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What is the transition from childhood to adulthood
What is the transition from childhood to adulthood
The Transition from Childhood to Adulthood Essay
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The transition from childhood to adulthood is an occurrence that everyone experiences in life. As children are placed in more complex situations that require them to think with new perspectives, they learn lessons, and lose some of their innocence. Overtime, the experiences amalgamate and complete the transformation to adulthood, and the process by which the transition happens is depicted in To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. Although it is set in the late 1930’s, similarly to adolescents today, the characters are constantly adapting to new situations and becoming more mature. Children like Jem and Scout Finch grow from single-minded youngsters, to seasoned individuals that think with perspective, like their father. Through court-cases, …show more content…
He picked up the camellia, and when I went off to bed I saw him fingering the wide petals….” (149). Jem lose of innocence was reflected in his recognition that he hadn’t known of the awful struggle Mrs. Dubose faced with drug addiction. Jem had learned a powerful lesson that grown ups have their own flaws. He did not like that she had insulted his father, yet he realized he should have been kinder to her. His compassion for someone who had been sick but had also insulted his father was another way Jem transitioned from the simplicity of childhood to the complexity of adulthood. As Jem transitions into adulthood, he also learns to care less about what people think of him, and to do what he believes is right. After Atticus takes the family car downtown late at night, Jem and Scout are suspicious of their father’s activities. He never drove the car for short distances, only for business trips and other long drives. They follow him downtown to his office, along with their friend Dill, but find him sitting at the venerable Maycomb county jail. When a group of the town’s prejudice white males drives up in a line of cars, Atticus pleads with Jem to take the rest of the children home. Atticus doesn’t want Jem, Scout, and Dill to get caught in the altercation that is about to occur. Jem however, refuses to leave his father at the mercy of the men, some of whom he recognized like Mr. Ewell and Mr. Cunningham. One again Atticus pleads with Jem, but Jem still refuses to return
In addition to being a lawyer, Atticus enjoys being a father to Jem and Scout. When Jem and Scout found out that their father would be defending a black person, they knew immediately that there would be much controversy, humiliation from the people of Maycomb and great difficulty keeping Tom alive for the trial. It was not long when Atticus had to leave the house very late to go to jail, where Tom was kept because many white people wanted to kill him. Worrying about their father, Jem and Scout sneak out of the house to find him. A self-appointed lynch mob has gathered on the jail to take justice into their own hands. Scout decides to talk to Walter Cunningham, one of the members of the mob. She talks about how her father Atticus thought that "entailments are bad "(154 ) " and that his boy Walter is a real nice boy and tell him I said hey"(154). Upon hearing this, the mob realized that Atticus cannot be all bad if he has such a nice daughter as Scout. Atticus, with some unexpected help from his children, faces down the mob and cause them to break up the potential lynching of the man behind bars. Having gone to a black church earlier, the children found out that Tom is actually a kind person, church-going and a good husband and father to his children.
Over all, the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee have grown and matured throughout the whole novel. Boo’s maturity development is shown when he faces his fear of being with the outside world, Aunt Alexandra having some difficulties facing prejudice but, becoming more accepting of others, and Scout developing and learning lessons that she could apply to her everyday life. It shows that no matter whom the person is or what their troubles are, they all grow and mature in their own unique ways.
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.
In closing, throughout the novel, to kill a mockingbird, the children’s innocent perspective perceives and recognizes what the adults are unable to realize. Dill’s innocence prevented him from understanding the discrimination in Maycomb during Tom Robinson’s case. He was sensitive to the injustice in the court because he understood that people are not be treated in such a way. Jem’s innocence stopped him from comprehending how and why people convicted an innocent man. Jem wanted the people “The world was alive, the sky descending; our times were lullabies and sad goodbyes,” said Nicholaus Patnaude. In life when you are at the phase of childhood you are innocent, therefore making everything seem to be a fantasy and allowing ones imagination to be portrayed through lullabies. The only difficult part is the sad goodbyes. However as a child grows older, maturity takes its toll and loss of innocence takes place. “To Kill a Mockingbird” is a novel that presents innocence through the perspective of children, as the children have an innocent mentality that reveals what the adults don’t see. Dill, Jem and Scout Finch carry this trait; but throughout the novel the maturity of these characters is evident through many events. The loss of innocence of Jem Finch throughout the course of the novel is reflected in a positive way, as it creates a mature young adult. With the help of his father, Atticus, Jem learns what the true act of courage is. Racism, a profound topic in the novel helps Jem understand the difference between reality and fantasy. In addition, taking an insight on different perspectives also helps shape the new Jem by the end of the novel.
Jem’s view towards his father also changes when he risks being shot by Mr. Radley when he returns to collect his pants so that he can avoid the dishonor of having Atticus be disappointed in him. Towards the end of the novel, when Jem hears verdict of the Tom Robinson trial, the darkness of reality destroys whats left of his optimistic innocence. It dispels everything that he had previously held to be true, and Jem is unable to comprehend why people would harbor prejudices.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a well-known coming-of-age novel that showcases many characters that experience different life lessons, which develops the maturity within some characters. In the novel, there is a strong father and son relationship that deepens as the story progresses, showing how much a parent impacts their child’s development. Jem Finch is a prime example of how Atticus Finch’s ways of raising his children differ compared to most parents. Atticus guides both his children, Jem and Scout, throughout life but also trusts them enough to give them room to let them mature and grow into the person they chose to be. Harper Lee showcases the bond between Atticus and Jem by engraving certain stylistic writing techniques such
There are two types of innocence, the youthful innocence of a child and the innocence of those who are without sin. The end of a carefree childhood isn’t determined on age, but rather when the responsibilities, reality, and hard facts of life come crashing down on a child’s innocence. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, the children of Maycomb witness their racially unjust community. Scout, the narrator, and her brother Jem live in a town where corruption, racism, and social class are centered around. Their father, Atticus Finch, influences their views on these issues. He values teaching his children empathy, tolerance, courage, and equity. Although Atticus attempts to protect his children through morals, they are exposed to inhumaneness
Coming of Age is a series of events in a person's life in which they transition from a childlike view on the world to a deeper, matured perspective on society as a whole. Ultimately, coming of age not only impacts a person's perspective of how our world functions, but it also influences a person's actions and words.In Harper Lee's profound novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the aspects of loss of innocence are portrayed through the perspective of a young girl's thoughts and ideas.Scout and Jem Finch, two young children who live in the dull town of Maycomb, spend endless time with their friend, Dill Harris over the summers. As the children mainly use their time to spy on the Finch’s neighbor, Boo Radley, who they dehumanize to be a monster, their
Harper Lee’s renowned book To Kill a Mockingbird is highly praised for the lessons it teaches, it’s persuasive humor, and how it tells a story of growth. It is set in the small town of Maycomb Alabama in the 1930’s and tells the story of scout finch. Although the novel is mainly about Scout as she matures through childhood innocence, he brother, Jem, is still a driving factor in the story. Harper Lee uses the characterization of Jem to illustrate the difficulty of growing up in the way he struggles to make decisions, struggles to take responsibility, and struggles with injustice in the lives of those around him.
At the beginning of this story, Jem is a ten year old boy. He is quite similar to the typical ten year old in that he is like a sponge to his idols. Jem’s primary idol is his father, Atticus Finch, who tried to maintain a respectable ability to raise his children in order to teach them the way things are and why they are that way. Atticus’ parenting style allowed for the forming of ideas and beliefs based on fact and emotion instead of leaving one or the other out. This concept was slow to Jem as he grew up; it takes considerable care to try and notice the fundamental changes in Jem’s ideals as he ages, however, if looked upon with more scrutiny, it is noticeable that Jem starts this journey as a child and ends it with a strong path of maturity in front of him.
Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee the children of Atticus Finch, Scout and Jem, considerably mature. As Jem approaches puberty he changes as many events happen around him. Scout does not always understand things, but Jem is old enough to understand and recognize how serious the events and conversations around them are. Jem and Scout mature faster than the other children around them. As they grow up there are dramatic changes in the thinking and behaviors of the children in the crucial years of their childhoods, but these siblings have more to cope with than others, and they learn many life lessons from the experiences they go through.
Jem has learned the true meaning of bravery from his father, Atticus, when he had to shoot the mad dog. Atticus was the “best shot” of Maycomb County. He had hit the dog from over a football field away in only one shot. This proved to Jem that sometimes you have to do things that you don’t want to. Another example of when Jem learned the true meaning of courage is when his younger sister stood up to the mob in front of the jail-house. This had shown Jem that things needed to change because his younger sister is more courageous than he is. As he grows older, he begins to do what is right even though his decision may not be popular. For instance, when Dill sneaks into Scout's bedroom after running away from home, Jem can only say, "'You oughta let your mother know where you are"(142) and makes the difficult decision to involve Atticus. This had caused his friends to close their eyes to him for a while. Jem stuck to his gut and did not apologize for his actions. This shows the readers that Jem is no longer an immature kid who is only interested in trespassing and spying on the Radley family. The readers also see signs of maturity from Jem when Miss Gates makes racist comments towards Jem and Scout at the courthouse: “I never wanta hear about that courthouse again, ever, ever, you hear me?”(251). His coping skills are developing and instead of reacting to
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee explored the construction of maturity and perspective through the elements of setting and point of view.
Maturation is an important process where children lose their innocence and are thrust into a world that is outside of their proverbial bubble. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, exhibits this process through the salient characters Jem and Scout. The novel is told in 1st person point-of-view which documents each phase in which they exemplify the theme of coming of age. The children are immersed in a town that has its fair share of bigotry, fascism, and racism. They often grapple with extreme stereotypes in their environment. Now, Jem and Scout have dynamic characterization which supports the theme of coming of age because the reader can see their evolving and complex feelings throughout the novel.
Everyone that have ever lived to adulthood, understand that difficulty of the transition to it from childhood. As of right now, I am in the prime of the “coming of age “transition. The overwhelming pressure of our society that forces the adolescence to assimilate the social norms is felt by many. Just as in our first steps, our first words or anything that is expected in our human milestones, coming of age is one of them. It may variety from different societies, religious responsibility or modern legal convention; everyone had to reach this point eventually.