Loss of innocence and coming of age are two very important themes in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird. ” There are many accounts in the book where characters learn and develop. However, Scout is probably the character who experienced the most growth and maturity.
At the beginning of the novel, Scout is an innocent child who had little experience with what the real world looked like. Because of Atticus’s parenting, Scout is very curious and had a strong sense of justice.She loved to play with her brother and find out more about Boo Radley with Dill. When Tom Robinson was about to get lynched, Scout ran out to meet Mr.
Cunningham because she had no clue as to what was going on. However, as the book goes further along, Scout begins to listen to her father’s words and becomes very mature. For example, she looks at people and tries to judge how their feeling because her father to “walk around in their shoes” before judging them. She also begins to realize that the world wasn’t really all that nice.For the first time in her life, she notices how unfair the treatment toward black people is.
She notices how evil humans can be and constantly asks questions because it doesn’t make sense in her head. By the end of the novel, Scout is not only very mature for her age, but she starts to realize what it means to be a lady. She slowly stops being a tomboy and admires Aunt Alexandra after walking in her shoes. Scout’s great growth in maturity shows the theme of Bildungsroman.
