To Kill a Mockingbird

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jean Louise Finch, also known as Scout, has a particularly innate personality. Scout always does what she is told, unless she is with her brother Jem. When they are together she does whatever comes naturally to her. Scout is especially good, unusually intelligent, and remarkably unselfish. Scout has good intentions when planning her actions, most of the time. The one exception was when she acted profanely towards poor little Walter Cunningham. Scout’s dictum to Jem was, “He made me start off on the wrong foot.” (Lee 25) Towards the middle of the book, Atticus is talking contentiously with a group of men in front of the jail house. Scout and Jem are hiding near the jail listening to the malevolent conversation which occurring between the men. Scout comes out of no where and starts to talk quaintly to one of the men, who is later revealed as Mr. Cunningham. Scout called to Mr. Cunningham, “Hey, Mr. Cunningham. How’s your entailment getting’ along?” (174) She did this so that the men would have all of their attention on her instead of her father and Tom Robinson. Scout’s benevolence most definitely saved her father’s life. When Jem was being fractious about losing his pants at the Radley place, Scout knew that she was to leave him alone. “As Atticus had once advised me to do, I tried to climb into Jem’s skin and walk around in it: if I had gone alone to the Radley place at two in the morning, my funeral would held the next afternoon.” (65) These were some of Scout’s formidable thoughts after the night at the Radley place had occurred. When it comes to being exceptional, Scout is the one to read about in the novel. Scout learned how to read at a very young age. On her first day of school, the teacher acted overly frivolous towards her when Scout was reading. Miss Caroline believed that Atticus had taught Scout everything there is to know about reading. Miss Caroline didn’t want to be irascible with Scout, so she stated, “Your father does not know how to teach. You can have a seat now.” (19) Scout felt that it was unfair because Atticus didn’t teach her anything, but she just nodded her head and went ahead and sat down in a tranquil matter. Scout showed her intelligence when she rejected a fight between herself and another boy at school. The boy’s name was Cecil Jacobs. He was talking ominously about Atticus and Scout just brushed it off of her shoulders. “You can just take that back, boy!” (85) Scout ordered this of Cecil instead of starting a fight, which was extremely smart on her part. When Jem turned twelve, he became very irritable and difficult to live with. Scout tried to leave him alone as much as she could handle. “It’s time you started bein’ a girl and acting right!” (131) Those words of Jem’s sent Scout crying to Calpurnia. Scout is usually vividly thoughtful. She likes to think about others’ self being before her own. In chapter fifteen, Scout wants nothing more than for Dill to stay in Maycomb. “After many long telephone calls, much pleading on behalf of the defendant, and a long forgiving letter from his mother, it was decided that Dill could stay.” (164) Scout put all of the effort she could into making sure that Dill could stay for another week. When Jem decided to go crazy, instead of always being taciturn, and whack all of Mrs. Dubose’s camellia bushes down to nothing, Scout just stood there until he snapped her baton in half. She just took whatever inordinate action Jem gave her and dealt with it. “ Jem yanked my hair, said he didn’t care, he’d do it again if he got a chance, and if I didn’t shut up he’d pull every hair out of my head.” (118) Scout had all of these tentative thoughts running through the course of her head as Jem was basically beating her up. Scout thought she was being auspicious when she picked up a football magazine and told Jem that he looked just like one of the players. Jem didn’t take it well and just sat in a chair by the windows impudently waiting for the day to fade to night. Scout and Jem decided to go to the courthouse for the trial. They were there to support Atticus and Tom no matter what disapprobation they may have received. Instead of sitting in the white section the sat in the upper balcony in the colored section. Scout made this decision in order to show respect for Tom and her fathers’ case. When it comes to being a child in the 1930’s Scout is an example of one that is extremely well behaved, very intelligent, and remarkably unselfish. Most children were well behaved in the 1930’s, but Scout was a very much exceptional one. She matured way quicker than most only because of the situations she was forced to deal with in her everyday life.