Henry​ ​1
Eryca​ ​Henry
Dr.​ ​Harris
English​ ​102.02
23​ ​November​ ​2016
Growing​ ​Up​ ​is​ ​Tough
Harper​ ​Lee​ ​wrote​ ​the​ ​novel​ ​​To
​
​
Kill
​
​
a
​
​
Mockingbird
​
​ ​with​ ​the​ ​intention​ ​to​ ​have​ ​readers​ ​see
Scout​ ​and​ ​Jem​ ​grow​ ​up​ ​and​ ​learn​ ​about​ ​the​ ​world​ ​they​ ​live​ ​in.​ ​Lee​ ​uses​ ​Scout’s​ ​age​ ​to​ ​her
advantage,​ ​using​ ​a​ ​first-person​ ​retrospective​ ​point​ ​of​ ​view​ ​where​ ​readers​ ​go​ ​back​ ​to​ ​a​ ​time​ ​in​ ​the
1930’s​ ​where​ ​Scout​ ​is​ ​six,​ ​Dill​ ​is​ ​seven,​ ​and​ ​Jem​ ​is​ ​ten.​ ​All​ ​in​ ​all,​ ​Scout’s​ ​growing​ ​up​ ​happened
throughout​ ​each​ ​word​ ​on​ ​every​ ​page​ ​from​ ​page​ ​one​ ​to​ ​the​ ​last​ ​page.​ ​Scout’s​ ​process​ ​of​ ​growing
up​ ​is​ ​started​ ​because​ ​of​ ​her​ ​innocence​ ​compared​ ​to​ ​others,​ ​amplified​ ​with​ ​serious​ ​topics​ ​such​ ​as
gender​ ​stereotypes,​ ​then​ ​fully​ ​revealed​ ​by​ ​different​ ​situations​ ​where​ ​she​ ​chooses​ ​to​ ​be​ ​the​ ​bigger
person​ ​and​ ​take​ ​the​ ​high​ ​road.
​ ​Scout’s​ ​growing​ ​up​ ​starts​ ​when​ ​she​ ​quite​ ​figuratively​ ​puts​ ​her​ ​foot​ ​in​ ​her​ ​mouth​ ​or​ ​feels
an​ ​excitement​ ​that​ ​only​ ​a​ ​child​ ​has​ ​about​ ​certain​ ​things.​ ​Because​ ​of​ ​this,​ ​she​ ​starts​ ​growing​ ​up
then​ ​because​ ​she​ ​was​ ​more​ ​innocent​ ​than​ ​the​ ​rest​ ​of​ ​her​ ​friends​ ​and​ ​classmates.​ ​When​ ​she​ ​finally
goes​ ​to​ ​school,​ ​Scout​ ​thinks​ ​that​ ​since​ ​she​ ​has​ ​a​ ​dad​ ​that​ ​everyone​ ​has​ ​a​ ​dad​ ​who​ ​takes​ ​care​ ​of
them.​ ​In​ ​chapter​ ​1,​ ​Scout​ ​asks​ ​Dill​ ​where​ ​his​ ​dad​ ​is,​ ​and​ ​Dill​ ​says​ ​that​ ​he​ ​doesn’t​ ​have​ ​one.
Scout​ ​then​ ​says,​ ​“If​ ​he’s​ ​not​ ​dead​ ​you’ve​ ​got​ ​one​ ​haven’t​ ​you”​ ​(9;​ ​ch.​ ​1).​ ​Scout​ ​puts​ ​her​ ​foot​ ​in
her​ ​mouth​ ​again​ ​in​ ​Chapter​ ​2​ ​when​ ​she​ ​bluntly​ ​tells​ ​Miss​ ​Caroline​ ​why​ ​Walter​ ​Cunningham
won’t​ ​take​ ​her​ ​money:​ ​“You’re​ ​shamin’​ ​him​ ​Miss​ ​Caroline.​ ​Walter​ ​hasn’t​ ​a​ ​quarter​ ​at​ ​home​ ​to
bring​ ​you​ ​and​ ​you​ ​can’t​ ​use​ ​any​ ​stovewood”​ ​(28;​ ​ch.​ ​2).​ ​In​ ​turn​ ​she​ ​gets​ ​punished​ ​because​ ​Miss
Henry​ ​2
Caroline​ ​thinks​ ​she’s​ ​making​ ​fun​ ​of​ ​Walter​ ​when​ ​she​ ​was​ ​just​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​help​ ​both​ ​Walter​ ​and
Miss​ ​Caroline.​ ​This​ ​incident​ ​shows​ ​that​ ​her​ ​perception​ ​of​ ​the​ ​world​ ​and​ ​her​ ​classmates​ ​at​ ​the
time​ ​was​ ​not​ ​tainted​ ​by​ ​the​ ​social​ ​division​ ​understood​ ​by​ ​the​ ​adults​ ​and​ ​in​ ​turn​ ​sometimes​ ​the
children.
Throughout​ ​the​ ​novel,​ ​Scout​ ​learns​ ​about​ ​and​ ​realizes​ ​that​ ​she​ ​cannot​ ​stand​ ​stereotypes.
Susan​ ​Jolley​ ​writes,​ ​“Scout​ ​is​ ​not​ ​like​ ​other​ ​girls,​ ​She​ ​does​ ​not​ ​care​ ​for​ ​jewels​ ​and​ ​pearls.​ ​She
wants​ ​to​ ​act​ ​just​ ​like​ ​the​ ​boys,​ ​Adventure​ ​and​ ​toughness​ ​are​ ​her​ ​joys”​ ​(Jolley​ ​39).​ ​When​ ​Jem
starts​ ​telling​ ​her​ ​to​ ​stop​ ​acting​ ​like​ ​a​ ​girl​ ​and​ ​why​ ​others​ ​hate​ ​them​ ​in​ ​Chapter​ ​Four,​ ​he​ ​hurts
Scout​ ​because​ ​she​ ​has​ ​always​ ​been​ ​known​ ​as​ ​the​ ​tomboy​ ​and​ ​now​ ​Jem​ ​sees​ ​her​ ​as​ ​one​ ​of​ ​those
“girls.”​ ​Just​ ​because​ ​she​ ​is​ ​a​ ​girl​ ​and​ ​she​ ​complained​ ​once​ ​he​ ​sees​ ​her​ ​as​ ​one​ ​of​ ​them​ ​which​ ​is