Examples Of Bildungsroman In To Kill A Mockingbird

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In 1960, Harper Lee released a book called To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee introduces three characters, Jem, Scout, Dill, as the child characters that face the monsters in the story. As the story goes on, there are moments of Bildungsroman that the children go through. A Bildungsroman is a moment where the characters move from childhood to adulthood. Several occasions of Bildungsromans is shown through the character of Jem. For instance, Jem has always hated Mrs. Dubose and he decides to damage her property with his baton. Later on, Jem finds out that Mrs. Dubose actually was a morphine addict and faces a lesson about courage. On page 49, Atticus teaches Jem on courage when he says, “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand.” This helps Jem understand that he is not “man” he just holds a gun or destroying people’s property like he did with Mrs. Dubose. This moment is shown as a Bildungsroman because Jem understands that his action was wrong and he should still respect Mrs. Dubose even though he didn’t know her struggle. …show more content…
In reality, Boo Radley genuinely is a nice person when he gives Jem and Scout gifts in a tree, fixes Jem’s pants, and unnoticeably gives Scout a blanket during Miss Maudie’s house fire. On page 96, Jem (and Scout) realize how generous Boo Radley can be when Atticus says, “Someday, maybe, Scout can thank him for covering her up...Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when he put the blanket around you.” Atticus suggests that Boo Radley characterization is being friendly and this is why Jem and Scout should stop bothering him. Because of Boo’s actions, Jem apprehends that Boo is considerate and Jem’s mind of believing the rumors took over his view on Boo
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