Essay On Coming Of Age In To Kill A Mockingbird

Coming-of-age involves recognizing different perspectives.
In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout is an example of a character whose coming-of-age process involves gaining a different perspective. Because Scout only has a father, she “wondered at the world of women” and has never had a woman’s influence until Aunt Alexandra comes and stays at her house (192). People like Aunt Alexandra force Scout to become lady-like when her neighbors come to her house which makes her explore a new world she has never experienced. Another strategy Scout learns to gain a different perspective of a situation is when Atticus tells her when she is a child that “you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them” (374). Scout
is able to see the world through Mr. Arthur’s eyes and can feel how he feels. During her coming-of-age process, Scout gains many perspectives from many people.
In the National Geographic article “Beautiful Brains” David Dobbs shows how gaining new perspectives during coming-of-age helps individuals to be smarter and more successful. The characteristics of coming-of-age, “Excitement, novelty risk, [and] the company of peers” makes people “more adaptive, both as individuals and as a species.” The more experiences and perspectives an individual has, the smarter the individual will become because the individual can adjust easily to the situation. “Beautiful Brains” explains how gaining new perspectives are the most important moments in life: “openness to the new… remains a highlight of adolescence development.” A door opening to a new perspective can lead to an opportunity that could’ve never been imagined, resulting in becoming successful. Increasing the number of perspectives an individual has during coming-of-age helps them become more adaptive and thriving.
In my own experience, coming-of-age has involved developing a new perspective.
On April 15, 2016, I was practicing driving with my dad in a parking lot because I had a Driver’s Education test the next day. After I came home, I was very tired and started eating some strawberry mousse. My friend suddenly called me and I ran upstairs to my room. I answered the call and she looked very sad. She told me that my other friend’s dad had past away that morning. She started crying and I started crying right away as well. I had many questions to be answered in my head such as how, when, why, what. The only fact my friend knew was that the reason of death was a car accident. I just could not believe how such a horrible event could happen to someone so close to me. We cried and mourned the whole night and tried to think of a way to support our friend in the best possible way. Our friend came to school the next day and she said she was doing good and that she didn’t want to stay at her house because nothing would happen if she did. I gained a new perspective of life from that experience because it showed me that I really need to keep my friends close and my family even closer, to live everyday to the fullest so I won’t have any regrets, and that anything can happen unexpectedly. My coming-of-age process involved discovering many new
perspectives.