Scout Character Analysis

Imagine a stubborn little girl with mud smudged on her face, adventuring and discovering on a warm summer day. That's Scout. In the beginning of To Kill a Mockingbird I almost thought Scout was a boy. Scout always has a mischievous grin on her face, and is constantly up to something. She gets all of her boyish traits from her brother Jem. Since her mom died when she was young, all Scout has are her father, Atticus, and her brother Jem. However, she changes and grows a lot throughout the book. In her eyes there was a childish joy and innocence. Then there was a passion--a thirst for danger. After that came the dignity and poise of a lady. Scout evolved from a child to a dignified woman throughout this book. Aunt Alexandra urged Scout to grow up. That push made Scout more responsible. She learned how to control her mouth and not say the rude outbursts that always popped in her head. When Aunt Alexandria showed up on the Finch's doorstep the second thing she said was, "Jean Louise, stop scratching your head"(138). After she got settled in, Aunt Alexandria immediately started making changes in the way Scout and Jem were being raised. She didn't want Jem or Scout going to the trial, when they had been looking forward to it for quite some time. Aunt Alexandria also quarreled a lot with Atticus about his kids. This is because she always overstepped her boundaries and took control in situations that didn't require her assistance. Aunty often was strict like that towards Jem and Scout. Aunt Alexandra isn't the only one who changed Scout. Society itself did. Maycomb is full of stereotypical gossiping old ladies and strong-set men who follow in their father's footsteps. The expectation for Scout was to grow up to be a tea sipping, book reading woman who kept her thoughts to herself. That is the opposite of Scout, though. Scout loves to discover new things. She's a curious, nosy kid with an attitude. That doesn't fit into the Maycomb community very well. There was a point in time when Scout had to be shown what the real world was like and that was when she was about eight. She already knew the ways of the different families, but what she had to learn to squeeze into the mold of the traditional life of a woman in the South. Eventually, I think the effects of tradition and culture finally got to her, and she changed. Although Scout seems one of a kind, she has a lot of the characteristics that Katniss from The Hunger Games has. Scout and Katniss are both very stubborn. Scout wouldn't leave when Jem wanted her to, and she is always willing to fight over it. Katniss wouldn't quit during the Games. She fought to the death, and took another person out with her alive. They are also very loving toward their siblings. Katniss volunteered to take Prim's place in the Hunger Games,and Scout made up with Jem right after their brawl when they heard their dad and Aunt talking. I think it's clear that Scout and Katniss are very alike. In conclusion, I think we learned a lot from Scout. Although she was stubborn, she always got her point across, and I think she made the Maycomb society think differently about people and their way of living. This stubborn little girl had an impact on everyone.