To Kill a Mockingbird

Though written from the perspective of an adult Scout looking back on her childhood, To Kill A Mockingbird closely follows the coming-of-age experiences of both Scout and Jem. At the outset of the novel, Scout and Jem are constant companions, to the degree that Scout follows Jem into numerous situations that frighten her (such as their schemes to contact Boo Radley and their daily reading time with Mrs. Dubose). As the novel progresses, however, the two children embark on separate maturation processes, a separation motivated in no small part by Jem’s experience with puberty.

Scout and Jem’s coming-of-age experiences are distinct in their gender specificity. Over the course of To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout evolves from disdaining all things feminine (especially dresses) to deepening her relationships with both Calpurnia and Miss Maudie Atkinson. As she comes to appreciate, while helping Calpurnia in the kitchen, “there was some skill involved in being a girl” (132). Likewise, in the course of learning from Atticus’ gentlemanly behavior, Jem evolves from a stereotypical understanding of masculinity—mostly steeped in football and gun-shooting—to a more elevated concept of what it means to be a good man.