Scout's Maturation in To Kill a Mockingbird

Introduction: Growing Up in a Prejudiced Society

To Kill a Mockingbird addresses many issues that were relevant at the time of its writing and remain relevant today. The book details the financial hardships of the Great Depression, deconstructs the state of race relations in the United States, and — most importantly — provides a tale about growing up and maturing in a society with a number of deep-rooted prejudices and convictions that frequently expects people, especially young people, to accept them without question or understanding. This final dimension of the novel is its most significant, because it illustrates the maturation process that Scout undergoes while growing up. Scout matures throughout the book by gaining the ability to take another person's perspective — to understand why he or she acts as he or she does — without simply accepting society's ready-made reasons for those actions.

Atticus's Advice and the Foundation of Empathy

The truth of this thesis is demonstrated in a number of different ways and through many events Scout experiences over the course of the novel. Perhaps the most convincing evidence is that Scout is explicitly told by her father, Atticus, that genuine understanding requires vicariously experiencing another person's life. The lawyer tells his daughter, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it" (30). Initially, Scout is unable to comprehend this advice and is more inclined to judge others without empathizing with their situations — which is why she dislikes Miss Caroline (30).

This early inability merely underscores the fact that Scout is young and not yet mature enough to think independently about other people and their actions. Nevertheless, her father's wisdom sets her on a path toward understanding others' viewpoints before passing judgment — itself a mark of maturity.

Scout's Relationship with Boo Radley

The most vivid illustration of Scout's maturation is found in her interactions with Boo Radley, whose given name is Arthur, and who is the son of Scout's neighbor Nathan. Radley is something of a recluse who has not been seen publicly in some time. Early in the novel, Scout — accompanied by her brother Jem and their friend Dill — thoughtlessly teases Boo by acting out a story about him in plain sight of his house (50). They do so without embarrassment, because they are still immature and have not considered Radley's perspective or how it might feel for him to witness them.

Later, however, Scout genuinely internalizes Radley's point of view, which helps her understand him far more deeply. Standing on his front porch, she imagines the major events of the story as they must have appeared to Radley from inside his home. Her ability to do so demonstrates her growth, as she realizes: "Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on Radley's porch was enough" (283). By envisioning Boo's perspective — watching Scout and Jem receive his quiet gifts — she recognizes that he is not the deranged, frightening figure society has made him out to be, but rather a caring and sensitive person. This realization confirms that by the novel's end, Scout has matured considerably.

Conclusion: A Maturity Beyond Her Society

In summary, Scout matures through several key events in the story: her father's counsel to understand others before judging them, her many encounters with Boo Radley, and her ability to apply that understanding both to Radley and to broader circumstances. In many ways, her insight into Boo Radley — seeing past what society has made of him — mirrors the understanding that the community should have extended to Tom Robinson, who is wrongfully accused of raping a woman. Unfortunately, most of that society never arrived at such an understanding, which ultimately explains Tom's wrongful death. In this respect, Scout has grown to be, in some ways, more morally mature than the adult society in which she lives.