Coming of age (Elise, Laura, Ema)

[MsElliott]

Coming of age (Elise, Laura, Ema)

[laurah]

To Kill a Mockingbird's Scout and Jem grow up in a town plagued by prejudice, hatred, and violence. Discuss how Maycomb changes their character.

> At the beginning of the novel, Scout and Jem are youthful and naïve.
- Scout gets into fist-fights whenever she loses her temper; "My fists were clenched and I was ready to let fly. Atticus had promised me he would wear me out if he ever heard of me fighting any more; I was far too old and too big for such childish things, and the sooner I learned to hold in, the better off everybody would be. I soon forgot."
- Scout and Jem are fearful of Boo and the Radley place because of rumours; "Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom. People said he existed, but Jem and I had never seen him."
- Scout doesn't fully understand racism; "Don’t say nigger, Scout. That’s common.” - Atticus

> The pressures of the town affect Scout and Jem.
-The court challenges their thinking. "His face was streaked with angry tears"
-Their father influences Scout. "Don't let 'em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change."
-Mrs Dubose shared courage to Jem. "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand."

> Scout and Jem have come of age by the end of the novel.
-More understanding of the events around happening around them- Mr Dolphus Raymond tells the children why he lies to the town about being a drunk, as he does it as an excuse to why he lives his life the way he does. "your children and you can understand it.”
-Understand the people in the town more: Why Boo Radley does't come out of his house, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view.", "Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them."
-They become more mature- Jem cries at the court case as he hears the verdict delivered by the judge, "His faced streaked with angry tears... It ain't right."