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Kill a mockingbird by harper lee critical analysis
Kill a mockingbird by harper lee critical analysis
How was jem finch changed throughout the story
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In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem Finch is a major character that has heavily changed throughout the novel. Jem Finch has become more responsible, brave, and sensitive due to the series of events he experienced. Atticus Finch taught him what true bravery is. Losing his mother made him more independent and sensitive. Reading to Mrs.Dubose made him more responsible and aware. Thus, Jem has matured dramatically since the beginning of the story. To begin with, Jem displayed multiple acts of bravery throughout the story. For instance, Jem touching the Radley house. Jem is brave for touching the side of the Radley house because firstly it was a dare from Dill and because at the time they thought Boo was some creepy man that was extremely …show more content…
In the story, he shows many acts of him being responsible For example: when Scout was beating up Walter, Jem came to stop Scout and explained to her that Walter didn’t have any food and after looking at his condition and his clothes Jem said “Come on home to dinner with us Walter. We’d be glad to have you”(Lee,30). This relates to him being responsible and mature because he stopped Scout from hurting Walter more than she already did and because he knew that Walter didn’t have lunch and Walter was dirty so he invited Walter over for dinner. Another reason Jem is responsible is because he cares about his father's opinion of him and would rather do something dangerous than have his father be disappointed in him. For instance: When Jem lost his pants he didn’t tell Atticus that he lost it over at the Radley house instead he decides to sneak out at night to get them but before he goes Scout tries to convince Jem that if he goes he’ll get shot by Mr.Radley then Jem replies “Atticus ain’t ever whipped me since I can remember. I wanna keep it that way”(Lee,75). This shows how much he cares about his father's opinion of him not because he would get whipped but that Atticus would be disappointed in him. Though him caring about his father’s opinion makes him responsible but also shows how immature, crazy, and mindless he is for going to the Radley house to get his pants even though he knew that if he were to get caught by Mr.Radley he would’ve been …show more content…
He shows his sensitiveness when thinking about his mother's death. Scout also stated, “He remembered her clearly, and sometimes in the middle of a game he would sigh at length, then go off and play by himself behind the car house”(Lee,7). Another moment of Jem being sensitive is when he finds out the tree that Boo sends him and Scout gifts in was filled with cement and when Jem finds out he mutters to Scout “Don’t you cry now, now Scout… don’t cry now, don’t you worry”(Lee,83). Jem becomes sensitive during this moment because he lost his way of contacting Boo which meant a lot to him. Lastly, Jem becomes sensitive when Tom Robinson gets declared guilty. He becomes sensitive because he knows that Tom didn’t do what he was declared guilty of and because Tom wasn’t treated fairly. To end off with Jem is sensitive and becomes sensitive when he loses something or someone he cares about and when he notices
In the beginning of the story, Jem enjoys the childish games of fantasizing about Boo Radley, taking any dare, and . Scout tells the reader that Jem becomes more and more moody as the story progresses, due to his aging. He thinks more; he shows more compassion; and he is appalled by the unfairness that rears its ugly head in his hometown. While Scout recounts the events of her childhood, the reader fails to notice that “To Kill a Mockingbird” is not a story about the narrator (Scout) maturing, it is actually about Jem maturing, and becoming an adult.
Jem Finch has come a long way since his humble beginnings as a naive ten year old child. He has come to understand the real meaning of courage, gone from playmate to protector for his sister and has grown enough to understand the workings of the real world, and see the negatives and positives of society. His maturity has been quick and the changes great, and over the years he has come to adhere, respect and carry out Atticus`s legacy and use his father`s ideals to shape his lifestyle. Due to the course of events, his adolescent changes and Atticus`s influence, Jem has matured from a reckless child into a young man capable of making his own decisions.
The characters in To Kill A Mockingbird change a lot throughout the book.Some changed for good and others for bad but in my opinion jem has changed the most. Jem has changed the most in this book because he becomes more mature and starts seeing boo radley for who he really is.
Jem is a complex character who changes a great deal in the novel. He begins the novel as a boy and ends as an adult. People show bravery in many ways, both typical and atypical. Atticus, Boo and Jem all showed important examples of bravery. Atticus models bravery for his children in the determined way he defends Tom Robinson.
To Kill A Mockingbird The Maturing of Jem Finch Society is not as innocent to a child as it may appear to be. In fact, when one really understands the society in which he lives he is no longer a child. This is much the same case as found in To Kill A Mockingbird, by Leigh Harper. Although Jem, being a child at the beginning of the novel, is immature and unaware of the society in which he lives, he matures mentally to the point where he sees the evil in society and gains a knowledge of death. Like most children, at the beginning of To Kill A Mockingbird Jem and Scout are both young, play together, and have childhood monsters or fears like other children.
Jem Finch is a three-dimensional character with symbols of success, virtue and an adverse personality in To Kill a Mockingbird. For example, in the beginning of the book, Jem was aggravated by the then taunting Dill Harris (a young visitor to Maycomb) so that Jem would touch the house of Radley. By touching the Radley house, he proved that he was not afraid and could take on any challenge. When such predicaments come Jem's way he will usually be able to make the best of them successfully. In addition, Jem will lash out in complete contempt for a wrong against his moral conscience, such as Mrs. Dubose slinging blasphemy at Jem's father. A good character must have a sense of morality to defend what is believed to be right, and Jem has this emblematic realism. But, a life-like character must have their weaknesses; and he displayed that on account of Mrs. Dubose's harsh words.
5. On page 52, Scout states “Jem was a born hero.” Scout thinks this because, in her eyes, Jem’s ability to create a complete, full-fledged story of the Radley family (which is based upon the bits of gossip they have pieced together over time, including segments that originate from Jem 's own imagination.) is rather incredible. He also confronts Atticus, and lies to him about the Boo Radley game, in order to protect Dill and Scout.
Throughout the story, Jem shows sign of growing maturity. In the previous chapters, he was a childish boy who liked adventures and seeked to satisfy his curiosity about Boo Radley's reclusiveness. Jem’s childish side was presented when he and Scout built a snowman and sent a note to Boo Radley. It was only when Dill left, Jem began growing up. Dill was a symbol of childhood to the Finch’s family as he led them to childish plays in the summer. When he left, Jem began wanting to meet his father’s standards of growing up. A major scene that appeared to demonstrate Jem’s sense of responsibility was when he told on Dill to Atticus. After the siblings fought not to antagonize Aunt Alexandra, they found Dill hidden under Scout’s bed. Scout and Jem
Jem has been doing a good job of protecting Jem from Mr. Ewell and other dangers but when they were chatting Jem really showed how much he cared about Scout’s feelings. After Mr. Ewell kept bragging about winning the trial against Tom Robinson. “Jem told me to not be afraid, Mr. Ewell was more hot gas than anything” (Lee 241). Scout was told by Jem to basically not fear Mr. Ewell. Even though Mr. Ewell told Atticus that he would get Atticus. Jem seemed pretty nice to start but something has changed within him. Jem told Scout not to fear Mr. Ewell but there is something else that Jem told Scout. “Jem also told me that if I breathed a word to Atticus, if in any way let Atticus know I knew, Jem would personally never speak to me again” (Lee 241). Jem told Scout not to tell Atticus that she knew about what Mr. Ewell said about there being one down and about two more to go.. Jem was very confusing at this time because he went from being kind to Scout and telling her not to fear. Then he basically turned to the dark side and said if Scout knew about what Mr. Ewell said, Jem would never speak to Scout
Jem displays values like compassion and tolerance by believing that all men are created equal no matter which race, religion, or attitude they have. He shows this when he hears the verdict of Tom Robinson's trial. 'It was Jem's turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. 'It ain't right,' he muttered, all the way to the corner of the square where we found Atticus'; (212). This is the first time he realizes that there was injustice in the world. He slowly matures and begins to understand that there are such thing as prejudice and racism.
Jem Finch demonstrates growing maturity throughout the novel. After Tom Robinson’s trial, Scout reveals Jem’s feelings. “It was Jem’s turn to cry.” Scout uncovers, “His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd,” (TKAM 284). Jem understands the trial is not fair because of race. He is mature enough to realize this while Scout is not. Another example of Jem’s maturity is exemplified when he is fulfilling his obligation to read to Mrs. Dubose. Scout describes, “ ‘So you brought that dirty little sister of yours did you?’ was her greeting… ‘My sister ain’t dirty and I ain’t scared of you’, although I noticed his knees shaking,” (TKAM 141). Rather than Jem replying to Mrs. Dubose with an insult, he dismisses her comment. Furthermore, this showcases his patience and tolerance, which comes with maturity. Finally, Jem validates his maturity when the Finch children find Dill under Scout’s bed. “You oughta let your mother know where you are.” announced Jem, “You oughta let her know you are here…”(TKAM 187). At this point Jem knows the right way to handle this situation is to let an adult know where Dill is. Even though Scout believes she can keep him under her bed forever, Jem recognizes the reality. When Jem’s maturity is put to the test he demonstrates good judgment and decision-making.
When children grow up, they face difficult problems, and. they learn to cope and take responsibility. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a flashback about two kids that spans over a few years. Jem ages from ten to thirteen over the course of the novel, and undergoes much change, as his sister describes him. Over the years, he is exposed to issues adults face, and eventually shows an understanding of racism and innocence. As Jem grows up, his view on courage also changes. Jem follows his father's footsteps, and gets much of his knowledge from him.
In the every beginning of Lee 's book we notice that Jem is young and immature and his ways. Over the course of events we see Jem grow up and slowly becoming a man. Jem believes that a real man is one who knows how to shoot a gun and over rule their peers. We see Jem change in what he believes a man is by the interactions with people in the conflicts he faces. Jem Finch is a main charactor but also a dynamic charactor because of his coming-of-age change.
Jem shows that he is growing up in many different ways. For example, he shows this when he goes back to the Radley house to retrieve his pants. “Atticus ain’t ever whipped me since I can remember. I wanta keep it that way.” (Jem 75) The fact that Jem went back to get his pants was a brave decision. This quote shows that he is maturing because he didn’t want Atticus to whip him, but not because he was afraid, because he didn’t want Atticus to go through the pain of having to whip his child. A quote that describes Jem at the moment is "We have not passed that subtle line between childhood and adulthood until we move from the passive voice to the active voice--that is, until we have stopped saying 'It got lost,' and say, 'I lost it.'"(Sydney J. Harris). In addition to Jem’s developing characteristics, he acquired a load of wisdom. Jem shows a loss of innocence, after his perfect view of the world is shattered right in front of his eyes. For example, “I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, at least that’s what they seemed like.”(Jem 288) This is important because Jem realizes that Maycomb folks aren’t that great. This also shows that he saw the prejudice in the people, and how racist they were to African Americans. As Jem matures and starts developing a new eye for the world, he slowly starts to lose his childhood innocence and is exposed to the wrong doings of the
Jem is changing throughout the novel. This is evident when Jem’s perception of folks in the town of Maycomb changes.Jem’s perspective causes him to look at Maycomb differently than everyone else in Maycomb. He look at this like an adult. This is evident when Jem is speaking to Scout about the different kinds of folks in the town of Maycomb. “You known something Scout? I’ve got it all figureto d out, now, I’ve thought about it a lot lately and I’ve got it all figured out. There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbours. There’s the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the n….. What about