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Lee’s notion of growing up over time is of indispensable importance in To Kill a Mockingbird. To Kill a Mockingbird’s structure is one of a bildungsroman as Scout narrates the story. In doing so, it becomes progressively apparent that Scout and Jem’s psychological evolution is essential to the novel’s elucidation. Through several losses of innocence, they gain new perspectives on how the “real” world works. Some of their experiences of loss of innocence were adverse, such as when they learn to understand that innocent people can still stand to lose everything after Tom Robinson’s trial, but other losses of innocence had a positive impact on their newfound perspectives, such as when they get to know Boo Radley for who he is. Through these experiences, they mature into kind people with good hearts and a sense of fairness.
The majority of the novel is dedicated to exploring the process of maturation and emotional growth. As the novel advances, specific instances remind the reader that Scout is growing up. Part of Scout’s process of growing up is recognizing that there is much truth to Atticus’ words. This is shown as previously, Scout used to confront people physically and learns that it is best to communicate with words. Scout takes on Atticus’ outlook as she learns to show sympathy, humility, and understanding. She adopts the ‘put yourself in someone else’s shoes’. Scout also has a realization that Boo is not the monster Jem, Dill, and herself once thought he was but instead, a friendly neighbor who has been misunderstood. When she is sitting in the missionary circle with the women (including Miss Maudie and Aunt Alexandra) and the women ask Scout what professions she might consider, instead of entertaining them, Scout defies what they would expect of her and answers simply, “I just want to be a lady”. This demonstrates to the audience that Scout has grown and matured as she understands how to bite her tongue. Scout is seen to have matured by the end of the book as walks down the stairs and takes Boo’s arm like a lady. Not only does this show that Scout understands what is expected of her (especially from Aunt Alexandra’s perspective), it shows that Scout has a deeper understanding of who Boo is as a human.
As we see Jem grow up, it is a collection of important life lessons learned over time that show Jem gaining a broader perspective on life, something that Scout further confirms when she says both of them “began to part company” and describes him as “allergic” to her presence in public. Similar to Scout, Jem also grows up in terms of understanding the truth regarding Atticus’s lessons. In saying this, coincidently Jem also grows up in terms of understanding the truth regarding recognizing mistakes in his judgment. As the story progresses, Jem begins to change. He becomes more pensive and quiet. Jem loses a large portion of his innocence after witnessing racial injustice for the first time during the Tom Robinson trial. At that moment, Jem lost his innocence because he saw that after a certain moment everyone loses their innocence, and becomes different. Miss Maudie understands the hurt that Jem feels after the trial is over and helps Jem when she gives him a piece of the adult cake. Similarly, to Scout, Jem also feels compassion towards Boo. When the hole is filled with cement, Jem cries. He can see the bias and prejudice that fill the hearts and minds of the select few in his town. When Dill runs away, Jem tells Atticus to prevent anything from happening. Loss of innocence is shown because he is not so naïve anymore and can know when he needs assistance. We also see Jem’s admiration for his father grow, as he understands that his father dares to stand up for what he believes in. Although Atticus wants to protect his children, he also wants them to know that “there’s a lot of ugly things in this world…, I wish I could keep ‘em away from you. [but] That’s never possible”. This quote demonstrates that even Atticus knows that Jem will eventually need to know that the world can never be truly fair.
Although in growing up, the Finch children lose much of their childhood innocence, ultimately they are still able to revert to their childish ways and live their lives with more of an understanding as to the way the Maycomb society works. We see Scout retain her innocence at the end of the novel by curling up on Atticus’s knee. We see that although Scout has endured more than most girls of her age, she remains surrounded by the sanctity of her family life. Jem grows up in a different sense than Scout. His personality changes more over time and he begins to mature. The events that unravel in the book allow the reader to gain a deeper insight into his life and how he views Maycomb. In the end, one of the biggest lessons Jem learns is that although he cannot control others' actions, he instead, leads by example and treat everyone equally.
In conclusion, although the Finch children learn about the harsh reality of the world they live in, they manage to find their moral compasses and retain most of their innocence. We see Scout as a child again at the end of the novel as she curls up on Atticus’s knee. This demonstrates to the audience that Scout has learned that although there is evil in the world, it is balanced by faith in goodness. Scout is still a little girl. Jem is one of the few characters in the book that does not completely revert to the traits that once defined who he was. It is almost as if he has stopped attempting to brush over the truth and accept reality in the form of listening. When growing up, loss of innocence is a symbol used to show the audience that the character is growing up, innocence does not have to be lost to grow up.
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