Theme Of Loss Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

650 Words2 Pages

Loss of innocence is something we all must experience in our lifetime. It is one of the few things in our lives that once lost will never come back. The character Jem in Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird experiences what all of humanity must experiences what all of humanity must eventually experience, loss of innocence.:Jem’s loss of innocence becomes evident throughout the text. From the verdict of the Tom Robinson trial to his perception of folks and the town of Maycomb, his maturity is striping away his innocence.

Jem is changing throughout the novel. This is evident when Jem’s perception of folks in the town of Maycomb changes.Jem’s perspective causes him to look at Maycomb differently than everyone else in Maycomb. He look at this like an adult. This is evident when Jem is speaking to Scout about the different kinds of folks in the town of Maycomb. “You known something Scout? I’ve got it all figureto d out, now, I’ve thought about it a lot lately and I’ve got it all figured out. There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbours. There’s the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the n….. What about …show more content…

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

Open Document