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Learning to do the right thing, does not come easy for children. This especially is difficult to show your friends and siblings, what to do and not to do. This lesson does not come easy for Jem, but he learns how to have courage in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Throughout the novel, Jem transforms from a very childish young kid to a very mature young adult due to learning the lesson of real courage. At the beginning of the novel, Jem seems to be a childish young kid. Jem appears this way to the reader and the adults in the novel. Jem displays this trait when Atticus says “Don’t go near the Radley gate” (55). Through this quote, it is clear that Atticus does not want Jem near the Radley house. He doesn’t want Jem to get in trouble …show more content…
He learns this when he first found out that Atticus is in a court trial, defending a black man named Tom Robinson. Jem most clearly learns this when Atticus says “I’m defending a black man in trial named Tom Robinson” (133). From this experience, Jem is able to realize that his family is going to go through some tough times, with all of the trials going on. He realizes that he needs to step up and learn what real courage is to get through these tough times. By the end of the novel, it is clear that Jem matured from learning what real courage was. He shows real courage at the end by trying to save Scout, his sister, from getting strangled by Bob Ewell. Even though, Jem probably couldn’t stop Bob from attacking his sister, he tried his hardest to save her. He even tried to fight Bob when “there came a dull crunching sound and Jem screamed” (222). While he tried to save Scout, Bob broke his arm. This comes to show that Jem learned what real courage is and isn’t. Although Jem initially was very childish, the events of the story caused him to have a change of attitude as he matured; by the end of the novel, he is a much matured young adult. This development would not have been possible without Bob Ewell trying to attack Jem and Scout or the Tom Robinson court case. Because Jem learns this lesson, it is clear that Harper Lee intended for her audience to understand what real courage is all
Jem’s perception of bravery has changed throughout the course of the book. His maturity is a result of Atticus’s actions around him. At the beginning of the book, Jem is dared by his neighbour Dill to touch the door of the Radley’s; the Radley house symbolizes fear in the minds of the children. Jem does so thinking the act is courageous while Scout remarks, “In all his life, Jem had never declined a dare.” This shows that like most children, Jem is often more idealistic than realistic. His reactions are instinctive and often unplanned and reckless.
One of the ways Jem changes is by becoming more mature.Jem proves that he is maturing when the kids find Dill under Scout's bed and the first thing Jem says is “let your mother know where you are" and tells Atticus that he was there.This shows that Jem is starting to think like an adult and didn't care about breaking “the remaining code of childhood”. Even though it would mean Scout and Dill getting mad at him he still did it because he knew it was the mature thing to do.This shows that Jem cares more about doing the right, mature thing and less about having Scout and Dill mad at him.
In the beginning of the book Jem is ten. He is innocent and is kind of oblivious to what is happening in the town. In the book Jem represents courage and how that courage is represented changes the older he gets. In the beginning Jem‘s courage is shown when is dared to touch the Radley house, he does that because he never backs down from a dare. That is the Jem‘s and the kids idea of courage. As the story continues Jem sees how courage is not the naive idea of touching the Radely house. He sees Atticus shot a mad dog and Mrs. Dubose fight with morphine addiction. Jem is made to read to her and when he asks why Atticus says: “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand.“
During the case, Atticus made a convincing argument proving that Tom Robinson was not, in fact, guilty. With the evidence and connections, Atticus managed to prove that it was not Tom Robinson, who was guilty of raping Mayella Ewell, but it was actually her father, Robert Ewell, who beat her and presumably raped her. While he was watching his father work in this court case, Jem was confident in his father’s abilities. Jem thought that Atticus would surely be able to prove that Tom was not guilty. “Jem seemed to be having a quiet fit. He was pounding on the balcony rail softly, and once he whispered, ‘We’ve got him’ (Lee 202)” this is a sample of Jem’s behavior during the case. “Jem whispered, ‘…we’re gonna win, Scout. I don’t see how we can’t…’ (Lee 230)” Jem’s confidence that justice would be rightly served built up his excitement and joy, only to have his hopes completely demolished when the verdict was
When people grow up they understand more of what the world is like, lose innocence, and become responsible for themselves. Most people go through life feeling like everything is getting harder as they grow up. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, there is a character who demonstrates those feelings of turning mature, that character is Jeremy “Jem” Finch, the brother of Jean Louise “Scout” Finch. Jem becomes moody and more morose as the novel progresses, this is due to him learning about how life can be unfair as he learns about prejudice and racism during the novel. The theme of To Kill a Mockingbird is demonstrated by Jem’s development that shows when individuals mature, they gain knowledge, but lose happiness in life.
Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem has been maturing in many ways. Towards the beginning of the book he was much less caring about the things that went on in the adult world. But after his father does something he doesn’t seem to be proud of, instead of pushing, “Jem said ’I reckon if he’d wanted us to know it, he’da told us. If he was proud of it, he’da told us.’” (To Kill A Mockingbird page 130). Rather than rebelling against his father, even if he wanted to know the truth, Jem protects himself by letting an unnecessary matter drop out of relevancy. The trait he displayed here is one that his
Harper Lee, like Houssaini is able to make a character, in this case Jem, go on a quest in order to figure out an underlying connection between himself and the father figure that is either absent or hard to appreciate in Jem’s case.. In the beginning of the book, Jem does not understand why his father is defending Tom Robinson or why his father will not defend himself against his detractors. But throughout his journey that summer through his own activities and through watching his father in the courtroom, Jem comes to appreciate his father’s values and comes to see himself as more like his father. As he says, “Atticus is a gentleman, just like me!” (Lee, p.
“Maturity is the ability to think, speak and act your feelings within the bounds of dignity. The measure of your maturity is how spiritual you become during the midst of your frustrations”(Cowley). Coming of age and maturing is a long and confusing pathway that we all go through, it is full of stress and discoveries of ourselves. Jeremy Atticus Finch is a young boy going through this process beginning to make decisions in which his growth can be see through his younger sister, Scout's perspective. There are many quotes that give an insight into Jem's character and his personality. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem exhibits the traits of bravery,curiosity, innocence, and protectiveness helping reveal the theme of good and evils coexistence.
... Jem become more intuitive and gain insight into how to develop into more mature people. Jem and Scout gain exposure to the adult world and lose innocence through the Tom Robinson trial. In today’s society, as in To Kill a Mockingbird, children are often exposed to the adult world at an early age. Today, children are swimming in an endless stream of media, whether it is the 24 hour news cycle, or social networking, or conversing with friends. In today’s world, any child could walk into a room with a television and hear about murder or rape, unspeakable crimes. In the 1930’s it would be much harder for a child to hear about events the way we do today. Gaining maturity at a young age can either work out to be a positive influence in a child’s life or, it can be detrimental to them.
Is it possible to shed innocence without losing hope? In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a 10-year-old boy named Jem proves that it just may be so. Throughout the novel, Jem, the brother of Scout, is trying to comprehend in his own mind the darker aspects of human nature. Within the small Southern town he lives in, Jem battles with racism, justice, bravery. It is not until the end of the novel does Jem better understand the world, and is one step closer to becoming a grown man.
Jem uses his newfound bravery in chapter 12, when he, along with Scout, or Jean Louise, and Dill intervene into what was going...
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.
Jem’s loss of innocence helps him understand why things are the way they are in Maycomb. This is evident when he is talking to Scout about the people of Maycomb and why they can't get along. “That’s what I thought, too, he said at last, when I was your age. 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 why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time… It’s because he wants to stay inside.” (Lee 304). In this quote we learn that Jem’s perception of the state of Maycomb has changed. As we can see from these quotes Jem is maturing and that has caused him to loss his
Jems naïve views are soon corrupted as he goes through experiences like with Boo Radley, but Jem manages to grow in strength as he sheds his pure qualities and learns to have hope. Jem and Scouts childhood friend Dill represents another killing of a mockingbird, as his innocence is destroyed during his trial experience. Scouts childish views dissipates as she witnesses different events in her life, and she grows in experience and maturity as she encounters racial prejudice, making her learn how to maintain her pure conscience that Atticus has developed without losing hope or becoming cynical. Harper Lee’s novel explores human morality, as she weaves the path from childhood to a more adult perspective, illustrating the evils in a corrupt world how to understand them without losing
He strongly believes in protecting his family and sticking up for his sister and father. He also believes that as the oldest child and as a boy, that he should support and protect his father in every way. Jem is seen as someone who strongly disagrees with injustice and discrimination as show when he states "I--it's like this, Scout," he muttered. "Atticus ain't ever whipped me since I can remember. I want to keep it that way". This shows the agreement between Jem and Atticus and how Jem looks up to his father and almost mimics his actions. Jem also finds it really important to show courage and bravery to prove himself to his friends and family. Scout states “Jem wanted Dill to know once and for all that he wasn't scared of anything”.