Harper Lee's timeless novel To Kill a Mockingbird is told by Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, a fiery young girl from the quiet town of Maycomb, Alabama. Despite the traditionally passive role of Southern women, Scout grew up a tomboy and, like her older brother Jem, was not afraid to engage other children in physical fights. Early in the novel, Scout displayed these aggressive tendencies, fighting classmates who she believed had wronged her or her family. However, Scout developed as a character in the first half of To Kill a Mockingbird to the extent that she was willing to walk away from fights that weren't worth fighting for. Scout's willingness to engage in combat with other children early in the novel was evident in her description of Walter Cunningham's treatment after being punished for explaining his financial situation to his teacher. Scout described this fight, saying, "Catching Walter Cunningham in the schoolyard gave me some pleasure, but when I was rubbing his nose on the ground Jem came up and told me to stop... Jem said, '.. . Scout here... she won." "Don't fight yourself anymore." 'I wouldn't be too sure,' I said” (Lee 30-31). As evidenced by this description, Scout had a short temper and was willing like many of her male classmates to fight others, reflecting the combative sense of justice common to children of her day. A key factor in her aggressive morality was an unwillingness to turn her back on a fight for fear of being called a coward. Scout held these beliefs throughout the beginning of the novel and fought against many other children to defend her reputation. However, through the moral instruction of her father, Atticus Finch, Scout was able to abandon much of her aggression. She began to recognize... middle of paper... and you know you're licked before you start, but you start anyway... She died in debt to nothing and no one. He was the bravest person I ever knew” (149). This description of Mrs. Dubose's courage was in stark contrast to Jem's view of courage. He saw it as the pure defiance of fear and the strength to overcome any obstacle. Atticus's description provided a new and more realistic assessment of courage. Witnessing Mrs. Dubose's immense will and courage inspired a complete change in Jem's attitude about courage. At the beginning of the story, Jem believed that courage was simply the absence of fear. By the conclusion of Part One, however, he has gained a new perspective on courage, identifying it as the ability to endure in the face of inevitable failure. By discovering this fact, Jem not only gained a new attitude towards courage, but also grew as a character.