40 Catching Walter Cunningham in the schoolyard gave me some pleasure,
but when I was rubbing his nose in the dirt Jem came by and told me to stop. ―You‘re bigger‘n he is,‖ he said. ―He‘s as old as you, nearly,‖ I said
p.25.
Jem sees that Scout is bigger than Walter who is as old as him. Therefore it makes her never afraid of fighting against others. Scout is a tomboyish girl. The way she
dresses is far from feminine girl. She always wears overall that enables her to move flexibly like a boy.
―And you—‖ she pointed an arthritic finger at me—―what are you doing in those overalls? You should be in a dress and camisole, young lady
You‘ll grow up waiting on tables if somebody doesn‘t change your ways—‖ p.55.
Based on the novel, the researcher finds out that Scout‘s characteristics are varied,
but these are consistent throughout the story. They are being tomboy, respectful, high-tempered, caring, tough, intelligent, persistent, and curious.
1. Tomboyish
Through the theory of characterization by Murphy 1972, Scout ‘s
character is considered as a tomboyish girl. Murphy‘s theory of ―thought‖ in
which the author describes what a certain character‘s thinks directly is match with the way of Scout‘s character as being tomboy is described in the novel. Scout
realizes that the way how she dresses is far from feminine. She does not like dresses. Although her Aunt complains the way of her dressing, Scout stands still
to wear pants in her daily life since she is comfortable with them. It can be proven from the statement
―Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do
nothing in a dress, she said I wasn‘t supposed to be doing things that required
41 pants.
‖ p.92. Scout loves wearing pants since she can do everything flexibly with her brother, Jem and her friend, Dill. She behaves like a boy because she is
influenced by Jem. It can be proven from the statement ―I was not so sure, but
Jem told me I was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, that is why other people hated them so, and if I started behaving like one I could just go off and
find some to play with. ‖ p.45.
As stated by Watson and Lindgren 1973, home can influence a child‘s
behavior and personality. The interaction between the child and the parents, as well as the child and her or his other siblings can shape the
child‘s behavior and personality. Papalia, Olds, and
Feldman 2007 state that ―From the early experiences children get in their homes, they acquire their attitude, values, and
patterns of social behavior ‖. In the novel, Scout behaves like a boy because her
environment at home is filled with males‘ relatives. She lives only with her father, Atticus, and brother, Jem. She does not live with her mother since her mother has
passed away since she was two years old. Thus, she does not have female figure since her early childhood. This
is a factor that influences Scout‘s character as a tomboy girl.
In addition, Scout thinks that Jem is the only one that can play with her. Therefore she listens what her brother says. Her brother does not like play with
girls since girls always exaggerates everything. It makes Scout to behave like a boy so that she can keep sticking with her brother.
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2. Respectful
