The Scout Finches of Sci-Fi & Fantasy
The literary world—the entire world, it seems—is abuzz at today’s release of Go Set a Watchman, the sort-of sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird, one of the most beloved novels of all time. Even we genre fans must pause to reflect a moment: we probably all read Harper Lee’s novel in school at some point, and its portrait of the American South in the 1930s is unforgettable.
But, there also aren’t any aliens or robots in it, and never, NOT ONCE, does Atticus Finch brandish a ray gun, so the book loses some points in the “classic” status through glaring omissions. I guess there’s nothing more to say about the universe of To Kill a Mockingbird, since it’s so clearly not science fictional, and that’s all we talk about on this particular blog. But wait! There’s Scout Finch! Harper Lee’s young protagonist is freaking iconic, and her archetype—headstrong, stalwart, and true—pops up all over the place in sci-fi and fantasy narratives. Here, in no particular order, are six Scout Finches of SF/F.
Newt (Aliens)
The last survivor of a xenomorph attack, Newt is the Scout to Ripley’s Atticus Finch. True, rather than give stirring court room speeches like Atticus, Ripley has to use a flamethrower and a machine gun to destroy a giant Alien Queen, but otherwise, it totally follows. While it would be nice to add that there’s a Boo Radley analog in the Alien universe too, the fact of the matter is, there just isn’t.
Primrose Everdeen (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay)
Katniss might seem the obvious choice as the Scout of District 12, but she’s far too cynical even at the start of the first novel to truly attain Scout Finch status.No, it’s fairly obvious Prim is the Scout of this particular dystopia: she’s braver than she lets on, innocent enough to be optimistic, and her quiet tenderheartedness is truly inspiring.
Meg Murray (A Wrinkle in Time, et al.)
Though a little older than the other Scouts on this list, Meg Murray is nonetheless the quintessential science fiction/time travel protagonist. Her complete and utter faith in people not only helps her rescue her brother Charles Wallace from the dark clutches of IT, but also leads her across space and time to her missing family. (Artwork from the excellent graphic novel adaptation.)
Alice (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass)
Headstrong and with a question for literally everything, Alice is in many ways the standard for a young girl going on an adventure. While she might not have any Boo Radleys to contend with, she does face a host of other characters just as freaky and, occasionally, not as kind. We can’t be sure if Scout would have been brave enough eat and drink the shrinking cakes and enlarging potions Alice consumed, but she certainly would have had the same indignant reaction to that bogus tea party.
Arya Stark (Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire)
Arya’s close bond with her dad, Ned, recalls something of an Atticus/Scout relationship right off the bat. True, Scout never had to adopt male dress to get by in a brutal world where murder and torture are the norm. However, if we think about Westoros as an analog to the American South of the 1930s, maybe it’s not too far off? Either way, it’s hard to believe that Arya would exist without Scout’s literary precedent.
Hermione Granger (Harry Potter series)
You knew this was coming. Combining bravery, smarts, and a strict no bullshit policy, Herminone Granger is what Scout would become if she were a little older, a little more British, and proficient at magic. Herminone’s championing of marginalized people (free the elves!) also gives her massive Scout points. We can’t prove that J.K. Rowling was channeling Harper Lee when she conceived of Herminone, but we’re going to go ahead and say we’re 99 percent sure there’s a direct connection.
Who are your favorite sci-fi Scouts? Are you reading Go Set a Watchman?