To Kill A Mockingbird: Section Four (Omar Ceja)

The End or The Beginning

It is all a matter of perspective. Scout's coming of age depicts the important role that the environment plays in shaping our development. The roly-poly scene, in which Jem tells Scout not to smash a bug, clearly reinvigorates the theme of perspective. Adopting a similar point of view as the justification behind not killing a mockingbird, Jem tells Scout that the bug hadn't done anything to deserve it. Even as a reader, our limited point of view alters our interpretation of the novel as we foreshadow the death of someone in Maycomb by following Ewell's character development, the eerie Halloween scene and Scout's comments. The ending of this novel brings about a new beginning of sympathy, understanding, and self-reflection. Scout begins to draw parallels between her prejudice toward the once feared “Boo” Radley and Maycomb’s prejudice toward Tom Robinson. In my initial post I stated that “limited perspective may prove to unfold in later chapters.” In my final post I proclaim that “limited perspective may lead to prejudice, discrimination and injustice.” The author powerfully emphasizes the idea of perspective by coming full circle when Scout comments “One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.”