Looking at the setting, a reader can pick up on how men were supposed to act like men, and women were supposed to act like women down in the South. Since Scout is considered to be a tomboy among her peers, she is different from the cultural "mould" in Maycomb. Considering her background, Scout has grown up without a mother, or one she cannot remember. She is left with her father, Atticus, and brother, Jem, and must learn her social etiquettes from them. However, Atticus must have taught Scout differently in how she shows no fear of and acts like boys. Primarily, Scout may have gotten her boyish habits from her brother Jem since they seem to be friends with each other more than any other person in the story so far, excluding Dill. The shear amount of time that the Scout character spends with Jem clearly indicates that a boy's mind is being instilled into her.
Because of the fact that Scout is not attuned to social etiquettes and the like, there is much she can learn from the world. Scout's innocence introduced itself as a theme by how Scout does not these social etiquettes. Scout's character is then like a sponge where she can pick up knowledge quick, much like other children. However, with Scout, since she is not as socially aware, she may become more liberal or more open to different ideas as she learns them. One instance is when Atticus is called upon to defend a black in court, and Scout wonders if that is acceptable. Atticus then informs her that she will be able to lift her head if he does this. This may have impacted Scout to be more accepting towards black a bit more.
Still being a child, Scout has plenty of things to learn about the world. Scout's process of learning new things is one of the most important factors to how a reader can get sucked into this book. Finishing Part 1, and going on to Part 2, I find it fascinating how Scout is learning new things. I predict that by the end of this story, Scout will probably become as wise as Atticus, since she will probably learn a lot more from him.
