At the beginning of the novel, Atticus teaches Scout a lesson on perspective. He advises that she metaphorically "climb into the skin of people and walk around in it" to understand their perspective. This is an important lesson throughout the novel that is essential to the moral development of Scout. As the novel progresses, Scout attempts to view situations from other people's perspectives. When Jem is acting moody the week after he retrieved his pants from the Radley yard, Scout attempts to "climb into his skin and walk around in it" by imagining how she would feel if she had gone alone into Boo's yard.
After Dill runs away from his home and explains his situation to Scout, she begins to try to understand what life would be like if Atticus and Calpurnia did not wish to have her around. This scene portrays Scout continuing to develop her perspective. Scout continues to mature and learns an important lesson following the mob scene. Atticus explains that the reason Walter Cunningham made his gang leave was because he was able to "walk in Atticus' shoes." Scout learns another valuable lesson in perspective when Atticus elaborates on how mob mentality influenced Walter.
Throughout the trial, Scout's moral development is evident when she analyzes the character of Mayella Ewell. Scout states that she feels that Mayella is the loneliest person in Maycomb, even lonelier than Boo Radley. Her ability to compare Mayella to Boo portrays her developing perspective.
In the last chapter of the novel, Scout stands on Boo Radley's porch and looks out at their neighborhood. She begins to reflect on past events and "stands in Boo's skin" to understand how he views the world. This scene is the apex of Scout's moral development in the novel. She is finally able to appreciate Boo Radley as her normal neighbor by understanding his point of view.
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