Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.” (Lee 241). This quote illustrates Scout’s realization that despite the evidence in Tom’s favor, the deeply ingrained racism of the townspeople ensured his conviction. This experience makes Scout confront the harsh reality that the people of Maycomb aren’t who she thought they were, a big step in her maturity. Another example reinforcing the coming of age theme is when Scout and Jem have a conversation about the people of Maycomb, “ ‘it’s like bein’ a caterpillar wrapped up in a cocoon’. ‘I always thought Maycomb folks were the best in the world, least that’s what they seemed like’ ” (Lee 215). In this conversation, you can see Scout and Jem coming to terms with the fact that their seemingly ideal community is racist and more complex than they believed. Lastly, after Tom was convicted guilty, Jem was having trouble grappling with how the jury could do Tom Robinson so wrong “It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful
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