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!
I believe that the protagonist is Scout because throughout the whole story she is changing, and learning new things. Although Jem changes too, he changes quickly, whiles Scout's change is more gradual, and takes longer.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree I feel that Scout is the protaganist. Over the course of the story she goes from being stubborn little girl who beats up people to a young lady who is able to understand politics and how the society works. I feel that during the entire book Jem matures but not as drastically. At one point where he is dared to touch the front of the house he thinks about Scout and what life would be like if he was not there and this is in the early part of the story. From the beginning Jem is a mature young man who looks out and thinks about what is best for his sister. Scout grows and learns from the people around her throughout the book and this is why I agree that she is the protaganist.
ReplyDeleteI first thought Jem was the protaganist because he changes during the novel, but after I dicussed it with my group I changed my mind. Also, Jem's changes are from scout point of view, so it can be incorrect. Scout is the proganaist because it is her point of view (narrator) which show her insights and thought. Also, she gradually changed throught the novel and we can prove it. For example, Scout is a tomboy in the beginning of this novel but she gradually change to young lady and learn how the world is.
ReplyDeleteI agree and believe Scout is the protagonist because she develops and grows throughout the novel. She at first is confused about why things are the way they are but as she develops she learns more about the world and begins to understand social classes, racism, and how life can be unfair.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone that Scout is the character who Lee puts the most emphasis on throughout the novel. The whole story is about Scout maturing and realizing the world around her can be a bad place. Throughout the story Scout matures in age, but also emotionally and grows mentally as well. While There is much emphasis on Scout, I think that it's debatable for Dill to be also. Dill is not always in Maycomb, but i think that he matures just as much through all his experiences.
ReplyDeleteI also think that Scout is the protagonist. She is the one throughtout the story that learns the most lessons and grows up the most. Althought Atticus and Jem also grow up, Scout is greatly affected by the lessons she learns since this is the first time she is facing such big problems. Also, the book is told from Scouts point of view so that is another reason she can be the protagonist. I feel that all of the characters in the story influence Scout the most and teach her how life can be unfair and to stand up for what you believe in.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone that Scout is the protagonist. TKAMB is from her point of view, and we as the audience see her mature from the events that take place such as Tom Robinson's trial, and when Boo Radley saves Jem's life. Scout encounters her first real life situations - for example, when she is reprimanded by Miss Caroline for being literate, she could not understand why that was so wrong. But once Scout stepped inside Miss Caroline's shoes, she understood. This was a large life lesson for Scout - by stepping into other's shoes and looking out from their point of view, she learns how to accept people for who they are and not to be prejudiced against them.
ReplyDeleteI especially agree with Lauren when she said that "She [Scout] at first is confused about why things are the way they are but as she develops she learns more about the world and begins to understand social classes, racism, and how life can be unfair." Atticus really helps her with this and is a strong parental figure as she matures.
Yeah, I also agree that Scout is the protagonist. Maturation is the loss of innocence in To Kill a Mockingbird, and it is Scout who loses the most innocence.
ReplyDeleteWhen Atticus defends Tom Robinson, Scout is subjected to the cruel words many people, including Mrs. Dubose, call him. Then, when she goes to see the trial, Scout does not understand every part of it. Jem understands much more than her. Dill also does not understand, but throughout the book he is not the one whose father is called horrible names and whose mother is dead. Most of the main actions of the story do not involve Dill as much as they involve Scout.
Also, I think that a lot of what helps Scout mature is Atticus' advice. She learns so much from him. He teaches her what real courage is, that she needs to imagine things from someone else's point of view before she can judge someone, and majority rule does not apply to one's conscience, among many other lessons.
I also agree that Scout could be the protaginist but just to be the devils advocate and show another side of thought I was thinking of why can't Jem be considered the protaginist besides the fact most people think Scout matures or learns more. If you think about it you see more of the effect of growing up on Jem. For example him starting not to play with Scout anymore because he is older. Or in the beginning saying he never wants to get whipped but then acting irrationally at Mrs. DuBois's house and destroying her flowers. I can understand how one might think Scout learns more lessons about life but doesn't Jem also learn about sacrifice and learning to care for others like how he tried helping to save Scout from Bob Ewell? I am not saying this is my personal opinion but it is kind of what is there. In my opinion if you look at it closely it is hard to decide who is the protaginist because although it is told from Scout's view and she probably learned more lessons, I feel Jem became more mature and grew up a lot both physically and emotionally. Think about both characters from the beginning to end. In Jem you can see a pretty significant change too. Also look at the blog prompt above which says which character does Harper Lee put more of an emphasis on? I think it is hard to tell because you see from Scout's eyes Jem growing up and her own thoughts about what she learned. It is tough to decide in my opinion but think about it comparing the two characters maturing.
ReplyDeleteI am going to go out on a limb here and name another character that has not been mentioned on this blog yet in saying that Atticus is the protagonist of TKM. Toward the beginning of the story, Scout is the character on which Lee focuses the most, but overall, Atticus is the embodiment of good in Maycomb. When Tom Robinson is put on trial for rape, it is Atticus that defends him and Atticus that teaches Scout and Jem the lessons that they need to burgeon in life. Although Atticus is not the narrator of the novel, he still teaches the town the lessons and the morals that they learn. For example, Atticus guards the jail in which Tom Robinson is during the course of the trial, putting his own personal safety at risk so that Tom will not be lynched by an angry mob. Additionally, since almost everyone can concur that Bob Ewell is the antagonist of the story, it is fitting that he should stand directly in the way of the protagonist. Therefore, Atticus is a fitting choice, as he directly opposes Ewell during the trial.
ReplyDeleteI believe the protagnist is Jem. Scout does change throughout the novel, but she is too young to understand the events going on around her. We have to read between the lines to understand the novel because she does not understand. Jem, however understands Tom Robinson's trial. Scout does believe Tom is going to win, but Jem realizes, Tom does not have a chance. Jem grows from being a little kid during the summer with Dill and Scout, to a mature young adult who understands some people live differently than others, just like Arthur Radley does. Jem and Scout both grow throughout the novel but I think Jem is the protagnist in TKM.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with Jeremy that Atticus is a very important character in the book and he does portray the good in Maycomb. He teaches important life lessons too. I feel though he is not the protaginist because he does not go through any major changes compared to Scout and Jem. He is not the one receiving lessons but I could see how maybe his reputation changes.
ReplyDeleteMegan, I definetly agree with your viewpoint from my blog entry before. Jem did mature more I think than Scout but Scout grew more mentally such as learning life lessons. Now that I looked at the second sentence of your blog I recognized that Scout might be explaining her thoughts now as opposed to lessons she learned then. She might have not realized as much and is just adding in now what she sees. I was originally stuck between Scout and Jem being the protagonists but I think I am leaning more towards Jem because he grows more physically and emotionally as opposed to Scout who I feel just learns about life. The older Scout narrarating the story I also feels is trying to intentionally put an emphasis on Jem. It really is a tough decision though to pick. I feel like they could both be the protaganist.
I also believe that Jean Louise 'Scout' Finch is the protagonist of the story. She is not only the narrator, but throughout the book we watch her grow in age and in maturity.
ReplyDeleteWhile Atticus does play a large role in the book, he mostly helps to aid Scouts maturation.
Once again, I agree that Scout is the protagonist because of all the requirements that were mentioned above. (narration, insight, point of view, maturation, etc.) However, I also agree with Jeremy in regards to the fact that Atticus could also be a potential protagonist.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I believe that Scout is the "main protagonist" and that there are a few other characters that also successfully fulfill most of the requirements in order to be a protagonist.
I do understand the point of view about Jem being the protagonist, and it does make sense to me, but one quote always comes to mind. I'm not sure how relevant this is to what I'm saying, it might just be me, but I feel like Scout seems about the same in maturity level as Jem in the beginning of To Kill a Mockingbird, but by the end, Scout seems way more mature than Jem, in this specific example from the book on pages 258 and 259:
ReplyDeleteJem: "You know something, Scout? I've got it all figured out, now. I've thought about it a lot lately and I've got it figured out. There's four kinds of folks in the world. There's the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there's the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes."
Scout (later on in the conversation): "Naw, Jem, I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks."
No. I completely disagree that there is any chance that Jem could possibly be the protagonist. I do think he is a main character, however he doesnt narrate the story, nor is the book written in his point of view at all. To me Scout is the only protagonist because of what i said in the Socratic Seminar; the story is told in only her perspective and it has a sence of drama that is brought into every situation that a six-to-eight year old would associate with the obsticles of maturation that occured.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Killeen, even though Scout matures I just can't see him as a protagonist because Scout for one is the narrator and she goes on to have many life experiences and learn many lessons throughout the novel. If Jem was the protagonist then he would be very immature at the start of the book as Scout was, and he would have also had the chance at the end of the novel to see Boo Radley and understand all of the rumors about him. I feel there is a reason that Harper Lee never lets Jem actually see Boo and the true side of him meanwhile Scout does.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I meant to say * "Even though Jem matures".
ReplyDeleteI think that Lauren, Killeen, and Erin pose good points that also make sense. These points should be taken into consideration when deciding who the real protagonist is. I agree with them that Scout is the definite protagonist, but I also feel that there could be other characters able to play the role of the protagonist if only they narrated the story.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Missy because the fact that Scout narrarates the story gives us insight on how she is feeling and how she grows. All of the things described in the story are from Scout's point of view and the fact that we only see her side of things really makes her the protagonist. I feel like Atticus couldn't be the protagonist because he was alredy grown up at the beggining of the story and he already had his values in place. Hearing the story through a younger person shows how they figured things out and contrubuts to being a protagnist. Jem is the only other character I could see being the protagonist because he also grew throughout the story, however we do not know how Jem feels or how he deals with things because he is not the narrator.
ReplyDeleteThere is only one protagnist in a novel. We, as readers, know what Scout has learned and her insights through out the novel. Also, Scout shows how she matures. As a result, I believe that Scout is the protagnist. For example, Harper Lee never lets Jem actually see Boo and the true side of him meanwhile Scout does.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the protagonist is Scout. This is because the protagonist of a story is often the one that is involved in all of the main events, and experiences a change throughout the story. As you know, the point of view of the story is told by Scout. In addition to, the reader is able to see through this that she develops and grows as a character from beginning to in. She faces conflicts, challenges, and problems within her life that help make her as a character, and ultimately change her by the end of the novel. Scout is a part of the novel in experiencing the greatest conflicts and situations that change her and mold her as an individual, and the reader truly sees this character change over time.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the points that Killeen and Tracey made. I agree with what Killeen said: "...and it has a sense of drama that is brought into every situation that a six-to-eight year old would associate with the obstacles of maturation that occurred." I believe that Jem is in no way the protagonist because of the lack of depth that we as the readers are given compared to the clear inside thoughts and feelings that we get from Scout. Many of Jem's emotions and thoughts are left to interpretation whereas Scout's are more loudly voiced since she is the narrator. I agree with what Tracey said as well when she refers to what a protagonist is; Scout is really the only character that completely fits the criteria on a larger scale.
ReplyDeleteI think that Scout is the protagonist for many reasons. Not only does she mature the most during the novel, but also undergoes significant changes. She learns to view things from another's perspective and to not be prejudice to those who are different. Aside from that, she is also able to teach others through her childish ways. Although it is unknowingly, Scout makes Mr. Cunningham realize that the violence was unecessary by bringing up his own son, at the jail. She, before Jem, realizes the gravity of the situation when dealing with Boo Radley. Scout has to be the protagonist of the novel because she covers all aspects of it. She learns but also teaches, she loses her childhood but is able to gain many important life lessons from this, and above all she is telling the story.
ReplyDeleteI know this suggestion sounds weird but what about Boo Radley? He probably is not as much of a protagonist as Scout and maybe Jem could be because he is not in as much of the book or the total center but maybe he could be it indirectly. He kind of covers most aspects. He learns lessons such as how he could have a life and how to be a father. He learned to have the childhood he never had locked inside. Boo was taught what real love is by loving Scout and Jem and taking care of them by saving and looking out for them. He learns what it means to live in the outside world both the good and the bad parts. I think he already knew some of the bad parts that is why he would stay inside besides the fact he was kept there but he experienced pure evil like Bob Ewell. He grows in the fact of staying a child to growing as a father to Scout and Jem just like Atticus is. The hero at the end can be considered Boo because he stabbed Bob Ewell (killed the Bluejay) and saved Scout and Jem. Boo also grows in the way that in the beginning he was viewed as a scary monster and at the end is a kind, innocent mockingbird. So Harper Lee shows this about him too. I am not denying the fact Scout or Jem could be a protagonist, just giving a new option to look at.
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