Literature is composed of archetypes and some archetypes are usually taken from the human experience of coming-of-age. Such is the case in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, where Jean Louise “Scout” Finch and her brother Jem live in their ordinary world of Maycomb, Alabama. However, Scout’s ordinary world changes when their father, Atticus Finch, defends a negro named Tom Robinson in court for being accused of raping a white girl named Mayella Ewell. Harper Lee has Scout’s learn about empathy, courage, and standing against prejudiced ideas from her role models in order to build Scout’s character to prepare for the inmost cave.
Scout learns how to empathize with other from her roles models to take the first step out of the inmost cave. Early …show more content…
Scout also takes the first step in leaving the inmost cave by learning what courage really is; that it does not matter who the person is, whether it would be a rude woman such as Mrs. Dubose or an intellect like Atticus; there is courage is in almost everyone, and people who have courage are better stronger people. Lastly, Prejudice is a terrible thing, and that it is hard to overcome it; people who do not have a prejudiced mind, are stubborn; people who can overcome prejudice to acceptance and be much more caring and thoughtful. To Kill a Mockingbird clearly reflect the archetype of preparing for the inmost cave, a human experience that every human has gone through as children. For children, there is the ordinary world life where it is haven for those children, but soon those children have to grow up and leave the inmost cave and cross that threshold to the unknown world of adulthood; mentors such as role models will help those children build new skill such as empathy, courage, and acceptance: with empathy to understand one’s self, with the courage to refuse the disbelief of one’s self, and the acceptance of other around one’s self; discarding one’s old self to leave and crossing the threshold into adulthood will seems like