Tolerance was a virtue that very few people had during that time. People didn’t seem to comprehend others. Scout was an exception. She learned to accept people no matter how they looked. Whenever she judged someone, Atticus helped her understand a person by keeping in mind a simple but meaningful phrase, “…if you learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. 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.” Chapter 3, pg. 30. Aunt Alexandra was always concerned with family background and constantly judged people based on it, “I never understood her preoccupation with heredity. Somewhere, I had received the impression that Fine Folks were people who did the best they could with the sense they had, but Aunt Alexandra was of the opinion that the longer a family had been squatting on one patch of land the finer it was,” Chapter 13, pg. 130. Scout didn’t understand why it was so important and she didn’t like how her aunt wanted her to be a perfect “lady” so Scout could represent her family well. Scout also learned about tolerance with Arthur Radley, also known as Boo Radley. This is a strange character in the novel because Boo Radley never came out of his house and the children thought of him as a kind of monster. However, he proves to be a hero when he saves Scout and Jem from getting killed by Bob Ewell. From that moment on, Scout realized he was a good human being. A very important part in the story is when Scout learned a very important lesson about humanity. Atticus tells her, “I’d rather you shoot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot at all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Chapter 10, pg. 90. In other words, it means you shouldn’t harm people who don’t do any harm to you. Not only did Scout tolerate people, but she learned to put herself in other people’s point of view.
Scout came across several acts of courage. Atticus showed a lot of courage when he defended Tom Robinson. In spite of all the rumors that were being spread in Maycomb County, he was able to stay strong and follow what he believed was right. Scout admired this greatly and considered Atticus as a role model. Another incident that involved Atticus was when he shot a dog who was rabid, but even though he had great marksmanship, Atticus realized that God had given him an unfair advantage over most living things and he decided he wouldn’t shoot unless it was totally necessary. This incident changed Scout’s opinion about her dad drastically, “"It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived." Chapter 11, pg. 105. Mrs. Dubose was a character that also showed courage. She was a morphine addict and before she died, she was able to break away from that addiction. Atticus thought this was extremely brave, “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before, you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what…She was the bravest person I ever knew.” Chapter 11, pg. 112. Scout learned that real courage is measured by how you overcome difficult obstacles in your life.
Scout learned the meaning of racism, tolerance, and courage during her early life. She matured at a young age. Racism like the one directed against Tom Robinson and Calpurnia helped her realize that it is immoral to judge someone by the color of their skin. Tolerance helped her accept everyone for what they are, and she learned what the real meaning of courage is. Without a doubt, Scout was able to grow up so quickly due to all the positive people in her life that stimulated her as well as all the incidents that helped her create an opinion of her own about society.
