She also sees the courage of her lawyer father, the respect shown towards her at her maid Calpurnia's church, the prejudice of her Aunt Alexandria, and the injustice and justice of the black man Tom Robinson at his trial for rape. 

She realizes and conquers prejudice through her knowledge of the courage, both true and false, in others around her, as well as herself. She soon realizes the difference between a dare and standing up for what one believes to be right.

At first, Scout is innocent about courage. A prime example of Scout's innocence about courage is the idea of a dare, such as when she dared Jem to run up and touch the Radley house. "Jem threw open the gate and sped to the side of the house, slapped it with his palm and ran back past us not waiting to see if his foray was successful..." (15) Although Jem bragged about it, he could not deny how scared he really was about the Radley house. The same relationship between dare and fear is seen when the three decided to slip a note to Boo Radley, "Jem was merely going to put the note to the end of a fishing pole and stick it through the shutters..." (46) These incidents illustrate ScoutÍs innocent perception of courage. When she said, "Anybody who went up to the house once oughta not to still run every time he passes it." (23), Scout started to realize that accepting a dare is not the same as overcoming fear. 

Later, Scout's perception of courage advanced when others pointed out courage in the face of pain or danger.  When Atticus explained how Mrs. Dubose overcame her morphine addiction, only then did Scout realize the woman's courage, and how difficult it must have been for her to fulfill her goal of stopping using morphine. "Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict...She'd have spent the rest of her life on it and died without so much agony, but she was too contrary." (111) Scout realized what it had taken for Mrs. Dubose to finally "...leave this world beholden to nothing an nobody." (111), and to do what she had planned, even though she was bound to die. After the jail, when Scout walked away from the bushes and talked Mr. Cunningham into seeing the error of his ways, she did not at first realize what she had done, until she overheard Atticus talking to Uncle Jack. She had just thought of what she had done as normal, common sense. "It took an eight-year-old child to bring them to their senses..." (157) Scout realizes true inner courage overcomes fear of death, pain, or failure.

Scout became aware of courage in her father's behavior during the Tom Robinson trial. Scout also displayed awareness of real courage, using one's head rather than one's fists, when Bob Ewell spat in Atticus' face. Scout realized that her father's calm and respectful approach to dealing with Bob Ewell's reactions and threats was a display of true courage in the face of force. "We don't have anything to fear from Bob Ewell; he got it all out of his system that morning." (218) Scout truly showed this awareness when she overcame her own fear of Boo and the Radley house, walked to Mr. Radley's home, and finally realized what was the life of Boo Radley: "will you walk me home." (278) Scout now had respect for many people because she finally saw them in the way that Atticus did, as people doing their best with what they had. 

Scout's innocence about forms of respect and civilized manners are evident in many situations throughout the course of her childhood. One example was when Jem invited Walter Cunningham to dinner. Scout's ignorance in the manner that she treats Walter shows her innocence: "But he's gone and drowned his dinner in syrup" (24) She often needed a reminder: "That boy's yo' company and if he wants to eat up the tablecloth, you let him" (24) Her childlike reasoning and prejudice also come out: "He ain't company, Cal. He's a Cunningham." (24). Another example of her innocence about respect is her failure to understand the bond between Walter and Atticus.

Scout found an understanding of respect towards the beginning of her more mature life. A good example of Scout's realization and awareness is when she saw how lonely Mayella Ewell really was, and how she was not used to terms of respect: "She keeps on callin' me Ma'am an sayin' Miss Mayella..." (182) Scout started to feel compassion towards her and saw her loneliness. She also finally realized how Mr. Radley felt. She also realized the significance of prejudice in regard to respect for a person. She finally understood how she had been "killing a mockingbird" throughout her childhood. As she saw the world through the eyes of another, she showed true understanding of people's disrespect, and their belief in rumors and lies, and she was sure, from that day on, never to "kill a mockingbird" again. "Atticus was right; you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them." (279) 

Scout did not realize the true injustices that were occurring around her when she was little. She thought the people around her were all acting in the way things were meant to be. The prejudice, segregation, and injustices of racial division throughout the county were at first irrelevant to Scout, who did not realize what was really happening around her. The games she played as a child, such as mocking the Radley's, showed a true blindness towards the feelings and ways of living of others: "Jem threw open the gate and sped to the side of the house, slapped it with his palm and ran back..." (15)

Prejudice has a large impact on life in Maycomb. A significant impact on the children is evident through both their perceptions of the different races and classes and their knowledge of how their behavior has such an impact on others. Scout at first thinks the way their class system works in everyday life is normal. Though she is curious, she is not aware of how wrong discrimination is and that to act in such a manner towards her fellow neighbors is not right. She learns from the positive influences around her. She has many role models who show respect as well as remorse towards other classes and races. She has positive influences such as Atticus and Miss Maudie, who believe that people are good for who they are and do the best they can: "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view" (30) She has negative influences such as Aunt Alexandra and Francis, who believe that good breeding and the right race and class are what makes a person. Francis is not necessarily a role model, but like the other children, has a deep influence on Scout's thinking. Scout must over time learn for herself what is wrong or right, but she does feel confused about whom to follow. Jem is growing up, but she just wants the old Jem back. This shows the influence that people her age have on her.

Her run-ins with the prejudiced ways of her neighbors make Scout's confusion evident. However, she does grow in her perception at least a little when she gets to the point of noticing the little things and wondering why, such as her Aunt Alexandra's perception of gentle breeding as the only way a person could be truly decent and respected. "Somewhere I had received the impression that fine folks were people who did the best they could with the sense they had, but Aunt Alexandra was of the opinion ... the longer a family had been squatting on one patch of land the finer it was." (130) Scout's perception would grow, but then be pushed back down by the ways of the people around her. She made that long and difficult journey in the end, and realized that she could do something about everything if she just put her mind to it.

Scout realized the great prejudice in Maycomb mainly at the trial, where she saw that they could not have won, even though the allegations were proven impossible. Because of his race, Tom Robinson was already doomed to a fate that was inevitable, but Scout admired her father for trying his hardest anyway: "What was the evidence of her offense? Tom Robinson, a human being. She must put Tom Robinson away from her..." (203) She also realized her father's great spite for discrimination:

	"... the assumption ... that all Negroes lie ,that all Negroes are
	basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be 
	trusted around our women, an assumption one associates 
	with minds of their caliber" (204)

Scout sees his uphill battle, which she knows he knows he is bound to lose, as fighting to know he tried his best. Nobody could say that he did not do all he could to fight the prejudice that caused the injustice. 

Finally, she saw the injustices bestowed upon the different classes and races, and the difference between justice and injustice. Scout saw a prime example of injustice at the Tom Robinson trial, where she saw an innocent man tried, convicted, and driven to death by his own hand. She realized that there was no way for Atticus to win the jury over, because of the prejudice in their hearts. She saw how badly it affected one of her own friends, Dill, who began to realize the truth behind the trial and the injustice that was being committed. This made her feel very thoughtful about the whole thing. "that old Mr. Gilmer doin' him thataway, talking so hateful to him..." (198) She also realized the injustice bestowed upon Dolphus Raymond: "As Mr. Dolphus Raymond was an evil man, I accepted his invitation reluctantly..." (200) She saw how he did not really care what others thought, as long as he was happy: "Some folks don't like the way I live. Now I could say the hell with "em ...I do say I don't care if they don't like it right enough - but I don't say to hell with 'em, see?" (200) She realized Tom's predicament and saw the effort Atticus was putting into something he could not win. She realized that she could not change everybody, but by being herself and doing the right thing, she could make a difference. 

Scout's change of view towards respect came when someone explained the situation and then she would understand, or when she minimally realized her respect and thought of it as saving time and trouble, especially in her tangles with Calpurnia: "My first year of school had wrought a great change in our relationship. Calpurnia's tyranny had faded to gentle grumblings of disapproval" (34) She also noticed Calpurnia's respect for her as she was aging and Atticus' respect towards Calpurnia: "Calpurnia is not leaving this house until she wants to. I couldn't have got along without her all these years. She is a faithful member of this family and you'll simply have to accept things the way they are." (137) Atticus feels strongly about keeping Calpurnia, and Scout recognizes how he is different and does not think black people are inferior, unlike most of the community around him.

Scout found out about the injustices in herself, and in others around her, when she started to ask questions and wonder why such-and-such happened. But she did not yet feel that it was truly injustice. She felt that some of the actions around her were not very fair to the rest of the people around her, but she only saw the reasons faintly: "Mr. Bob Ewell was permitted to hunt and trap out of season" (31) She saw the reasons, but just passed them off as minor acts, not injustices. She saw that Atticus unwillingly admitted to the injustice that Bob Ewell was allowed to carry out: "It's against the law all right; but when a man spends his relief checks on green whiskey I don't know of any land owner around here who begrudges those children any game their father can hit..." (31) 

Scout's changing view of respect, courage, injustice, and prejudice is something each person can relate to his or her own life. I think this story is both highly affecting and highly effective. When one can relate to a character, one feels drawn into the story, and can feel that character's emotions as if they are one's own. This element particularly distinguishes this story from others. Throughout this book, one realizes why it is important to have true meaning in books, because they can touch people in a way nothing else can. 

Scout has realized that, just because someone grows older, they do not necessarily have the wisdom to know or do the right thing. She has moved from innocence to awareness in many things, but she knows there are still many more she must learn and do in the years to come, as she grows older herself.