What evidence is there to support that Scout is an innocent character?

There are numerous passages throughout the novel that depict Scout as an innocent character. Throughout the majority of the novel, Scout is a naive child who lacks understanding. One example that depicts Scout's innocence is her belief in the rumors that surround Boo Radley. In Chapter 5, when she is talking with Miss Maudie, Scout suggests that Boo Radley died and was "stuffed up a chimney." Scout is naive and believes anything her older brother, Jem, tells her.

Another example of Scout's innocence is depicted throughout her relationship with Dill. In Chapter 5, she is upset with Dill because they were "engaged" and he did not pay attention to her, so she beat him up. In Chapter 14, Dill and Scout discuss where babies come from. Scout maintains that God drops them down chimnies. These comments portray Scout's innocence in the subjects of relationships and anatomy.

Scout does not understand certain terms, such as "rape" and "nigger lover." She consults her father, Atticus, who is the wise, moral role-model throughout the novel. Atticus tells Scout that rape is the "carnal knowledge of a female by force and without consent." (Lee 180) Atticus explains what rape is using erudite diction that he knows Scout will not understand. Scout is too young to understand such explicit ideas and does not need to know the meaning of such terms.

Racist characters throughout Maycomb refer to Atticus as a "nigger-lover," and Scout does not know what it means. Scout understands that it has a negative connotation, but does not fully comprehend its actual meaning. Again, Atticus understands Scout is too young to grasp the weight of this term and describes it in a simplified manner.