To Kill A Mockingbird
            
            
            
             Maturity begins with understanding, especially an understanding of that which is different or alien from ourselves. This concept is illustrated in To Kill A Mockingbird. It is shown through the maturation of Scout and Jem.
            
             Scout and jem matured a lot through out the story. They acquired an understanding of many things, which were different from them.
            
             Throughout the story the reader see how Scout and Jem are afraid of Arthur "Boo" Radley because they think he is a monster and try to tease him. They try to play tricks on Boo. Later in the novel they are no longer afraid of him and are no longer interested in teasing him. They then understand that boo is just a man, who is secluded from the outside world, and chooses to be like that. An incident that made the children realize, and understand boo, was when he brings her and Jem safely home from their attacker. She finally has the courage to stand on the Radley porch, and the kids are no longer afraid of Boo Radley. They now understand him.
            
             Another example of how they mature is shown through tom Robinson. They see that he is mistreated just because he is black. They believe that he did not rape Mayella Ewell, and that he would be found innocent. They understand him as well.
            
             One more example of this was Mrs. Dubose. In the beginning, the children thought of Mrs. Dubose of a mean old woman, who shouted at people walking by. Later on, after she dies, they find out that she was actually a morphine addict, who took her pain and suffering out on the children. Atticus explains to Jem and scout that he thought she was the bravest person he knew, and what her circumstances were. They then accept and understand why she was the way she was.
            
             Jem and Scout mature during the duration of the novel by watching the events happen around them. They learn to examine the situations around them more closely and to accept people as they are. They also learn that judgm...