Examples Of Jem Coming Of Age In To Kill A Mockingbird

Jem’s Coming of Age

Age does not show maturity, it is what a person has learned throughout their life that truly shows how mature someone is. The novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, has many important themes. However, there is a theme that shows up throughout the entire book. The theme, coming of age shows through the characters, Scout and Jem. The story focuses on one main character throughout the novel to explain coming of age. Since Scout is the narrator in the story, some think the story of aging is about her. However the story is truly shown through Jem with his mature ideas about the people of Maycomb, and his plentiful acts of adulthood.

Scout is the narrator in the book which causes many people to believe the book is focused

on her life and how she grows up in the novel. They think because everything is seen through Scout’s eyes, the coming of age story can not be about Jem. They think that only Scout is showing the coming of age theme because it is easiest to see from the narrator’s perspective. However, this is incorrect, from what Scout sees, Jem shows the real coming of age story. Jem shows much maturity throughout, not because he is older, but because he grows as a person from the beginning of the story to the end. From the outset, Jem creates a childish persona, especially around because he plays with her, but she is younger than he is. As the story moves forward, acts less childish and tries to be more like his father Atticus. An example of Jem acting like this is when, Scout is late to her part in the pageant and Scout thought, “Jem was becoming almost as good as Atticus at making you feel right when things went wrong” (Lee 347). This quote powerfully shows the maturity Jem has gained because he acts as a father figure for Scout when no one else did. He tried to help Scout feel better after messing up, and Scout acknowledges this because it means a lot to her.
As Jem learns how to think like an adult throughout the novel, he grows a strong feeling for how people are treated in Maycomb.

This especially comes in to play after Tom Robinson’s trial is over, and he is tried guilty. Jem learns that Tom never had a chance and would have never been tried fairly, just because he was black. As the judge was saying guilty, Scout, “Peeked at Jem: his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each "guilty" was a separate stab between them” (Lee 282). The quote shows how much he cares that an innocent man is being cheated out of his life. After the trial, Jem became gloomy because he knew in his heart that Tom would have to die because he was unfairly tried. This shows coming of age because Jem never had thoughts about how the black community were poorly treated before. So now he is growing up and thinking for himself, instead of just listening to the racists in Maycomb. Jem later forms his ideas about the Ewell family and how they are trash people from his father when he explains that if a white man cheats a black man, the white man is trash. Jem also has the mindset of an adult when he tells Scout, “It’s time you started bein’ a girl and acting right!” (Lee 153). This quote explains that Jem learns what is expected from them. He thinks like the other adults that want Scout to act more like a girl. All of these examples show Jem has a real coming of age story throughout the

novel.
Jem matures a lot, and he does this while he is physically growing up.

That does not mean he is only maturing because of his age though. The ways Jem is seen treating Scout as he gets older, is noticeable that he is going through puberty. An example of this type of act from Jem is when he wants to stay in his room and have privacy. Scout thinks, “Jem was twelve. He was difficult to live with, inconsistent, moody. His appetite was appalling, and he told me so many times to stop pestering him” (Lee 153). This quote explains Jem is growing through puberty and this causes Jem to do more boy like things, like stay in his room and want to play football. Scout also notices that, “His eyebrows were becoming heavier, and I noticed a new slimness about his body. He was growing taller” (Lee 301). After scout sees this, Jem shows Scout his chest hair which is another sign of his physical body growing older. He also is showing Scout his chest hair because he is proud of it and that he is growing older. Because Jem is growing up he thinks differently too, and it changes how he acts. One act of Jem’s is that he defends his father's name. When Mrs. Dubose calls Atticus a n-word lover for defending Tom Robinson, Jem destroys her flowers. Later at the end of the story Jem becomes more brave when Bob Ewell attacked him and Scout. Jem is brave in this situation because when Bob is attacking Scout, Jem protects her and tries to stop Bob from hurting

her.
To summarize, To Kill A Mockingbird creates a coming of age story using the character Jem by his adulting acts and new ideas. It is not a story about Scout growing older, even though some believe that is true. It is easier to see the story of growing older through Scout because she is the narrator. Jem has plenty of evidence that proves he is really showing the theme. It is not just because Jem is physically growing older but because of the experiences he has, that he matures.