eye, leading with her heart and not the prejudicial sentiments of many of Maycomb's residents.

For example, the menfolk from town have decided upon Tom Robinson's guilt, so much so that they come to the jail to lynch him. Atticus is prepared for this possibility and has parked his chair in front of the building's door. Out of curiosity, Scout follows Jem who is worried about Atticus. Scout does not comprehend what is going on, especially that the situation is extremely dangerous for Tom, Atticus and the children.

In this scene, the norm of this predominantly white community (that remembers the Civil War and the South's defeat all too clearly) is to take the law into their hands, regardless of the justice system that guarantees all men—including Tom—a fair trial. This incident demonstrates a majority—moreover, a mob mentality, of which Scout is unaware. Trying to sort things out, Scout searches for common ground in this unfamiliar landscape.

I sought once more for a familiar face, and at the center of the semi-circle I found one. “Hey, Mr. Cunningham.”

Scout strikes up a conversation with Mr. Cunningham, speaking to him with a child's innocence about former business between him and Atticus. She says to her father:

Well, Atticus, I was just sayin' to Mr. Cunningham that entailments are bad an' all that, but you said not to worry...that you all'd ride it out together....

It seems that Scout's perceptions, fostered by those who love her, lead her to not only connect with the older man, but also infer that things will be all right if they stick together. Then, inadvertently, Scout calls up the image of his son, who Scout goes to school with.

“Tell Walter hey for me, won't you?"

While the mob might try to set a tone of intolerance and division, Scout has been taught differently. She sees neighbors, while the men in the mob see an enemy, a threat. It is only in reminding Walter Cunningham of his relationship with Atticus and her relationship with his son that the man is able to pull himself together and reconnect with his humanity—creating a disconnect from the influence of the mob he is with.

While this society tries to teach Scout (and presumably all children in Maycomb) that men are dominant over all things (like nature) and that white men are the superior race, Scout learns that respect and tolerance are the moral choices to make, most especially in protection of those who do no harm—those needing protection. Specifically, when the kids receive their guns at Christmas, they are taught not to harm the mockingbird:

"Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird." That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it. "Your father’s right," she said. "Mockingbirds don’t do one thing except make music for us to enjoy...they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us."

This social guidance later allows Scout to apply the lesson with Boo Radley. He, too, does no harm (he is the essence of innocence), even though he is tormented by town rumors and fearfully oppressed by his brother. This attitude is exemplified for Scout in Chief Tate's decision to protect Boo at the novel's end.

Taking the one who’s done you and this town a great service an’ draggin’ him with his shy ways into the limelight—to me, that’s a sin. It’s a sin and I’m not about to have it on my head. If it was any other man it’d be different. But not this man, Mr. Finch.

Not only does Boo do no harm, he saves the lives of Scout and Jem, and protects society from further attacks by Bob Ewell. Scout chooses to protect him as well, talking with him quietly, with genuine care and regard, and walking him home after Bob Ewell's attack and death.

While a large segment of the people of fictitious Maycomb are harsh and cruel in many ways (Bob Ewell, Mrs. Dubose, etc.), other members of the community (Atticus, Miss Maudie, Rev. Sykes, Calpurnia, etc.) teach and shape Scout to understand and reflect (in her thinking and actions) a better and kinder segment of Maycomb society.

In Chapter 21, the jury declares that Tom is guilty. Jem is severely affected by this. The next chapter begins with Jem crying and telling Atticus "It ain't right." Jem then discusses things with Miss Maudie. Jem says he used to think the people of Maycomb were the best people in the world. Jem no longer thinks this. In an effort to give Jem some hope, Miss Maudie tells him that there are good people in town: Heck Tate, Atticus, and Tom's friends and family. Jem is left with a glimmer of hope but a larger feeling of disappointment with his local society. Tom's conviction proves to Jem that racism is a real problem in Maycomb. 

In Chapter 23, Scout says she would like to invite Walter Cunningham Jr. over. Aunt Alexandra forbids it and, of course, Atticus challenges Alexandra. Later in the chapter, Jem and Scout discuss this idea of different kinds of folks. Here, they are actually discussing how societies are divided into classes. It is quite an academic and ethical conversation, with each of them trying to understand why certain folks (classes) could or should get along together. At the end of the chapter, Jem concludes that these class divisions serve no good purpose. With this conclusion, he sees some wisdom in Boo Radley's self-imposed seclusion: 

If there’s just one kind of folks, why can’t they get along with each other? If they’re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other? Scout, I think I’m beginning to understand something. I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time… it’s because he wants to stay inside. 

Jem recognizes that people do divide themselves into different classes. There should be "just one kind of folks" but this is not the case. With the jury's decision and this growing awareness of social division, Jem becomes more and more aware of the ethical problems of social divisions. 

Jem is profoundly affected by his community in To Kill a Mockingbird. Let me give you two examples. 

First, in the beginning of the novel, Jem's views on Boo Radley come from the prevailing negative views of Maycomb, combined with his childlike imagination.  Therefore, the first part of the book contains a fascination of Boo.  Jem along with Scout and Dill want to see Boo.  Fortunately, Jem has someone like Miss Maudie to talk some sense into him, even about Boo. But the point is that his community gives him a view of Boo or influences him. 

Second and more importantly, when the trial of Tom Robinson begins, Jem is there.  In other words, he witnesses the proceedings first hand.  He is also present when a mob comes to harm Tom.  In fact, the mob almost also harmed his father, Atticus.  So, he sees the blind hatred in the town.  

At the end of the case, when the jurors are deliberating, he believes that Atticus put forth a brilliant defense of Tom, which would ensure a verdict of innocent, but he is mistaken.  This point shows how deep the injustices are in society.  He weeps and says it is not fair. So, we can say that he sees the brokenness of his town and experiences it.  

Jem is very fortunately though.  He has trusted guides like his father and Miss Maudie.  So, while these events touch and influence him, he has another way at looking at things.  He can stand against society and be brave.  In this sense, a few key people influence him most profoundly. 

Scout has an impact on Dill, Boo Radley, and Walter Cunningham.

Scout impacts many people in her life, of course.  She and her brother Jem are almost inseparable during the summer.  Her father Atticus and her aunt Alexandra worry about her and what kind of adult she will turn out to be.  She has a friendship with her neighbor Miss Maudie.  However, there are three characters whose lives Scout touches in such a way that she leaves a lasting impact. 

Dill is closer to Scout’s age than Jem’s.  He is a bit odd, and definitely lonely when he first comes to Maycomb.  Due to their closeness in age, they become friends despite the gender difference.  Dill even asks Scout to marry him, an innocent and childish acknowledgement of her importance to him.  Dill does not have much at home.  His father is absent, and his mother eventually remarries.  Having Scout in his life makes it much fuller.  This is why he runs away and hides under her bed. 

Scout’s impact on Boo Radley is profound. He is another very lonely person.  Boo is the reclusive, shy neighbor who watches the children in his neighborhood as if they were his own.  Scout, Jem, and Dill spark an interesting friendship with Boo through trying to get him to come out.  At first, Scout is afraid of him.  As she gets older, she comes to realize the role she has played in his life. 

Boo leaves presents for Scout and Jem in a tree knot.  He even carves little figures of them out of soap dolls.  He seems to take a special interest in the spunky Scout.  When Miss Maudie has a fire at her house, Boo sneaks out of his and leaves a blanket on her shoulders. 

“Then whose blanket is that?”

“Blanket?”

“Yes ma’am, blanket. It isn’t ours.”

I looked down and found myself clutching a brown woolen blanket I was wearing around my shoulders, squaw-fashion. (Ch. 8) 

Later, when Boo rescues Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell, she walks him home.  Standing on the Radley porch, Scout realizes how big of a role she and her brother played in his life.  They were friends, from afar.  Scout and Jem gave Boo the courage to leave his house. 

A third person Scout impacted was only around her for a brief time, but surely an event he would never forget.  When Walter Cunningham and the angry mob surrounded Atticus, trying to get at his client, Scout decided to jump into the fray and have a conversation with Mr. Cunningham.  She was hoping to trade on the fact that she was the same age as his son and the two were sort of friends.  It worked. 

Atticus said nothing. I looked around and up at Mr. Cunningham, whose face was equally impassive. Then he did a peculiar thing. He squatted down and took me by both shoulders.

“I’ll tell him you said hey, little lady,” he said. (Ch. 15) 

Scout helps Walter Cunningham, Sr. come to his senses.  Being confronted with a little girl, even though she never directly addresses the situation, helps him realize that what he is doing is wrong.  Atticus is impressed by this.  He tells Scout that every mob is made of people.  Scout addressed Walter’s humanity.

Scout was influenced both positively and negatively by the people in her life. Here are some of those people:

Positive Influences:

Atticus: Scout admired and trusted her father. He taught her about honesty and empathy. He also influenced her on her ideas about compassion. Scout loved reading because of her father.

Calpurnia: Calpurnia served as a mother figure to Scout. She influenced Scout as she taught her how to be polite and treat everyone with respect.

Miss Maudie: Scout's kind neighbor became a dear friend to her. With Miss Maudie's influence, Scout learned to view her father in a new light. She also learned to understand her brother.

Jem: Scout's brother influenced her to take risks and face her fears. He sometimes pressured her to do things she did not want to do.

Boo Radley: Boo taught Scout how to appreciate people who were different. He also influenced her to become a more compassionate person.

Aunt Alexandra: Scout's aunt influenced her because she encouraged the girl to embrace her own femininity.

Walter Cunningham: Though Scout was angry at Walter, he taught her to walk in someone else's shoes. She eventually came to understand that Walter was a just person in different circumstances than her own.

Negative Influences:

Miss Caroline: Miss Caroline temporarily caused Scout to dislike school. She made Scout's first day at school miserable.

Bob Ewell: Mr. Ewell had an influence on Scout as his actions caused her to question the safety of Maycomb and her life.

Mrs. Merriweather: Scout's eyes were opened to the hypocrisy within Maycomb when Mrs. Merriweather cared more about the Mrunas than the people in her own community.

You seem to be asking for a positive influence and a negative influence on Scout.

AUNT ALEXANDRA seems to be her most negative influence. Scout can pick up on the fact that she doesn't necessarily support Atticus' position through the trial. The missionary tea circle that Scout has to go to (I am sure under the command of Aunt Alexandra) further rubs Scout the wrong way as she sees racism, hypocrisy, and sheer rude behavior dressed up in Sunday's best. Although I believe Aunt Alexandra loves Scout and Jem, and she comes to help, Scout the narrator paints Aunt Alexandra as a person not to copy.

MISS MAUDIE teaches Scout values through example and respect. When the boys are rude to Scout in chapter 5, Miss Maudie takes Scout under her wing and determines to enlighten her about neighborhood history, shadings, and the value of her father. Scout learns to respect and admire her dad for doing right even when no one else wants him to because Maudie points out what a good man he is. By the time the missionary tea rolls around, Maudie is there to keep Scout from acting on her emotions, something that has always been a burden to Scout. Maudie was Scout's most positive influence.

The best answer seems to be Jem as both the most positive and most negative influence on Scout. Jem leads Scout to ridicule Boo Radley and to assault the privacy of this recluse. However, later Jem encourages Scout to restrain herself from killing a harmless insect.

Through a number examples, we see that Jem's growth in the novel serves to pave the way for Scout's growth as well. Yet as the novel begins, Jem's influence is not always positive. 

Many of the games the children play are initiated by Jem, the oldest of the three. He tries to demonstrate courage and manliness in ways including being brave enough to touch the Radley house...

When Jem and Dill hatch a plan to sneak into the Radley yard to look inside through a window, Scout tries to talk the boys out of the idea. She fails to persuade them and ends up going along. This is, perhaps, the clearest example of Jem's negative influence on Scout as she is nearly shot during the event. 

...they attempt to look in the house to see Boo, but a shotgun blast from Nathan Radley, Boo's brother, drives them off.

Not long after this episode, Jem begins to mature. Though this process serves to distance the siblings, it also brings Jem closer to the adult world, rendering him a better example of proper behavior for Scout. Jem becomes more restrained, patient, and thoughtful than he had previously been. 

These are traits that Scout is particularly challenged to attain, being rather hot-headed and impetuous. Jem is able to demonstrate some of the lessons that Scout is struggling to learn in the second half of the novel. The closeness between the two siblings helps to amplify Jem's influence on Scout and her development. 

Aunt Alexandra is the quintessential Southern Belle, who believes that females should act mannerly and engage in social events with other ladies throughout the community. She takes pride in her family background and understands the intricacies of Maycomb's caste system. Aunt Alexandra views African Americans as inferior beings despite the fact that she is a proud Christian. Aunt Alexandra's views and personality were greatly impacted by Southern society. Many of Alexandra's beliefs are congruent with the antebellum South, which is essentially the time period before the Civil War. In the antebellum South, white citizens were considered a superior race and strict gender roles were practiced. Females wore dresses, engaged in social events, and stayed away from physical activities. Aunt Alexandra shares those same beliefs and lives like a traditional Southern woman. 

Critic R. A. Dave claims that in To Kill a Mockingbird "there is a complete cohesion of art and morality." And, it is the motif of family that creates such cohesion. For, throughout the narrative, it is the strength of family ties that imbues Scout with values.

• It is the advice of Atticus that arrests Scout's pejorative attitude toward Miss Caroline, who does not conform to her expectations. He tells his daughter,

"First of all,...if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view---"

• Further, Atticus's personal conduct serves as a stellar example of integrity and loyalty. For instance, he is always polite to Mrs. Dubose despite the vituperative comments she makes about him after he agrees to defend Tom Robinson.  As Miss Maudie remarks, "Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets."  Whenever the children trespass upon the Radley property, Atticus scolds them, "stop tormenting that man."
• Certainly, he exemplifies the respect for others that he demands from his children. Likewise, his brother Jack and his sister Alexandra reaffirm these values as Jack keeps his promise to Scout to not report the reason why she hit Francis, and Alexandra supports Atticus in his personal beliefs despite not concurring with them.
• Interestingly, the constant reading of Atticus and the frequent reading of Jem and Scout serve to reinforce the concept of learning and examination of facts. This, too, is a family lesson that develops in Scout a rational examination of facts and an objectivity toward others.
• Time and time again, Scout has the love of Atticus to teach and support her. She is given the advice of not harming a mockingbird and respecting each person's rights; she is always shown how to react to situations through the stellar example of her father and even her aunt, who is angered by the insensitive remarks of Mrs. Merriweather at the Missionary Tea. For instance, at the trial of Tom Robinson, the children witness the integrity of their father as he is fair in his interrogation of Bob and Mayella Ewell. Finally, when Bob Ewell attacks Jem and endangers Scout, she is comforted by her father and listens as he talks with Sheriff Tate, concluding that they must protect the shy recluse, Boo Radley, proving to Scout his maxim of not harming a mockingbird as well as supporting all his gestures of fairness and love. Indeed, it is the love of family that teaches and protects Scout Finch.

Scout is fortunate indeed to be surrounded by numerous people who each provide, in their own unique way, a positive influence. I would single out Miss Maudie for special mention here. She shows Scout that being a fine Southern lady is about substance rather than show. Miss Maudie likes nothing better than pottering about in her beautiful garden wearing an old, beat-up pair of overalls. Yet through her kindness, empathy, and good-humored nature, she proves to be a much more effective role model for Scout than the very prim and proper Aunt Alexandra. Alexandra presents a vision of Southern womanhood that's the exact opposite of Miss Maudie. For Scout's aunt, being a lady is all about what's on the outside: how you dress, how you talk, your deportment in polite society. But Miss Maudie shows Scout by example that it's possible to be a lady every bit as fine and every bit as respectable as Aunt Alexandra's ideal without sacrificing your individuality.

Several characters positively influence Scout throughout the novel. Scout's father, Atticus Finch, influences his daughter to be tolerant and sympathetic towards others. He leads by example and gives Scout valuable life lessons on perspective, courage, and justice. Miss Maudie is another positive influence on Scout. Miss Maudie offers Scout insight into their reclusive neighbor, Boo Radley, and gives support and encouragement in difficult times. Scout enjoys sitting on Miss Maudie's porch and cherishes their friendship. Calpurnia is another character who positively influences Scout. Calpurnia teaches Scout how to write and teaches her how to respect others. Scout also gains valuable insight into the African American community after Cal takes her to First Purchase African M. E. for Sunday service. Jem and Dill are two other characters who are positive influences on Scout. They entertain Scout and also offer her emotional support in times of need.

Calpurnia is hired by Atticus Finch as a cook, housekeeper, and nanny for Jem and Scout after his wife dies. Scout is two years old when her mother dies, so the closest thing she has to a mother, whom she remembers, is Calpurnia. The novel opens at the time Scout is six and first attending school. Her first day of school is memorable because Calpurnia teaches her a valuable lesson about how to be respectful to others and a good hostess. In chapter 3, when Walter Cunningham comes to lunch, he pours maple syrup on his vegetables and plate. Scout makes him feel ashamed when she rudely asks why he's doing that. Calpurnia takes her into the kitchen and gives her the following lecture:

“Hush your mouth! Don't matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house's yo' comp'ny, and don't you let me catch you remarkin' on their ways like you was so high and mighty! Yo' folks might be better'n the Cunninghams but it don't count for nothin' the way you're disgracin' 'em--if you can't act fit to eat at the table you can just set here and eat in the kitchen!" (24-25).

The best part is Scout tries to get Cal fired over this and Atticus won't do it. In fact, he reminds Scout that she needs to obey Calpurnia at all times. This event not only teaches Scout to be more respectful towards others, but that Calpurnia is also a valuable person to her father, and will be for her, too. Atticus has so much confidence in Calpurnia, that he refuses to fire her at his sister Alexandra's request as well. He tells Alexandra the following:

"Besides, I don't think the children've suffered one bit from her having brought them up. If anything, she's been harder on them in some ways than a mother would have been . . . she's never let them get away with anything, she's never indulged them the way most colored nurses do. She tried to bring them up according to her lights, and Cal's lights are pretty good--and another thing, the children love her" (137).

Atticus says that Calpurnia is probably the best thing for his children because she's tough on them and they love her. There is absolutely no real reason to keep Calpurnia once Aunt Alexandra moves in with them, so for Atticus to say this and still retain her services is quite a compliment. The best quality that trumps all of the others is the fact that he sees that his children love and respect her. Without a mother, she's the most influential woman in their lives. 

With the Jim Crow Laws in effect during the time setting of the 1930s, Scout thinks that certain ideas about black people are simply a matter of course.

A native of Alabama, Harper Lee sets To Kill a Mockingbird in the time and place with which she is familiar. She also models her characters after real people with whom she was acquainted.

• Time

Born in 1926, Harper Lee sets the novel in the 1930s, the Depression era in which she lived as a child. This was also the time of the infamous Scottsboro Trials in Alabama, an interracial rape case, on which the trial of Tom Robinson seems to be loosely based. Also, biographies of Lee state that there was an event near her hometown in 1936 when she was ten years old that affected her greatly:

Before A.C. Lee became a title lawyer, he once defended two black men accused of murdering a white storekeeper. Both clients, a father and son, were hanged.

• Place

Maycomb, Alabama, is the fictional name of Lee's hometown of Monroeville, Alabama. There is a courthouse in this town, where Lee's father handled cases as an attorney. Like Monroeville, Maycomb is in southern Alabama where Jim Crow laws were in effect in the 1930s. 

• Characterization

There is no question that Dill Baker is modeled after Lee's childhood friend Truman Capote, who was from Mississippi and felt he was too weak for the boys while Lee was too tough for the girls. Like Scout with Dill, Lee often defended Truman.

Atticus Finch is modeled after Lee's father, who served in state government and was an attorney with more liberal ideas than the majority of citizens in Monroeville. He was the greatest parental force in Lee's life because her mother suffered from mental illness and stayed in the home.

Boo Radley also is based upon a real man. Truman Capote depicted him in his novel Other Voices, Other Rooms. About this man, Capote stated that in his novel, 

I had that same man living in the house that used to leave things in the trees, and then I took that out. He was a real man, and he lived just down the road from us.

In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, society's racism and social injustice most influence Jem in a very negative way.

While witnessing Tom Robinson's trial, Jem was well aware that all evidence revealed in the trial pointed to Robinson's innocence, not his guilt. The most critical point of evidence is that Mayella Ewell was bruised on the right side of her face, something only a left-handed man facing her was capable of doing. Evidence in court revealed that Robinson has been crippled in his left arm and hand since childhood; he is so crippled that he is unable to keep his left hand on the Bible long enough to take the oath as he is being sworn into the witness stand. In contrast, Bob Ewell proves to be left-handed and testifies to being ambidextrous. Due to all of the evidence, Jem is convinced his father will win the case and is absolutely devastated when the jury returns with a guilty verdict, because he knows they have made their verdict not based on evidence but based on racism. He is so devastated that he cries and says, "It ain't right," repeatedly on the way home after the trial (Ch. 22).

The day after the trial, Jem confides to Miss Maudie just how much the jury's decision altered his perception of Maycomb's people:

It's like bein' a caterpillar in a cocoon, that's what it is ... . Like somethin' asleep wrapped up in a warm place. I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that's what they seemed like. (Ch. 22)

His statement helps us see that whereas Jem once saw Maycomb's people as good, decent folks, he now sees them as essentially evil due to the social injustice they have inflicted on Robinson out of racist hatred.

During their conversation, Miss Maudie helps him see that more of Maycomb's people tried to help Robinson than Jem has realized, including the African Americans, Judge Taylor, and Sheriff Heck Tate. Miss Maudie's words of wisdom help but not sufficiently. By the end of the novel, Jem's anger towards social injustice manifests in physical violence, whereas at the start of the novel, Jem had a much calmer temper than Scout. For example, Jem acts violently when Scout brings up the hypocritical behavior of her third-grade teacher. Scout describes his violent behavior in the following narration:

Jem was suddenly furious. He leaped off the bed, grabbed me by the collar and shook me. (Ch. 26)

He further shouts that he never wants to hear another word about the trial.

Jem's violent behavior shows us just how much Jem has been influenced in terms of being hurt and angered by society's injustices and racist hatred.