To Kill a Mockingbird: Part 1

I have to say that To Kill a Mockingbird is the best book I have read in a long time, and it is definitely not overrated. Part 1 of the book was very easy for me to read because it is sort of a mystery so you want to know what happens next; and at the same time it is a coming- of- age story that we can all relate to. At one time we were all children and even if we were children at a different time then Scout and Jem, we still played and matured in the same ways as Scout and Jem.
My favorite character, and also the character I found most interesting was Scout. Scout is a ornery little girl who tends to act like a little boy, probably because she has been around mainly boys her entire life. On the surface it seems as if Scout is blunt, mean and a bit of a pest to the townspeople but under the surface it is evident that Scout is a very loveable little girl, even if she does cause problems. This is shown through the love- hate relationship both Calpurnia and Ms. Caroline have with Scout. As Part 1 progresses, it seems as if Scout is maturing little by little even though she amy still fight with other children at times. At times when Scout would have normally followed Jem in some sort of scheme or another, Scout begins to reason what the best thing to do would be and what effects it would have on others, as she does when Jem wants to retrieve his pants from The Radley Place. Scout understands that if Jem doesn't get his pants back, Atticus will punish him, but she also understands that going to The Radley Place alone at night could be much more dangerous. Jem seems to see Scout's growing maturity as well when he says "you act more and more like a girl everyday". By this I believe Jem means that girls don't do as many more crazy things as boys because they are more reasonable which is exactly what Scout is beginning to do. Of course Scout is offended by this comment, and so she goes along with whatever scheme Jem was about to do, but at some point Scout will have to face the fact that she is maturing.
I believe that To Kill a Mockingbird portrays a very important piece of the transition from childhood to asulthood; a transition that many children don't like to make. This nowvel shows that although it is hard to face the facts of reality, and lose some innocence, it is inevitable and may not be completely terrible. I think Part 2 of To Kill a Mockingbird will focus even more on this idea, and maybe bring a little light to the subject.