-
Essay / What are the values of To Kill A Mockingbird - 1066
Scout is constantly bombarded by adults who try to censor her upbringing, while Atticus does the exact opposite. Her teachers are hypocritical and strict, even going so far as to prevent Scout from learning and reading. Her teacher, Caroline, is so obsessed with how she learned to teach that she is unable to meet Scout's needs, leaving her frustrated and bored. The very idea of punishing someone for being educated is irrational, but her teachers always try to restrain her. In Chapter 9, Scout is again denied information, to the frustration of both her and Atticus. When Scout asks her uncle what a "whore" is, Jack refused to answer the question outright, instead going off on an absurd tangent, only to be scolded by Atticus, who says "Jack!" When a child asks you something, answer them, for God's sake... Children are children, but they can spot escape quicker than adults, and evasion only confuses them. This shows that Atticus's parenting style differs from most others, in that he does not attempt to censor his children's acquisition of knowledge. It lets them be curious and different, which makes them educated much earlier than most children. Nor does it protect them from the injustices of the world, but teaches them to fight these injustices. Children discover the suffering of innocents throughout the novel, and