Scout does not explicitly say or think that she will change her behavior when in different company, but she does learn to do just that. Scout seems to evolve into that way of thinking throughout the book. At first, she learns that she must wear different clothing at different times. For example, she learns that she must wear a dress to school, but she is allowed to wear pants with family and at home. If Atticus would have forced her to wear a dress at all times, then she may have gotten the message to be a little lady earlier. This fact is exactly where Aunt Alexandra disagrees with Atticus. Aunt Alexandra believes that Scout would behave more like a little girl if she were forced to wear dresses all of the time rather than allowed to wear pants at home. One discussion about clothing and behavior takes place at Christmas time as in the following passage:
"Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn't supposed to be doing things that required pants. . . furthermore, I should be a ray of sunshine in my father's lonely life. I suggested that one could be a ray of sunshine in pants just as well, but Aunty said that one had to behave like a sunbeam, that I was born good but had grown progressively worse every year" (81).
This passage shows that Aunt Alexandra believes that Scout's behavior is associated mostly with her way of dress. She doesn't necessarily argue with Scout that she couldn't be a ray of sunshine in pants, but avidly points out that her behavior must change. It's almost as if Alexandra agrees that it's not all about the pants, but that's the place to start. Scout also demonstrates the fact that she does not want to change her pants for a dress, but she does start to think about her behavior more after this point.
The biggest revelation for Scout as far as behavior around different company is concerned, however, is expressed when she is at a missionary tea party with Aunt Alexandra, Miss Maudie and other women of the community. The boys are out playing so Scout puts on a dress and joins the women. It is here that she practices being a lady by watching and learning from the other women. This is also the scene when Atticus comes home to get Calpurnia to go tell Helen that Tom Robinson had died. Alexandra almost breaks down with anxiety and Scout can't stop shaking. It is Miss Maudie who snaps both of them back into proper behavior so they can properly face their company. Scout learns that she must pull herself together when in social situations and go on with dignity, no matter what. Scout says something profound about her behavior at this point, as follows:
"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).
This has got to be the turning point when Scout understands that she can behave like a lady when she's with formal company and then go play with the boys outside. She's seen her father demonstrate dignity in front of different types of people in the community; she's seen Maudie and Alexandra pull it together for dignity's sake; and she is learning about how she wants to behave when different situations call for different behavior.
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