Death of Innocence

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At the beginning of both novels, To Kill a Mockingbird and Great Expectations, Jem, Pip and Scout are portrayed as innocents, uncorrupted by our world of racism, social class and prejudice. Their world is simple, sweet and childlike. But by the end of both novels their world has been changed completely, and their innocence has been replaced by the evilness of the human. The loss of innocence in these characters has been caused by prejudice of society and the evilness of humans that surround them.
At the beginning of To Kill a Mockingbird Jem is still a child, he even plays with Scout and Dill to the “Boo-Radley game”. However as the novel continues Jem began to change his actions and thoughts and becomes more mature. When Atticus tells Jem and Scout he is defending Tom Robinson in the trial, Jem understands he has to behave even if everyone disrespects Atticus. The trial arrives and in the courtroom scene, Atticus proves that Tom could not have put the bruises on Mayella’s face because his arm was withered in an accident when he was 8, and he is unable to hit anyone. Jem is up in th...

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