WHY DID HARPER LEE CHOOSE SCOUT, A SIX YEAR OLD
GIRL, AS THE NARRATOR OF ‘TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD’
Think about:
 Written in retrospect by Scout, this allows the novel to
take advantage of two different viewpoints that are
widely separated by time. This gives a more complete
picture of events.
 Allows the reader to see Scout gradually developing an
understanding of people and their viewpoints.
 The reader is put in a position (because Scout is the
narrator) of having to think about, and interpret
characters and events for themselves.
 Harper Lee invites us to see the events of the story and
the people in it thorough the eyes of a child. The
narration has a child-like perspective.
 Events take place in the story that Scout cannot explain
(due to her youth and innocence) this creates a mystery
at times.
 Scout allows and invites the reader to ‘read between
the lines’
 The reader sees the significance of what other people
say and do in a way that Scout cannot, as she is still too
young.
 Using Scout as the narrator allows Harper Lee to
portray the beauty and innocence of childhood.
 Scout’s racy, colloquial speech makes for a lively read
that is full of authenticity.
 Scout uses figurative language – “She looked and
smelled like a peppermint drop” that creates a vivid
picture and helps to lighten the story, which becomes
fairly tragic, and adds a child-like tone. These
childhood images are poetic, naïve and original.

The innocence and lack of understanding that a sixyear-old child possesses adds to the humour of the text;
for example Scout and Jem’s malapropism.