Obviously, Jean Louise Finch narrates the story...but is she the protagonist? Which character does Harper Lee put the most emphasis on in terms of character development and growth? Dialogue with each other...just remember to be courteous with your classmates!
19 comments:
I think that the protagonist is Scout (or Jean Loise Finch). Not only is the book in her perspective, but we see the most development in her character as the book goes on. When Aunt Alexandra came to Maycomb, she tried to teach Scout how to mature and be a polite young lady. THis i sone example of how we see Scout mature over the book. This can prove that Scout is the protagonist.
I agree with Kelli. I think Scout is the protagonist because it highlights her growth and maturity throughout the novel the most. Changes within Jem and even Boo Radley are shown also but I think it is a Bildungsroman that generally captures Scout's development.
I also agree with Kelli. I think that the story also shows Scout's developing ability of seeing things from other people's point of view. For example, Scout slowly starts to understand more about Boo throughout the whole story, and at the end she finally realizes that he has been watching over her and Jem.
I do think that Scout is the protagonist because Harper Lee shows how she learns and grows from that. For instance, Atticus tells her to look at the world in other people's shoes, which she does throughout the book with Jem and Boo. Also, Atticus teaches her what to do with her teacher, Miss Caroline, when she is told not to read. She learns that life is not always far, and therefore accepts hardships. However, Jem also matures greatly. This is seen when Scout is told t leave him alone because he needs time to himself. Also, he starts to hang out with just Dill because he thinks Scout is too childish. Another person that can be seen as the protagonist is Boo. Eventhough he may not have many actions or words, he is referenced to many times throughout the book, whether through the children or symbolically (mockingbird). He is the cause for all the maturing, so he could be seen as a protagonist as well.
I think that Jem Finch is the protagonist because the first line of the book starts with Scout saying that her brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow. I also think that Jem is the protagonist because Jem is shown growing up throughout the book.
I think Jean Louise Finch is the protagonist because the story is told in her perspective and she is shown growing up throughout the book. They show her from acting like a boy to becoming a young lady.
I think that Harper Lee didn't intend to make one specific protagonist. We do see Scout mature and become more of a young lady, but we also see Jem go through many changes as well(mood swings etc.) Even though we are in the mind of Scout because the novel is in her perspective but we see more of a growth in Jem. So they both seem to share the spotlight to me.
i also think that Scout is the protagonist of the story. this is because the story is about how Scout matures throughout the story and learns alot of the lessons. she learned how to "put herself in someone else's skin" and finally matured. the book shows how she physically and mentally changed. with the number of information given throughout the story, i feel that Scout is the protagonist in the story.
I would have to say Scout is the protagonist. Scout tells the story completely as she sees it. As a reader you are allowed into her thoughts and what she understands. Scout has to be the protagonist the book explains how she matures throughout.
I agree with Melissa that Harper didn't mean for one character to be the portagonist. Although most bildingsroman novels have a single ptotagonist, I think To Kill A Mockingbird is an exception. Both Jem and Scout mature greatly throughout the novel, just in different ways. Their maturations are also very different because they are at different ages during the novel. They both have people to look up to that teach them morals and values (Atticus, Calpurnia, etc.).
Although great emphasis is put on the maturing of both Jem and Scout, Scout is definitely more of a protagonist because she is the narrator of the entire story and the reader receives insight into her personal thoughts throughout the novel.
I think Scout and Jem both mature through out the course of the book and learn many lessons. But i think Scout is the protagonist because she is the one narrating the story. Also, she learns more about people in general, throughout the book, like Boo and how he isn't the scary person she thought he was in the beginnig of the book. This shows her character growing in maturity because she understands what Atticus ment when he said to put herself in someone elses shoes.
I also agree with Melissa, somewhat. With all of the other "hidden meanings" and details and symbols that the novel has, I bet Harper Lee wanted to have multiple characters that could be like the protagonist. I feel that Boo Radley is the protagonist, though, in his own, different, sort of way. Scout is the person that we see change throughout the novel, but Boo Radley is technically changing as well. He doesn't physically do anything to change, but by showing that he cares and making Jem & Scout aware of that, their views of him are changing. He is the cause for Jem & Scouts changing, and he is constantly being referred to throughtout the novel, whether its literally or symbolically.
In my opinion I say Scout Finch is the protagonist in To Kill a Mockingbird.Because this novel is a coming of age novel,or bildungsroman novel, it shows maturation through many characters.I'm not saying that Jem hasn't matured, it's just that Scout has matured significantly more.She started out at the naive age of 6 as a tom-boy,always playing with the boys in her jeans rather than wearing a dress and also slipping a curse word (which isnt very "lady-like").Through out the novel she changes these ways and begins to realize what it means to be a lady through aunt Alexandra.Scout not only developes into a young woman but also starts to undertand and recognize her fathers words of putting herself in someones skin and walking around in it. She practices this with several of the characters in the book, like Walter Jem and her long time fear Boo, and with Jem we don't see too much performance with this theme.With that being said it is evident Scout matures more than Jem making her the protagonist.
It think there wasnt meant to be one specific protagonist, but along with Scout i think Jem is the protagonist. We see JEm grow up in the book more directly then we see Scout grow up. In part one Boo puts the blanket on Scout during the fire. Jem freaks out when Atticus says he will return it to the Radleys, but Jem realizes that maybe Boo wasnt allowed to be outside and that he would get in trouble by NAthan if he found out Boo went outside. Jem finally realizes, early in the book, that maybe its not Boo's fault that he can't go outside. We see Jem mature more quickly. Also, the novel starts with how Jem got hurt and then has to go back and explain how it happened. SO its Scout telling how Scout got hurt.
I also believe that the protagonist is Scout. During the course of the book Scout continuously changes from a childish little girl who is sort of a tomboy, to a young lady. For example, at the end of the book when she finally meets Boo Radley she doesn't get overly excited but instead she controls herself and is very polite. It is true that Jem also develops and matures in the book possibly even more than Scout but the reason I feel that Scout is the protagonist is that the entire story is shown through her experiences and not Jem's. There are periods in the story that he is not even talked about and we can only guess what he's actually doing. It is also true that Jem matures much faster than Scout. He matures so fast that it is basically thrust upon us. We might not even realize that he is maturing until a much later point in the book. Scout however matures much more gradually and it is easier to understand that she is actually growing up. Another reason why I believe that Scout is the protagonist is that during the climax of the book when Scout and Jem get attacked and Scout finally get's to meet Boo, Jem is unconscious from fending off Bob Ewell. He never get's to meet Boo Radley, which is if not the most than one of the most important events in the entire book.
I think that Scout is the protagonist because like Jem Sscout grows from a childish tomboy, to a young lady. We get the whole story from here and we also get to hear inside her head. With Jem we don't really know what he is thinking unlike Scout.
I also believe that the book was not meant to have ONE specific protagonist. Throughout the book, Harper Lee goes into how both characters, Jem and Scout, change and mature.
I would have to disagree with all the people who say there is more than one protagonist. Scout is the main character while reading she tells the story and her growing up is clear. She also is the last person you see grow up in the last chapter.
Post a Comment