Theme of Coming of Age
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, the theme of coming of age is explored through Scout’s various personal experience and lessons that she has accomplished in the novel. The first example that shows the coming of age of the protagonist Scout is when she discovers about inequality during her father’s trial. “‘Do you defend niggers, Atticus?’…‘Then why did Cecil say you defended niggers?’ ‘The main one is if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature.’” Scout learns that there are different types of people in her world that are treated differently. She finds it hard at first why her father is the only person defending a Negro, but later discovers through observation that people are equal and African-American should be treated fairly as the white people, so that another trial of Tom Robinson doesn’t happen again. Secondly, the theme of coming of age is discovered when she discovers the coexistence of good and evil. As Scout gets to know more about mysterious Boo Radley, she learns that innocent people are always getting hurt or destroyed by the evils. “‘Remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.’” That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it. “Your father's right,” she said. “Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . . . but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (94 Lee) Mockingbirds represent Boo Radley, Tom Robinson and other innocent people who are destroyed of evil. Scout learns that innocent or good people are misunderstood or treated poorly because they don’t have enough power to stand up, and because the evil people in town hurt them. Lastly, the theme of coming of age is shown when Scout learns to understand people. Scout’s father Atticus explains to Scout that one does not truly understand a person "until [one] climbs into his skin and [walks] around in it." (p. 30) Scout’s father says this about Scout’s teacher when she complains about her. Scout understands that she needs to appreciate people for their good things, and also understand them for their evils, because she won’t be able to see things in their view. In the end of the novel, Scout is at a point where she has matured a lot and had come of age more than many adults would do in their whole entire lifetime.
