WE ARE FINALLY HERE!JEAN LOUISE HAS REACHED ADULTHOOD! As exciting as it is to see Jean Louise as a young adult, it's important to note that adulthood is a bitter pill to swallow. Now Jean Louise is older and has a greater understanding of the world around her. While the experience she gained over the years aids her in her college studies and navigating life in New York City, it also makes her aware of a disturbing truth: that her family is no longer trustworthy. Worst of all, maybe they never were to begin with.
Atticus: The Man, The Myth, The Racist? ( Morality shattered)
When Jean Louise returns home, she looks forward to seeing her father again. Her description of him is very similar to the one presented in To Kill a Mockingbird. As she raves over his strength of character throughout her childhood , saying that , "Integrity, Humor and patience were the three words for Atticus Finch"(114). Jean Louise adored her father and tries to follow in his footsteps all throughout her childhood and teenage years. She puts so much faith in his goodness, that when she discovers that Atticus is a racist, she feels deeply betrayed.
She learns that Atticus attends a Citizen's Council, lead by a man who vehemently opposes civil rights and considers "Negroes", to be the inferior race. Later, In what he considered to be a serious conversation, Atticus expresses beliefs that the "Negro population is backwards"(242) and that, "White is white and black's black"(246). He challenges his daughter on her opposite worldview when he asks whether or not she would like, "negroes by the carload in our schools and churches and theaters? "(245). Effectively, he considers African Americans to be childlike and a burden on society, which Jean Louise cannot bear to accept. The parent whom she worships like a God, turns out to be just as imperfect as the rest of society.
A War of Northern Aggression ( When love turns to hate) Jean Louise goes by violently insulting her father, whom she once considered, " the only person [she's] ever fully trusted"(252). She belittles his opinions and declares that he is nothing but a "Son of a Bitch"(253) who is no better than Hitler. Jean Louise finds it especially difficult to believe that her father is capable of loving his own children , when he shows no love to African Americans. This is why when Atticus tries to smooth over their argument by telling his daughter that he loves her, she refuses to accept his love. He has spat on all the principles of kindness and love that the two of them shared, and this is something she cannot accept.
Compromise: The most Challenging Part of Adulthood In Jean Louise's ultimate moment of distress ,Uncle Jack, who heard about his niece's fight with Atticus, offers insight into her situation. Jack explains to her that her failure to accept that she and her father have shared the same definition of morality throughout her childhood. Now that she realizes that this is something they no longer share, it comes as a shock. Uncle Jack asserts that if she is willing to get over this initial surprise and hurt, their relationship can be salvaged.
Begrudgingly, Jean Louise accepts that her disagreements with her father are not wrong, but a sign that she has developed her own insights and moral code. This realization pleases her. She begrudgingly accepts the fact that she and her family will never be in unanimous agreement. At the conclusion of the book, Jean Louise puts aside her childish exaggerations of her father, both her prior vision of her father as a saint, and her recent vision of him as a monster. Instead she sees him as a member of the" human race."(278). Forgiving her father is difficult, but she accepts that in order to have a healthy relationship with him, it must be done.
Based on her progress throughout the story, we can assume that Jean Louise will join him in this group of broken humans. She will accept other's ideas about morality, but also make room for her own. She will learn to manage relationships and love others, no matter how difficult the process will be. Jean Louise will learn to find balance between finding her place in society without leaving her values behind.