Questions on this topic? Just ask!

Coming of Age in to Kill a Mockingbird

Summary:   In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jem, a ten-year-old boy, and Scout, a six-year-old girl, two children who live in the southern town Maycomb, Alabama, are shown in their adventures that help them mature. Jem and Scout gain much insight into the workings of the society in which they live through Tom Robinson's trial, and ultimately shed their childhood innocence at that point.

Coming of age comes with an inevitable end of childhood innocence, without which graduation into maturity cannot truly take place. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jem, a ten-year-old boy, and Scout, a six-year-old girl, two children who live in the southern town Maycomb, Alabama, are shown in their adventures that help them mature. During the years of the Great Depression - the years when this novel is set - racism had been an attitude many southerners followed. Atticus, Jem and Scout's father and also a respected lawyer, is appointed to take part in a controversial trial: he is to defend Tom Robinson, a poor negro laborer charged with raping Mayella Ewell, the nineteen year old daughter of the impoverished Bob Ewell. Jem and Scout are shown going through a tremendous amount of growing up in this novel - not only physically, but also emotionally, mentally, and morally. The children learn more about the real world in brushes with the outside world, such as at school. They are also intrigued by their mysterious neighbor Boo Radley, who had been locked up in his house for a petty crime as a teenager, as he had not been outside his house for decades. Arthur "Boo" Radley is an object of great wonder and speculation for the children, who imagine him to be a savage. They have many opportunities for life lessons in observations of their neighbors like the kindly Miss Maudie, a confidante for the children, and the mean old Mrs. Dubose, imagined to be the meanest person alive. Jem and Scout gain much insight into the workings of the society in which they live through Tom Robinson's trial, and ultimately shed their childhood innocence at that point.

When Dill Harris, a little boy only a year older than Scout, comes to Maycomb, Jem, Scout and Dill indulge in play together, enacting scenes from Tarzan, Tom Swift and such, until "by the end of August, [their] repertoire [is] vapid from countless reproductions" (p.8). It is then when they come up with the idea of trying to get Boo Radley, their mysterious neighbor, to come out so that they can have a look at him. Boo is an object of fascination for the children - one they see as a potential friend if they can get him to come out. In the children's innocent imaginations, Boo is made out to be a monster. Their innocent imaginations give away their immaturity. Innocent and naïve, children tend to be quick to speculate upon things they are not sure about, while also being quick to accept new ideas and new people; the Finch children accept Dill as a friend almost as soon as they meet him. September comes along, and Scout starts school. When Scout goes to school for the first time, she is introduced to a different set of rules from what she is used to as of yet. Jem makes it clear to Scout "that during school hours, [she is] not to bother him, [she is] not to approach him with requests to enact a chapter of Tarzan and the Ant man, to embarrass him with references to his private life, or tagging behind him at recess and noon. [She is] to stick with the first grade and he would stick with the fifth. In short, [she is] to leave him alone." (p. 16) When Miss Caroline - a first year teacher new to Maycomb - picks on Scout for various petty "misbehaviors", Scout talks to Atticus about not having to go back to school, as her teacher is hard to get along with. Atticus explains to Scout that one does not truly understand a person "until [one] climbs into his skin and [walks] around in it." (p. 30) He explains that as Miss Caroline does not know all of Maycomb's ways, and she only had been trying to do the best she could. Scout does not completely appreciate the wisdom of looking at things from another point of view at this stage; she is not yet mature enough to do so. However, Scout accepts Atticus' words and tries her best to act in accordance with his wishes - when Atticus comes up with a compromise so that Scout would keep going to school and they would keep reading together as they had been so far, she accepts the compromise. Scout learns all about compromise in this section.

Since Atticus is to defend Tom Robinson, who allegedly raped Mayella Ewell, the nineteen-year-old daughter of Bob Ewell, he is persecuted by the racist attitudes of Maycomb on the whole. When Scout hears Atticus being called a "nigger-lover" by her cousin Francis, she loses control and charges into a fight with Francis. Scout, feeling guilty that she had failed Atticus after he told her not to let others bother her about his defending a Negro, asks her Uncle Jack not to tell Atticus her side of the story, although Uncle Jack feels that it would justify her actions to a degree. Scout faces a racially prejudiced attitude for one of the first times in this novel, and hotheadedly rushes into a fight purely on impulse. As Scout and Jem believe that Atticus has no talents, as "Atticus [is] feeble" (p. 89), they have trouble taking pride in their father. It does not help matters that "the school buzzed with talk about him defending Tom Robinson." (p. 89) When they see Atticus demonstrate his marksmanship by shooting a rabid dog, their outlook changes completely - they realize that there is more to Atticus than they knew of after all. This however does not stop Jem from losing control when the sharp-tongued Mrs. Dubose criticizes Atticus for being a Finch "in the courthouse lawing for niggers." (p. 101) Jem loses all control and wrecks her garden completely, cutting the tops off all the camellias in the garden. As a punishment, Jem is told to go read to Mrs. Dubose for a month - a curious punishment. Mrs. Dubose is not pleasant: "her face was the color of a dirty pillowcase, and the corners of her mouth glistened with wet" (p.106). She also would have a fit after a while, and they would be released after an alarm clock goes off, signaling the time for her medication. One thing that they realize after a while is that they are getting released a bit later every day, and her fits are getting to be less and less. It is only after her demise that it is revealed that she had been a morphine addict; the afternoons of reading were only meant to serve as a distraction. She had been trying to fight her addiction - and succeeds. Atticus explains to the children, Jem in particular, that she had been greatly courageous; she had fought her addiction even when there was nothing left for her to fight for anymore. Jem learns the true meaning of courage: courage is not a man with a gun in his hand, but it is knowing that one is "licked before [one begins] but [one begins] anyway and [one sees] it through no matter what." (p. 112) Armed with the newfound knowledge of courage, Jem and Scout make a great leap in the journey of life.

With Tom Robinson's trial coming up, the characters Bob Ewell, Mayella Ewell, and Tom Robinson are shown in depth. The Ewells, caricatures of "white trash," have never done an honest day's work; instead, they live off welfare checks. Tom Robinson, in contrast, is an honest hardworking man. However, Tom Robinson, being a black man, is persecuted by Maycomb's racist society - and Atticus provokes the criticism of the same society for defending a Negro. Fearing for Tom Robinson's safety, Atticus has Tom Robinson transferred to the jailhouse, and stands guard for Tom himself. Soon, an angry mob from old Sarum gathers around the jailhouse. Scout and Jem, seeing that Atticus is in danger, refuse to leave Atticus alone with the mob. Scout defuses the mob by her polite attempt at conversation with them, bringing them to their senses, and makes them see the issue from a different point of view - they realize that Atticus has children too, just like they do. Jem and Scout show their courage in standing up for their father, even by putting themselves in front of an angry mob. At the trial, it is made clear by Atticus that Tom Robinson is innocent of all accusations that are made of him. Atticus cleverly shows that it is more likely that Bob Ewell had beaten his daughter than what the Ewells insist. Mayella, a victim of extreme poverty, lacks the experience of being truly loved, and seeks her idea of love by tempting Tom Robinson, whose only "crime" - if one could call it that - is having the "unmitigated temerity to 'feel sorry' for a white woman." (p. 204) She feels guilty for having broken "a rigid and time-honored code in [her] society."(p. 203) In order to cover up the "shame" that she is faced with for tempting a Negro, she decides to destroy the evidence - in this case Tom Robinson. "No code mattered to her before she broke it, but it came crashing down on her afterwards." (p. 204) Atticus explains that she does not have the right to sacrifice Tom Robinson for what she has done. However, regardless of the lack of evidence and irrespective of Tom Robinson's obvious innocence, the jury convicts Tom. "Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed." (p. 244) Jem, having a strong sense of justice, cannot believe the injustice that had just taken place. Atticus explains the cruelties of life. "They've done it before and they did it tonight and they'll do it again and when they do it - it seems that only children weep." (pg 215) After he takes some time to think over what had happened, Jem better understands the way life is. Unfairness is life. Injustice will always be. The only thing one can do is not to lose hope and continue courageously. Jem has his eyes opened to the truths of the world, and takes a gigantic step towards becoming the courageous young man, rather than the naïve child.

Bob Ewell, although he had won in court, realizes that the trial had destroyed what respect he commanded when Atticus proved him a liar. Ewell does not have enough courage to face Atticus face to face, and seeks revenge on the children. When the children are walking home from the Halloween pageant at school, Bob Ewell attempts to murder the children. Boo Radley, who is finally revealed, comes out to save the children and kills Bob in the process. Boo shows that he does not deserve the rumors that he is subject to - instead of being the monster of the children's imaginations, he shows that he is a kindhearted person who loves the children, and is willing to risk much for the children. Boo Radley is a misunderstood character who is merely different - not bad. It is human nature however to fear what one does not know; Boo is feared due to the mystery of his identity. When Sheriff Heck Tate sees that Boo would not want the attention he would get if he was acknowledged by the town for what he did, he takes Boo out of the story: "there's a black boy dead for no reason, and the man responsible for it's dead. Let the dead bury the dead this time." (p. 276) Scout understands how Boo would feel better than Atticus would imagine. She understands that bringing Boo to public attention would be "sort of like shootin' a mockingbird" (p. 276) - bringing Boo to public attention when all he wants is to be left alone would be wrong. Scout finally grasps the full meaning of looking at things from a different perspective; "[one] never really know[s] a man until [one stands] in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough." (p. 279) When one learns to put oneself in different perspective, one sheds the irresponsibility of childhood. It is then when one truly matures into a young adult from a child. When that innocence is gone, often one loses hope as well. If one manages to keep the hopes that he had, then a bright future is in sight, and so life goes on.