Fighting the Good Fight by Jaime

Fighting the Good Fight by Jaime - June 2022 Scholarship Essay

Everyone has either heard of or read the beloved novel To Kill a Mockingbird, which takes place in the 1930s in the Southern United States. The narrator of the story is Scout Finch, who lives with her brother Jem and their father Atticus, a lawyer in Maycomb, Alabama. It takes place over a period of three years, in which readers witness the characters walk through significant changes as they experience prejudice for standing up for what they believe is right, even if the society said otherwise. Watching the characters grow and change throughout the novel is inspiring, especially when it comes to Scout, who never backs down from what she believes in and stands for. Therefore, the most important lesson I have learned from a fictional character in a book is from Scout Finch, who taught me how to fight for what is right, even if it is hard.
Scout was not a “normal” girl for the proper culture in the southern time period. She wore hand-me-down overalls instead of dresses like most girls did, so she was more of a tomboy than anything. Even in her actions and social position she stood out among most girls her age. Despite this, Scout was also very smart and could read before even starting school. She was also brave and fearless, which meant she was not afraid to fight boys or to go up to Boo Radley's house. However, Scout’s character traits that stand out the most throughout the entire novel are that she is very thoughtful and very good.
From the opening scene of the novel, Scout was already seen as a good-hearted and innocent kid who had not yet experienced the evil in the world. On the other hand, as the book progressed she experienced racial prejudice, which would determine whether she would remain in good conscience about it or not. Further along, Scout proved herself to always act with the best intentions as she began to ponder about the potential for true goodness and evil that mankind has. A major part of her character development along the way was owed to her father, Atticus, who taught her that while humanity does have a great capacity for evil, it also can have a great capacity for good. Scout learns that evil could often become less harsh if everyone had more sympathy and understanding in their hearts.
With all of this in mind, it is easy to see how the lessons that I learned from Scout have changed my outlook on life. I have learned to approach everyone I meet with sympathy and understanding: you have no idea what anyone is going through so one should approach everyone with kindness and empathy all the time. I have also learned that you can still stand up for what is right, even if it goes against societal norms. Scout was willing to put up with the prejudice for her father trying to help Tom Robinson because she knew that he was innocent and it was the right thing to do. Finally, I have learned to be more optimistic about life. There is a lot of evil in the world, but as Atticus said, humanity has a great capacity for good, as well. Therefore, we should all learn from the lessons that Scout has taught us because if we stand up for what is right and good, with kindness and understanding, looking not at the evils of humanity but the good, then the world would be a much better place.