2) Scout is a young and reckless tomboy confused about adulthood. Her curiosity gets her in trouble. She is a good person, most of the time, but is passive-aggressive and always willing to fight for what’s right. She stands firm in what she believes in. Sometimes her harsh actions teach her new things about herself and others. Such as when she punched Walter Cunningham and Jem invited him to dinner. She learned some people in Maycomb, especially at this time, have lots of troubles and need all the mercy and kindness there is.
3) Scout is growing up during the Great Depression with lots of racism occurring around her. She isn’t sure what the toll of the Great Depression is exactly, but she understands it’s hard. She doesn’t know how to react to racism early in the story, but her wise father, Atticus, supports the Black’s rights and she decides this is wise, but learns it has its consequences, sadly.
Jem also is uneasy about his environment, but he’s more mature and figures things out. Unlike Scout, he understands the Depression and the tolls it takes on people.
Scout doesn’t know how to relate the Depression to people doing anything for money. 4) All Scout Finch truly wants is to understand adults and mature things. She wants to know more about Atticus’s work and have knowledge about the happenings in her surroundings. Scout wishes to be treated like an adult and have freedom to be herself. 5) Scout is a typical nine-year-old. She manipulates people to get her way by twisting their words, lying, begging. However, she also has an aggressive, tom-boy side. When someone gets her in trouble or makes her angry or doesn’t give her what she wants, she lashes out. 6) Harper Lee created Scout Finch. Scout grows up during the Great Depression, a hard time full of racism. Scout teaches people to be themselves and stand up for what’s right and what they love. Scout is a tom-boy although it is frowned upon, and she stands up for Atticus and his case for a black man.
The theme of the story is about the way people conform to common beliefs without stopping to think about their take on things first. Scout helps show the readers that it’s tough to be different, but it makes you a bigger person. The themes of To Kill a Mockingbird are Social inequality and individuality. Scout is about as individual as it gets. She wears overalls although adults scold her, she climbs trees and plays with the guys, and has a mind of her own. She’s curious about the racism issues in Maycomb. Scout understands the social structure, but not why it is the way it is. She believes everyone should be treated the same way, and believes anyone with morality makes a good person.
Scout Finch, the main character in To Kill a Mockingbird, is used to drive the plot and theme of the story To Kill a Mockingbird. To Kill a Mockingbird has two plots: Scout Finch growing up in her home and learning about herself, and the trial of Tom Robinson being accused of raping a white woman. The themes of the story are: Social inequality and individuality. The theme of individuality pairs with the plot of Scout growing up in her home, while social inequality shows in the trial.
Scout is a tomboy that wouldn’t change her view on anything for any reason. She always stands up for what she believes true and being mischievous and wants to be entertained, but causes trouble accidently sometimes. “She (Calpurnia) was always ordering me out of the kitchen, asking me why I couldn’t behave as well as Jem…” (Lee, 7) People want her to be more grown up. Atticus, her father, raised her this way. He created her fighting mind that doesn’t understand why people cannot simply all be on one level. She believes anyone with morality is on her friends list. When Atticus’s trial rolls around, her home is disturbed with comments from the Maycomb people. She is aggressive towards anyone that insults her father about the trial. Atticus tells her to ignore them and keep her head up, but fears she may not have the will power to do so. …”Word got around that Scout Finch wouldn’t fight any more, her daddy wouldn’t let her. This was not entirely correct: I wouldn’t fight publicly for Atticus, but the family was private ground. I would fight anyone from a third cousin upwards tooth and nail.” (Lee, 233)
She learns more and more about herself as the story progresses, such as her stubborn ways, how to be more polite and respectful, and how to stay true to you. Scout wears overalls, although it is frowned upon, and doesn’t change because it’s who she is. Also, Scout grows up quite a bit in the book. She falls in love with Dill, and has to realize she is growing when she notices Jem maturing. Also, Scout, Dill, and Jem are constantly attempting to settle rumors they have heard about a man named Boo Radley. When Atticus hears of the game, he tells Scout to mind people’s business. Scout understands that the games were not the right thing to do, but she wonders why Boo is cooped up in his home.
“If there’s just one kind of folks, why can’t they get along with each other? If they’re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other? Scout, I think I’m beginning to understand something. I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time. It’s because he wants to stay inside.”-Jem (Lee, 240) the children learn that the world is a hard place to live, and people cope differently. Although she seems stubborn in her ways, she is standing up for hers individuality and learning about herself and others through her growth.
In the courthouse plot of the story, Scout and Jem were not supposed to go to the trial to watch Atticus. They manage to sneak in, and Scout is exposed to a harsh take on the world. She realizes that some people will belittle others in order to build themselves up. The trial is about an African American man named Tom Robinson being accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. The story shows that Tom was innocent, but the trial was less about the proposed crime, and more about the racial differences and how that creates monsters out of people.
Scout is in the story to show just how awful to discrimination is from a person uneducated on the subject. Scout doesn’t understand why there is such a hatred for someone simply because they look different. Atticus teaches her to never be rude to someone simply for their appearance. “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it-whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash.”-Atticus (Lee, 233)
Scout helps display the themes and plots more effectively in the story by being strong-minded, curious, and full of thoughts. She continuously learning about the problems in the world and she will use her great mind to improve it someday, I’m sure.
