Scout Finch’s small hometown seemed like the perfect place for a curious, young child. The south was the setting for To Kill a Mockingbird, and her life included a lot prejudice and opinionated people. Everybody who lived in close proximity to one another knew the other. Scout’s older brother Jem (her father was Atticus) and Scout were also part of this town. All the characters lived together in Maycomb County Alabama. It was small, unjust, and prejudicial. Harper Lee, author of The Death of Innocence and Coming of Age, expresses the loss of innocence through Scout’s conflict with the world.
Harper Lee describes the loss in innocence caused by Scout’s encounter with Miss Caroline. Scout loses her senses of ideallism and feels the need to tell her teacher about the financial situation of Walter Cunningham. The teacher then punishes Scout for trying to help because Scout was already on the wrong track. Miss Caroline says, “You’re shaming him. Walter didn’t bring you a quarter, and you couldn’t use any stovewood. Miss Caroline then took me by the collar back to her office. Jean Louise: I’m done with you, Jean Louise. Hold your hand out. I thought she was going for spit. Miss Caroline took her ruler, gave me half-a dozen pats and then instructed me to stand in a corner. Victims are forced to accept that they did something wrong. The victim is now able to reflect on what they can do better so that they don’t repeat the same mistakes. It is possible to see that Scout learned from Miss Caroline to be a good listener and not get involved in other peoples’ problems or business. Although the reader might infer that, Scout still decided to go after Walter for getting her into trouble. Scout had learnt a valuable lesson. Lee also expresses his grief through Scout and Aunt Alexandra. Aunt Alexandra, a side character, is always insisting that Scout dress up in ladylike attire. I would not be able to imagine being a lady wearing breeches. She said that I couldn’t be expected to wear a dress when I tried to say I couldn’t do any work in a dress. Aunt Alexandra had a vision of me that included small stoves and tea sets. Also, she said I should be a bright spot in the lonely father’s life. Scout was raised with her father and older brother. Atticus Finch, Scout’s father, was very afreast. Scout and Jem were wild and messy. Scout didn’t know better without a mother-like influence. Scout knew she was different than other girls her age. Aunt Alexandra tried her best to get Scout to behave like an “proper woman” by showing proper etiquette. The way Scout behaved could be used to infer that Aunt Alexandra was trying reform Scout’s lifestyle.
Harper Lee, Scout and Jem’s brother learn of the dangers associated with racial discrimination. Scout and Jem learn about the prejudices of white women and men in Maycomb when they become involved in the case of their father, a black man. Scout and Jem, her brother, learn about equality. “Cry about how people treat others without thinking. Crying about how white people treat people of color without thinking about them as people is an appropriate way to express your feelings. Scout attends Tom Robinson’s trial. He is convicted and falsely accused. His only possible reason for losing the case was that he was a man of color in a preconceived universe. It’s hard to be a person from color in the 30s. Tom Robinson was forced to stand trial against all men of white. Atticus Scout taught him something most people don’t learn until they get older.
Harper Lee’s book, The Death of Innocence and Coming of Age, is all about Scout and all of her conflicts. The book’s most important chapters focus on Miss Caroline’s problems and the infuriating influence she has from Aunt Alexandra. She is forced to confront prejudices racial that her small hometown faces. To Kill a Mockingbird may have many themes. The most prominent theme, however, is the death-of-innocence and coming of adulthood. Scout Finch, a 9-year-old girl, went through a series of transformative events that helped her become a mature thinker. Overall, this book offered a glimpse of life in the 1930s’ turbulent world.
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