The Aging Curse in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

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In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee tells the story of the struggle of a white family facing discrimination for defending a black man. Scout and Jem are two young children living in Maycomb, believing that everyone is like their father, Atticus, who embodies justice and equality. Atticus takes on the case of defending Tom Robinson, a man who is being charged with raping a white woman.Before the trial, the Finches are forced to withstand torment from the townspeople. Their beliefs are shaken when a black man is given a rigged trial and he is innocent. In the end of the book, Scout and Jem are viciously assaulted by the accuser, Bob Ewell. The man that they had been so curious about, Boo Radley, comes to their rescue and saves them. Coming of age means growing up. Growing up involves maturely handling difficult situations and gaining wisdom from them. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows Jem and Scout coming of age through the events that force them to mature quickly.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows Scout coming of age when she demonstrates her maturity by refraining from fights when her pride is insulted. The oppressive town of Maycomb is bewildered when Atticus decides to defend a black man in court. Many people verbally lash out at the Finches as a punishment. One of the first insults that Scout hears is aimed at Atticus by Cecil Jones, her classmate. Scout is infuriated, but instead chooses to “walk away” from a fight for the “first time” in her life. She believes that she will “let Atticus down” because he asked her to keep calm despite being called a “coward” (77). The words “first time” are an example of Scout’s maturity because they show that she is experiencing new challenges and events that Scout has to ...

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...hows through Jem’s capability to see beneath the surface of society and people that he is coming of age.
In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout and Jem symbolize coming of age through the onerous events they deal with that require maturity. People, like Jem and Scout, evolve through life experiences that evoke wisdom and composure. Two young children show that when faced with tough events, people mature in order to be able to handle the situation. Scout knows that coming of age is a package deal with other personal qualities that emerge along the way. This story demonstrates that growing up is a necessary and frustrating task. However, people must handle anything that life throws at them with wisdom beyond their years. The aging curse prevents people from staying young and innocent, instead forcing them to enter adulthood and tackle the challenges facing them.

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