In To Kill a Mockingbird the story is narrated by a young girl, Scout Finch, she adds childlike, humorous, nostalgic, and innocent aspects to the novel, however as the novel progresses, the narration becomes increasingly dark, foreboding, and critical of society. Scout Finch is a very unusual little girl, both in her own qualities and in her social position. She is unusually intelligent (she learns to read before beginning school), unusually confident (she fights boys without fear), unusually thoughtful (she worries about the essential goodness and evil of mankind), and unusually good (she always acts with the best intentions). In terms of her social identity, she is unusual for being a tomboy in the apt and proper Southern world of Maycomb.
As I read the book I quickly realized that Scout is who she is because of the way Atticus has raised her. He has nurtured her mind, conscience, and individuality witho
ut bogging her down in fussy social hypocrisy and notions of propriety. He instills in her morals and good judgment though Scout struggles with that day to day. He leaves here with a quote that would affect her through out the whole novel "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." This important fragment of conversation from Chapter 3 shows Atticus giving Scout the crucial piece of moral advice that governs her development for the rest of the novel. The simple wisdom of Atticus's words reflects the uncomplicated manner in which he guides himself by this solitary principle. His ability to relate to his children is apparent in his statement in terms that Scout can understand ("climb into his skin and walk around in it"). Scout struggles, to put Atticus's advice into use and to live with compassion and understanding to
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