In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mocking Bird, the character of Jem goes through an interesting transition throughout the narrative.To Kill a Mocking Bird is all about growing up and how children change and mature. Albert Schweitzer once said, "Example is not the main thing influencing others. It's the only thing". Jem desperately wants to emulate his father, Atticus, especially his father's braveness. Jem grows up through how he views bravery. Scout says about Jem that, "Jem was born a hero" ( 21). When readers first meet Jem, he thinks being a "daredevil" is bravery. However, by the end of the novel, it is clear that Jem's view of bravery has developed for the better. Jem's opinions and acts of bravery throughout the novel change and grow as the …show more content…
novel progresses, and, eventually, allow him to represent himself as an upstanding brother and son. In the beginning of the novel, Jem has a very immature view of bravery. He is boastful, brags about his experience, and only commits these "brave acts", most likely, for attention. Boo Radley is one of the best ways for Jem to show off his "bravery". Jem and Scout were once told Boo watches them at night and they didn't want to become the next victim. Jem dare devil side of him comes out when passing by Boo Radley house. Scout says, "Jem seemed to have little fear of Boo Radley now that Walter and I walked beside him. Indeed, Jem grew boastful: "i went all the way up to the house once," he said to Walter" (18).This quote highlights Jem's initial attitude towards bravery. He wants to be brave, like his Father Atticus, who scout says ."I thought my father...was the bravest man who ever lived". However, it is clear he has a very immature view of bravery. He is "boastful" and brags about being brave. Jem's daredevil attitude is continually highlighted by Scout, as well as his actions in the beginning of the novel. Scout, once again, acknowledges this attitude towards a false kind of bravery by saying "In all his life, Jem had never declined a dare" (14).Scout's marker of bravery is Jem's refusal to decline a dare. This, perhaps, highlights Jem's false and attention seeking "bravery". Scout thinks Jem is exciting because he is a daredevil, but, as we know through Atticus' quiet and profound bravery, being a daredevil is not really being brave. Jem's childish behavior are continuous throughout the beginning of the book, clearing showing that his perception of bravery is not of true courage but of daredevil acts. Jem, at the beginning of his weeks of reading to Mrs. Dubose, continues to keep up the facade of bravery, despite the scary description of Mrs. Dubose and her house. However, at the end, though he does not act phased by her death it is clear his ideas of bravery are changing. After losing his temper and ruining Mrs. Dubose beautiful garden, his father makes him go read to Mrs. Dubose. At the start we see his childish beliefs but as time goes on we see him using real courage. Jem works to keep up the facade of bravery when Atticus asks him, "Did she frighten you? asked Atticus. "No sir," said Jem," (90). Jem, it is clear, still feels the need to put on the facade of bravery. He says he was not frightened, though Scout admits she was scared. Jem was most likely also scared, or at least nervous, as evidenced by his disdain of having to do the readings in the first place. However, he believes that appearing unphased and unafraid somehow Lowy 2 contributes to his bravery. Even though it is clear that being honest about your emotions is a large factory of bravery, evidenced through Atticus' kindness and compassion. When informed about Mrs. Dubose's death, Jem, at first, acts very unphased by the event. However, Jem acts differently than the uncaring, unemotional facade he puts on, "Jem picked up the candy box and threw it in the fire. He picked up the camellia, and when I went off to bed I saw him fingering the wide petals. (93). The end of the chapter that fouces on Mrs. Dubose, we learn about her death. Jem, similarly to his denial of being frightened, acts unphased by her death. He even throws the old candy box into the fire. However, he keeps and the beautiful flower and takes it up to bed with him. This may be Jem's personal way of grieving for Mrs. Dubose. Though it may not be the same kind of "daredevil" bravery as previously mentioned, it is clear Jem's ideas of bravery are being to develop. He realizes he has done a brave, though seeming ly harmless act, by caring and reading to the "scary" Mrs. Dubose. Her death complicates his feelings about himself and how he views bravery. Mrs Dubose's death moves Jem and makes him more receptive to his emotions and the others around him, and, perhaps even seeing that emotions can and should be part of being brave. Jem continues to development, and as readers reach the ending chapters, it is clear a change has occurred,or, at least, begun to occur. In the courtroom scene, Jem finally begins to mature and attain the kind of Atticuslike bravery he has always set out to acquire. This is evidenced by his strong, willing demeanor to protect his family and Atticus' precious approval. After Jem sees how Atticus acts with both compassion and bravery, Jem starts to see that courage is more about emotion mixed with courage, Lowy 3 rather than suppression of emotion.
At the court, Atticus order Jem to go home, but Jem has something else in mind. Atticus says, Go home, Jem,” he said. “Take Scout and Dill home.” We were accustomed to prompt, if not always cheerful acquiescence to Atticus’s instructions, but from the way he stood Jem was not thinking of budging" (128). In this scene, Jem stands up to his father. This, in and of itself, is a brave act. However, unlike earlier in the novel, Jem is not boastful or bragging about this. Instead, he "was not thinking about budging". The argument continues, and Jem remains steadfast. He denies Atticus, not because he is a daredevil, but because Jem is bravely protecting his family. He attains the Atticuslike bravery through this ultimate act: bravery for his family. Unlike before, this isn't selfcentered bravery, or uncaring bravery. It is bravery that helps others. Scout is extremely surprised at her brother's reaction to her father, and even more surprised with her father's reaction, "Atticus and Jem were well ahead of us, and I assumed that Atticus was giving him hell for not going home, but I was wrong. As they passed under a streetlight, Atticus reached out and massaged Jem’s hair, his one gesture of affection (130). To further reinforce Jem's transition to Atticusapproved bravery, Atticus "reached out and massaged Jem's hair, his one gesture of affection". Atticus has understand that Jem standing up to him must have been scary for Jem. However, Atticus highlights the fact that Jem has excericsed bravery correctly and selflessly this time, in order to protect his family. Thoughout the trial readers can Jem's mastery and understanding of true, Atticuslike
bravery. Part of growing up is understanding the true mean of certain values, Harper Lee highlights this very efficiently through Jem's evolution of what it means to be brave. In Lowy 4 the beginning Jem has a dare devil sense of courage. Slowly, through the death of Mrs. Dubose, he begins to understand that emotions are part of showing courage. Finally, after the trial Jem fully understands that emotions and bravery are a combination to courage. This evolution also speaks to the readers of To Kill a Mockingbird. Highlighting Jem's evolution of bravery shows that bravery isn't macho or based on daredevillike acts, rather, it is based on intelligence, compassion, and courage. Harper Lee breaks down incorrect and possibly harmful stereotypes about bravery through Jem's own evolution and understanding of bravery.Overall, Jem Finch's growth in what it means to be brave allows readers to break stereotypes about what bravery is and understand what true bravery consists of.
Jem's definition of bravery changes as he grows up; he gains insight and experience of the world around him. At the beginning of the story, Jem only thought of bravery as touching the side of the Radley house, only because "in all his life, [he] had never declined a dare. (pg 13)" However, as the story continues, Jem learns about courage from several events. Upon hearing about a trial where a black person's been prosecuted, Atticus decides, as a lawyer, to defend that person. Atticus chose to defend Tom Robinson, an African American, because it's the right thing to do, and no one else wanted to ,or had the bravery to. "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win, (pg 76)" he said to Scout and Jem when Scout asked. Atticus was courageous for doing something just, even though it's not encouraged. Jem also learns a different kind of courage after learning about Mrs. Dubose's fight with a morphine addiction. Jem and Scout disliked Mrs. Dubose because she was quite a mean person. Later, they were glad they didn't have to read to her anymore. Atticus told Jem that Mrs. Dubose simply had her own views on things, and that her fits were from her addiction. Atticus made Jem read to her and explained, "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 It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway According to [Mrs. Dubose's] views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew. (pg 112)" This is similar to Atticus's choice to defend Tom.
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
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.
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.
Jem and Scout encounter courage many times on their journey to adulthood. Courage is often defined as a quality that people have that allows them to face danger with bravery. Jem understands courage a little earlier than Scout. In chapter 11, Mrs. Dubose says some hateful words about Atticus, which leads Jem to smashing her flowers. As a punishment Jem had to read to her every day after school for two hours. A conversation between Atticus and Jem shows how he felt about...
"Courage isn't an absence of fear. It's doing what you are afraid to do. It's having the power to let go of the familiar and forge ahead into new territory." ~John Maxwell. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout (Jean Louise Finch), Jem (Jeremy Atticus Finch), and Atticus Finch display acts of valor that contribute, and in some cases encourage their rectitude. Harper Lee demonstrates that acting courageously can lead to an improved, sustained, or newly developed personal integrity.
Throughout the novel Atticus, Boo and Jem demonstrate, through actions, the important theme that everyone is brave in their own way. Atticus Finch shows through his actions that bravery can show up in many different ways. Although he lives in Alabama, surrounded by racists, Atticus shows extreme bravery in the way he defends Tom Robinson. Not only does Atticus defend Tom Robinson’s case in the courtroom, he also pours his heart and soul into protecting Robinson and his whole family from the angry mobs of Maycomb. When Atticus explains to Scout and Jem, “I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again,” he models bravery and the importance of doing the right thing even under the most difficult circumstances (Lee 75).
He also starts to think more about whats right instead of thinking what others will think about his decision. For ex amble when Dill is hiding under Scout‘s bed he calls in Atticus much to his friends dismay. Jem again shows maturity when Scout is beating Walter Cunningham and Jem stops it because he know that the Cunninghams don‘t have money and therefore he cant help it that he doesn‘t have lunchmoney. Jem understands that instead of fighting him they should treat him with respect and he asks Walter to come have lunch at their house.
On several occasions, Scout gets into a fight with people who make unpleasant comments about her father. Atticus continuously tells her that this is wrong and that she needs to learn to control her anger, “You might hear some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ‘em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change” (Lee 101). The day after this discussion with Atticus, Scout is approached by a fellow student who had previously made a mean comment about her father. “I drew a bead on him, remembered what Atticus had said, then dropped my fists and walked away...it was the first time I ever walked away from a fight” (Lee 102). Although she struggles at first, Scout develops a higher level of maturity which allows her to control her temper and simply defend her father with her words, without being rude. Jem is also faced with these type of situations and struggles with his anger, for instance when he attacks Mrs. Dubose’s flowers. Atticus goes to great lengths to teach his children that in life, they must learn to stay calm and be kind to everyone, despite how cruel those people may be. Scout and Jem face several situations in which their control is tested, which leads them to “come 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.
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.
...n you know that you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway…She died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew” (149). This description of Mrs. Dubose’s bravery served as a sharp contrast to Jem’s view of courage. He saw it as the sheer defiance of fear and the strength to overcome every obstacle. Atticus’ description provided a new, more realistic assessment of bravery. Witnessing the immense will and courage of Mrs. Dubose inspired a complete change in Jem’s attitude about courage. At the beginning of the story, Jem believed the courage was merely the absence of fear. At the conclusion of Part One, however, he gained a new perspective on bravery, identifying it as the ability to endure in the face of inevitable failure. In discovering this fact, Jem not only gained a new attitude towards bravery, but also grew as a character.
To begin with, Jem and Scout determine that courage means doing what is right, even if it involves life threatening risks. In chapter eleven, Jem Finch, has ruined the patches of Mrs. Dubose’s lovely camellias. As soon as Atticus has heard of Jem’s little act of rebellion, he gives Mrs. Dubose the opportunity of deciding Jem’s punishment. Specifically, she establishes that Jem shall read to her every day after school. After Jem has finished his retribution, Atticus informs him of Mrs. Dubose’s death. As a result, Atticus speaks of Mrs. Dubose’s bravery. Jem starts to ask his father why he thinks this of Mrs. Dubose. Atticus replies, “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. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do” (Lee 112). Accordingly, Atticus is trying to show that heroism comes from the people who do what their gut says is right, because that is courage. Mrs. Dubose wanted to die a pure woman instead of someone who had an addiction, which she successfully succeeded in. Another example of courage comes from when Atticus ta...
In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee tells the story of coming-of-age and the loss of innocence through the character Jem. Through recurring events, Jem is faced with the realization of society’s injustice, and is left questioning the world he lives in. During a time of rampant racial discrimination and prejudice in the south, Jem transforms from naivety to maturity.
Jem is confronted with a situation just like this. When Jem, Dill, and Scout try sending a note to Boo Radley, Arthur Radley sees them and mistakes them for an African American and tries to shoot them. In the process of Jem, Dill, and Scout running away, Jem loses his pants when they get caught on the fence in the Radley’s yard. When Atticus asks Jem where his pants are, Dill covers him by lying to Atticus, saying that he won the pants from Jem playing strip poker with matches. While Jem is in bed he decides that he is going to take a perilous journey and try to retrieve his pants. He tells Scout why when she asks and he tells her, “I--It’s like this, Scout” he muttered. “Atticus ain’t ever whipped me since I can remember. I wanta keep it that way,” (75). In other words, he hasn’t been severely punished by Atticus for a very long time and he doesn’t want to be punished now. Jem’s apparent courage is actually just cowardly self-protection. Jem thinks that courage is the image that people have of you. He thinks that your reputation is really what you need to work on to steer clear of any bad marks. But it is actually the ability to own up to your mistakes and take ownership for the wrong that you have done. Atticus would like for Jem to see that courage is not about making no mistakes. It is not about preserving a perfect image of yourself. Courage is the