Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird: Character Analysis

Set in 1930's “To Kill a Mockingbird” is a renowned novel about important themes like society, prejudice, injustice, racism, and more. This novel's main protagonist is Scott, a girl who is very logical for her age.

This popular novel, which also has a movie adaption, is a coming of age, dark drama, which highlights topics on coexistence, good and bad in the community, and prejudice.

Here we will discuss Scott’s character, traits, and quotes that helped her develop her character.

Scott’s Childhood

Scott lives with her father Atticus, who is a lawyer in Alabama, and her brother named James. Scott is a tomboy and prefers to be so. She has a love for overalls that others look down upon, but her father believes that she has the right to choose what she wants to wear.

Her interests and personality are very different from that of a girl as she loves playing with toy guns and climbing trees, things that are not considered to be girly.

Scott Flinch Personality & Traits

Scott is very empathetic and open-minded. She had a scary neighbor Boo who everyone is scared of. Although she is scared of him too, she puts herself in his shoes and understands his perspective. Eventually, she manages to be friends with him.

When her father gets the case of Tom Robinson, a black man who is accused of raping a white woman, Scott gets exposed to the injustice in society. And all she wants is justice to be served irrespective of racism and prejudice.

She is a free-spirited girl filled with courage and bravery. She has many questions in her mind, which we see coming up throughout the story which makes us wonder about societal norms and traditions too. View Examples

Scott’s Character Development

Over time, we see Scott growing up from six to nine years, and in these three years, we see her being an inquisitive observer and keen learner.

In this story, we see two Scotts. One who is childish, and the other one is more grown up. She asks questions that are morally correct but not so politically. Maybe she asks them because she is curious as a child, or maybe being mature, she is just surprised by the horrors that our society holds in the name of norms.

Her main character development occurs when she hears about the case of Tom Robinson. This is when she realizes how hostile society is and starts questioning the morality and judgments of others. She also grows a deep respect for her father, who decides to defend him and his viewpoints although it was controversial for others.

One of the other prominent issues we see Scott suffering a lot through is being “ladylike." The weirdest irony is that the women instructed Scott more than the men to be more ladylike, like her aunt Alexandra. She was a tomboy at heart, and Atticus seemed to have no problem with it.

However, as the story unfolds, we see Scott realizing that being lady like is not only about wearing dresses and being gentle. After the death of Tom, Aunt Alexandra does not burst into tears but holds her composure. This shocks Scott, and she believes that being lady like also, holds power and requires one to be strong at heart and mind with high resilience.

As the novel progresses, we see her getting more mature and having control over her anger. We see the everyday nuisances and injustices in the world and how society thinks and functions based on prejudices and personal opinions.

Scott’s Relationship With Others

Scott was very close to her father, Atticus, who was her moral compass and life navigator throughout. He was the main pillar for Scott, who helped her develop her empathetic instincts and had a huge role in shaping her character. Although they did not have their mother to guide them in their life, their father passed on all essential knowledge to them.

Seeing Atticus fight for his cases also contributed to the emotional upbringing of Scott. Just like the case with Tom, she realized that people often do not consider other people to be humans.

She was also very close to Calpurnia, the family’s black cook. She tells her stories about the South and fills up the lack of a maternal figure.

Her relationship with her brother is also notable. Although she has disagreements with her brother James, they are still each other confidants. James protects her a lot when she gets in trouble and always has her back.

She also has notable friendships with Dill Harris, who visits Alabama during the summers and offers great entertainment to Scott.

Quotes By Scott Finch Which Are Quite Popular

Here are some of the popular quotes from the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”

• “People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for”.
• “I don't like my world disturbed without some warning”.
• “The one thing which doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”
• “Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit them, but remember, it's a sin to kill a mockingbird”.
• “Until I feared losing it, I never loved reading. One does not love breathing.”

There are plenty of other symbolic and popular quotes from Scott finch. Each of her statements will help us discover the truth and question our beliefs, morality, and societal values.

The first statement clearly means how delusional people are, and the last one shows the need for unity rather than trying to divide people based on differences. The usage of strong quotes from a powerful character like Jean Scott Finch has made the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” even more legendary.

Conclusion

To Kill a Mockingbird is a historic story about bravery, societal beliefs, the relationship between father and daughter, and how our perspectives matter. When Scott was a child, she heavily believed that everything could be cured with a good fist. However, over time, she realized that she needed to be mature with her actions.

She looked up to her father the most, who was the major reason why she was the way she was. Her father taught her to understand other people's viewpoints and instilled a sense of justice and the power of intelligence over physical strength.

Throughout the story, we see a rebellious girl question the ideals of the world, and make her perspective, and think about morals, justice, and equality. In one way or other, it relates to us too. It makes us wonder about the things she wonders too and helps us being more considerate towards others and our everyday actions.