(no subject)
Personality
Scout is a tomboy, through and through. In a place and time where girls were raised to fit a stereotypical female gender role, Scout sticks out like a sore thumb. Rather than raising her to meet society's expectations of a "real girl," Scout's father raised her to use her brain. Intelligence and morals were emphasised more frequently in her upbringing than what colour dress to wear or when Scout should carry a handbag.
She is confident in nearly all situations (and does a good job of pretending to be confident even when she isn't). Scout is very proud of her family and will go so far as to pick fights with other students who speak out against her father. She is very intelligent for a young child and is eager to learn; she knew how to read and write long before she began school, a constant source of frustration for her teachers. Scout acts with the best intentions in most situations, wanting to help out where she can, but sometimes her actions clearly show the true naivete of childhood. She'll step into what would be dangerous situations (for example, a mob of men approaching her father in the middle of the night) without truly knowing what she's getting into.
Overall, despite her forays into fighting or disobedience, Scout is loyal and true, with a keen sense of justice, of right and wrong. She is wiser than her years, certainly, and never afraid to speak her mind (no matter how often she gets in trouble for it). She is fiercely independent and relishes the chance to explore and learn at her own pace.
Background
Scout was born in Maycomb, Alabama in the late 1920s. Her father Atticus is a prominent lawyer; Jem's her older brother with big dreams. Scout's mother died only a few years after Scout's birth.
Being raised mostly under the influence of men encouraged Scout's tomboyish tendencies, much to the mortification of many of the community's women. Scout spent most of her free time playing with Jem; in the summers, a boy named Dill joined them. Their fascination with the 'spooky' Radley house up the street prompted them to concoct stories about its inhabitants, one of whom was Arthur 'Boo' Radley, who had not been seen outside the house in years. Their constant thinking about the Radley house spawned something akin to an obsession; even stern words from Atticus couldn't quite stop their flights of fancy.
Childhood innocence couldn't last forever, however, and the wheels of change were set in motion when Atticus took on a controversial case. He agreed to represent Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. The townspeople made their distaste at Atticus' choice no secret. Jem and Scout faced taunts and jeers from other students, upset that Atticus was representing Robinson. Scout, of course, tried her hardest to follow the rules and stay out of trouble, but she still managed to get in a handful of fistfights to defend her father's name.
Eventually, Robinson's case went to trial. Despite the overwhelming evidence pointing to his innocence, he was convicted. This was, after all, the deep south still caught in the throes of racism. Despite the 'positive' outcome of the trial, Bob Ewell, father of Mayella, was furious with Atticus; he felt that he'd been made a fool of during the trial. Ewell eventually attacked Scout and Jem while they were walking home from their school's Halloween pageant.
During the scuffle, someone intervened, fatally stabbing Ewell and then escorting the children home. Once home and tended to by the doctor, Scout learned that their savior was none other than Boo Radley. While Atticus and the sheriff argued over whether Boo should be charged with killing Ewell (he wasn't; the sheriff declared that Ewell fell over a tree root), Scout and the recluse got to chat in a moment that was both surreal and absolutely real and human. Through the culmination of events leading up to this chat, Scout learns many valuable lessons about humanity, sympathy, and empathy.
It is a few days after this event that Scout walks out a door and finds herself on the island.
Scout is a tomboy, through and through. In a place and time where girls were raised to fit a stereotypical female gender role, Scout sticks out like a sore thumb. Rather than raising her to meet society's expectations of a "real girl," Scout's father raised her to use her brain. Intelligence and morals were emphasised more frequently in her upbringing than what colour dress to wear or when Scout should carry a handbag.
She is confident in nearly all situations (and does a good job of pretending to be confident even when she isn't). Scout is very proud of her family and will go so far as to pick fights with other students who speak out against her father. She is very intelligent for a young child and is eager to learn; she knew how to read and write long before she began school, a constant source of frustration for her teachers. Scout acts with the best intentions in most situations, wanting to help out where she can, but sometimes her actions clearly show the true naivete of childhood. She'll step into what would be dangerous situations (for example, a mob of men approaching her father in the middle of the night) without truly knowing what she's getting into.
Overall, despite her forays into fighting or disobedience, Scout is loyal and true, with a keen sense of justice, of right and wrong. She is wiser than her years, certainly, and never afraid to speak her mind (no matter how often she gets in trouble for it). She is fiercely independent and relishes the chance to explore and learn at her own pace.
Background
Scout was born in Maycomb, Alabama in the late 1920s. Her father Atticus is a prominent lawyer; Jem's her older brother with big dreams. Scout's mother died only a few years after Scout's birth.
Being raised mostly under the influence of men encouraged Scout's tomboyish tendencies, much to the mortification of many of the community's women. Scout spent most of her free time playing with Jem; in the summers, a boy named Dill joined them. Their fascination with the 'spooky' Radley house up the street prompted them to concoct stories about its inhabitants, one of whom was Arthur 'Boo' Radley, who had not been seen outside the house in years. Their constant thinking about the Radley house spawned something akin to an obsession; even stern words from Atticus couldn't quite stop their flights of fancy.
Childhood innocence couldn't last forever, however, and the wheels of change were set in motion when Atticus took on a controversial case. He agreed to represent Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. The townspeople made their distaste at Atticus' choice no secret. Jem and Scout faced taunts and jeers from other students, upset that Atticus was representing Robinson. Scout, of course, tried her hardest to follow the rules and stay out of trouble, but she still managed to get in a handful of fistfights to defend her father's name.
Eventually, Robinson's case went to trial. Despite the overwhelming evidence pointing to his innocence, he was convicted. This was, after all, the deep south still caught in the throes of racism. Despite the 'positive' outcome of the trial, Bob Ewell, father of Mayella, was furious with Atticus; he felt that he'd been made a fool of during the trial. Ewell eventually attacked Scout and Jem while they were walking home from their school's Halloween pageant.
During the scuffle, someone intervened, fatally stabbing Ewell and then escorting the children home. Once home and tended to by the doctor, Scout learned that their savior was none other than Boo Radley. While Atticus and the sheriff argued over whether Boo should be charged with killing Ewell (he wasn't; the sheriff declared that Ewell fell over a tree root), Scout and the recluse got to chat in a moment that was both surreal and absolutely real and human. Through the culmination of events leading up to this chat, Scout learns many valuable lessons about humanity, sympathy, and empathy.
It is a few days after this event that Scout walks out a door and finds herself on the island.