In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Aunt Alexandra does influence Scout—surprisingly, though "spiritually" in an unusual way to put it.
Throughout the story, Aunt Alexandra is a thorn in Scout's side. First, Scout is a tomboy, and her aunt struggles with the overalls she wears, the games she plays, the fights she has, and the way she talks. Scout is anything but a young lady. Aunt Alexandra is rather a straight-laced "southern belle," struggling with the relationship the children share with Calpurnia because the housekeeper is black (though Atticus refuses to change a thing about the way the household is run).
However, we see the effect she has had on Scout on the evening when news of Tom Robinson's death arrives at the Finch household; Aunt Alexandra shows the true nature of the woman she is, and she must have influenced Scout as well because the youngster demonstrates her ability to behave in a controlled and courteous fashion, even while tragedy has struck so close to home.
'Oh, Mrs. Perkins, [Aunt Alexandra] said, 'you need some more coffee. Let me get it.'
...said Miss Maudie. 'Let me pass you some more of those dewberry tarts...'
Aunt Alexandra looked across the room at me and smiled. She looked at a tray full of cookies on the table and nodded at them. I carefully picked up the tray and watched myself walk to Mrs. Merriweather. With my best company manners, I asked her if she would have some. After all, if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, how does Scout develop in her perspective of her Aunt Alexandra?
Scout does not appreciate her Aunt Alexandra at all at first--except for maybe her good cooking. Scout is forced to go to Finch's Landing every Christmas where the family gets together with Uncle Jack and Aunt Alexandra's family. Scout views her Aunt like "Mount Everest." This seems to suggest that her aunt is an insurmountable obstacle that must either be conquered or left alone. From a little girl's perspective, Aunt Alexandra is probably something to be left alone. Specifically, Scout describes her aunt as follows:
". . . when Jem told me about changelings and siblings, I decided that she had been swapped at birth, that my grandparents had perhaps received a Crawford instead of a Finch. Had I ever harbored the mystical notions about mountains that seem to obsess lawyers and judges, Aunt Alexandra would have been analogous to Mount Everest: throughout my life, she was cold and there" (77).
Later, Aunt Alexandra comes to live in Scout's home with the family, partly because she feels the children need more of a motherly-type woman in the house to teach them manners. She feels that Scout should wear dresses and be taught how to become a lady. She even feels that Scout should choose better friends and Scout rebels as best as she can. But after the stress and strain of going through the vicissitudes of life in the prejudiced South, Scout matures...
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and views her Aunt with more careful eyes in the end.
"Aunt Alexandra looked across the room at me and smiled. She looked at a tray of cookies on the table and nodded at them. I carefully picked up the tray and watched myself walk to Mrs. Merriweather. With my best company manners, I asked her if she would have some.
After all, if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I" (237).
Even though Scout and Aunt Alexandra don't see eye-to-eye on many things, Scout warms up to the good qualities that she does see. Aunt Alexandra is strong. A woman like that is someone to notice, although not always one to agree with. Scout, in fact, does learn to be a lady, too, which she wouldn't have learned without her aunt's example.
How does Aunt Alexandra develop as a sympathetic character in To Kill a Mockingbird?
In Chapter 13 when Aunt Alexandra arrives in Macomb, she first issues orders to Calpurnia about the placement of her suitcase, then she announces that Atticus and she decided "it was time I came to stay with you for a while." Soon, Scout learns that her aunt's visit is not without drawbacks. For one thing, according to Aunt Alexandra Scout should wear dresses, not overalls. And, she and Jem need to learn that they are not
...run-of-the-mill people,...that [they] are the product of several generations' gentle breeding....
Shortly after Alexandra is there, Scout overhears her aunt wanting to dismiss Calpurnia and Atticus raising his voice.
Later, Scout is made to dress up and attend her aunt's Missionary Tea; then, Scout is made to endure listening to Mrs. Merriweather's not-so-subtle criticism of her maid and of Atticus's being the defense attorney of Tom Robinson. When Miss Maudie's cryptic remark silences Mrs. Merriweather, Aunt Alexandra displays a look of gratitude because, even though she disapproves of her brother's defense of Tom Robinson, she resents the women's pettiness of Mrs. Merriweather. And, when Atticus informs his sister that Tom has been killed, Alexandra is sympathetic, knowing how this news bothers her brother.
After Atticus leaves, Alexandra takes her hands from her face and speaks to Miss Maudie,
"It tears him to pieces. I've seen him when--what else do they want from him, Maudie, what else?"
"....They're perfectly willing to let him do what they're too afraid to do themselves--it might lose'em a nickel."
Miss Maudie consoles her and tell her how many people do respect Atticus. Hearing this, Scout thinks much better of Aunt Alexandra, and she grows in affection for her, especially as her aunt expresses more loyalty for Atticus.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, how does Aunt Alexandra help contribute to Scout's development from a tom boy into a lady?
Scout clashes with Aunt Alexandra for most of her early childhood. Scout sees her as stuck-up and thinks she does not understand children. After Aunt Alexandra comes to live with them, things actually get worse for a while because Alexandra tries to turn Scout into a lady by making sure she wears dresses, attends social gatherings of the ladies. She tries to encourage Scout to appreciate her heritage, but focuses at first on how the Finch family is better than everyone else. This is exactly the opposite of the teachings Atticus has given her. Atticus has taught her to respect everyone, no matter how poor or what race.
Aunt Alexandra does play a pivotal role in Scout’s coming of age though. As Scout matures, she comes to understand Alexandra. She realizes that Alexandra actually does not approve of some of the bigoted remarks that the ladies make, and that she does worry about her brother. Ultimately, it is their love of Atticus that unites them and allows Scout to see that Alexandra does come from a place of having Scout’s best interests at heart. She is trying to teach Scout how to survive in the world that exists, and Atticus is trying to teach her to change it, or at least not accept it. Ultimately, both are lessons she needs to learn.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, how does Aunt Alexandra help contribute to Scout's development from a tom boy into a lady?
I linked to a similar question in the TKM group, but it's not exactly the same question as yours, so I'll supplement it with some additional information.
Scout grew up without a really feminine role model, aside from Miss Maudie, who did not live in her house. Calpurnia is certainly a woman, but not the type of woman accepted as feminine in the South at the time in which the novel is set. Before Alexandra came into the home, Scout was allowed to be like Jem. She didn't have to wear dresses all the time, learn proper posture and manners, or act particularly girly because Atticus just wanted her to be smart and well-behaved. He was liberal enough that it either didn't bother him that Scout didn't fit into the social standards of femininity, or he didn't know exactly how to handle her boyish behaviors. When Alexandra comes into the picture, however, she takes control of the situation and makes an effort to make Scout act socially like a girl is supposed to according to the social standards in Maycomb at the time.