Societal Norms In To Kill A Mockingbird

Do children’s ideas of societal norms change as they get older? In 1930s Alabama, most people had the same idea of how society should be kept. During this time, The Great Depression, many people believed all stereotypes were true. It was even thought that Caucasians were superior to Black-Americans. All these perceptions are evident in Harper Lee’s historical novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. More specifically, the characters Scout and Jem Finch, children of Atticus, have different perspectives on these societal norms as they mature. It is obvious throughout the novel how Jem has changed when he understands situations Scout cannot, develops a sense of the how the world truly works and sees things in a more adult way; Scout changes in a sense that
While Atticus is worrying about the Tom Robinson trial, Scout asks why he is worrying and with Atticus’ response, Jem explains to Scout “‘it’s something you wouldn’t understand.’” (Lee 131). She is then provoked by this, leading to her yelling at Jem because she is embarrassed and angry that Jem has changed and he understands more than her since he actually does. Additionally, Scout seems very angry as Atticus treats Jem more adult like, therefore allowing him to comprehend situations better. To Scout, it feels to her as though “Jem had acquired an alien set of values overnight” because he is now developing the mindset of a man as he has almost evolved from his childish ways (154). Furthermore, Scout is not used to Jem acting more adult-like so she is incredibly confused about Jem’s new personality. During the second half of the novel, he frequently tells Scout she is younger so she is not able to grasp the true meaning of things because he has changed from his older age and Scout has not. While doing this, Jem also reminds Scout “‘[she] can’t hold something in [her] mind but a little while’” and this shows her and readers that he is different now (226). After Jem mentions that to her, he elaborates by telling her that because he is older, it is different for grown-ups as they can have many things on their mind