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Children have different aspects of thinking. This all depends on what their parents and what the society teaches them. Jem is an innocent child born in to the middle of the great depression, where racism was not a problem. Jem changes in the course of the story ‘To kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee’. Jem is one of the main characters in this book. He learns about the reality of the situation and learns how to deal with it. These changes are seen from the point of view of his little sister, Scout. This gives us a unique perspective of the growth of Jem and the way he changes. Jem displays qualities and traits that can be rarely seen in most kids in literature or in real life. These qualities are that he is very brave, he is very protective over his little sister and he respects his father a lot during the course of the book. Jem shows bravery in everything he does. His definition of bravery changes after he realizes what the situation of the real world is. This goes beyond the fact that Jem ages from 10-13 throughout the book, the change that happens is based on his experiences. At the beginning of the book, Jem’s idea of bravery was to simply touch the wall of the Radley house, although Scout says “In all his life, Jem had never declined a dare.” As the story goes on Jem learns a different definition of bravery from his father Atticus when he is facing the mad dog, also when Mrs Dubose is fighting her addiction and is willing to face head on the illness despite the fact that she knows what is coming for her and many other scenarios from the book. Jem realizes that he has to grow up and face the world which is such a corrupt place to be in. Jem shows his strongest bravery when he faces the mob who confront Atticus at the jail wher... ... middle of paper ... ... knew he had to do the right thing by refusing his father. This doesn’t mean that he doesn’t respect his father. It means that he is growing up and ready to defend his family even if the consequences are bad. Jem did the right thing by standing up to his father because he shows that he can make his own decisions and that he is changing into a young man. In conclusion Jem has changed a lot throughout the course of the novel. I think that when I started to read the book there was a sense of childness in him but when I closed the book I realized that he had changed a lot due to the experiences he had and the lessons he learnt from Atticus. I think Harper Lee gradually changes Jem in to a young man after each experience he encounters. The main person that had an affect on Jem was Atticus because he knew what was best for his children and thats who Jem learnt off from.
When children grow up, they face difficult problems, and. they learn to cope and take responsibility. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a flashback about two kids that spans over a few years. Jem ages from ten to thirteen over the course of the novel, and undergoes much change, as his sister describes him. Over the years, he is exposed to issues adults face, and eventually shows an understanding of racism and innocence. As Jem grows up, his view on courage also changes. Jem follows his father's footsteps, and gets much of his knowledge from him.
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 Finch has come a long way since his humble beginnings as a naive ten year old child. He has come to understand the real meaning of courage, gone from playmate to protector for his sister and has grown enough to understand the workings of the real world, and see the negatives and positives of society. His maturity has been quick and the changes great, and over the years he has come to adhere, respect and carry out Atticus`s legacy and use his father`s ideals to shape his lifestyle. Due to the course of events, his adolescent changes and Atticus`s influence, Jem has matured from a reckless child into a young man capable of making his own decisions.
... (Lee 152). Jem protects his father even though the mob is threatening to beat them up. This is atypical behavior for a boy at such a young age, but very brave. Jem is a complex character who changes a great deal in the novel. He begins the novel as a boy and ends as an adult.
Primarily, in To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem is young. Scout states their age when it supposedly all starts: "When I was almost six and Jem was almost ten..." (10). Here Jem is only nine years old and therefore still a moderately young child; it is assumed he is therefore immature. Jem also spends his time playing with his five year old sister.
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.
To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee sheds light upon the controversy of racism and justice in his classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. The notion of equality in accordance with the law and the pursuit of justice are hindered by racial discrimination. The essence of human nature is pondered. Are we inclined to be good or in the wrath of evil? The novel reflects on the contrasting nature of appearance versus reality.
Jem displays values like compassion and tolerance by believing that all men are created equal no matter which race, religion, or attitude they have. He shows this when he hears the verdict of Tom Robinson's trial. 'It was Jem's turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. 'It ain't right,' he muttered, all the way to the corner of the square where we found Atticus'; (212). This is the first time he realizes that there was injustice in the world. He slowly matures and begins to understand that there are such thing as prejudice and racism.
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is an ideal father, who sets a great example for his kids. A picture of Atticus is important to Scout because Atticus teaches Scout many important life lessons about life. Firstly, as Atticus talks to Scout about Miss. Stephanie, he states “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee,30). Scout realizes that one can never feel someone’s pain, happiness, or glory until she looks at their point of view of things; she learns to consider other people’s situation and feelings. She also understands that she will never know what goes in other people’s lives, and therefore she cannot judge anyone. Scout matures as she learns to apply Atticus’ wise advice to understand Mrs. Dubose and Boo Radley, who are individuals that are misunderstood by the community. Furthermore, as Miss Maudie talks to Scout, she states “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets” (Lee, 46). Miss Maudie knows about Atticus’ personality quite well. Miss Maudie explains to Scout Atticus is a man with moral principles, he does what he believes is right even if others are not there to praise him. Through Atticus’ exemplary role, Scout understands the importance of integrity, and strong moral values. Finally, when Scout questions her father about the possible outcome of the trial, Atticus states “simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us to try to win” (Lee, 76). Atticus teaches Scout toleration, determination and moral courage. He already knows he is going to los...
Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem has been maturing in many ways. Towards the beginning of the book he was much less caring about the things that went on in the adult world. But after his father does something he doesn’t seem to be proud of, instead of pushing, “Jem said ’I reckon if he’d wanted us to know it, he’da told us. If he was proud of it, he’da told us.’” (To Kill A Mockingbird page 130). Rather than rebelling against his father, even if he wanted to know the truth, Jem protects himself by letting an unnecessary matter drop out of relevancy. The trait he displayed here is one that his
In conclusion, Jem can be described as mature, respectful, and determined, yet at times, he also acts childish and afraid. In the novel, Lee portrays Jem to have many characteristics. I believe this is to show that Jem is growing up and changing to become more like his father. Jem acts brotherly towards Scout, mature towards Atticus, and respectful towards
Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird is filled with characters who change throughout the course of the novel. It is arguable that Jeremy “Jem” Finch, the son of Tom’s lawyer, has the most profound character development in To Kill a Mockingbird. Throughout the novel Jem transitions from child to young adult. This is evident when the adults in his life begin treating him differently. Jem’s is stripped of his innocence as the book progresses. This becomes apparent when he is no longer levelheaded and when he is distraught during the court trial . The dynamics of Jem’s relationships with the other characters of the novel changes drastically. Lee shows this when Jem acts like an adult figure to Scout and no longer sees Dill as an equal. Jem’s
Jem grows to become a believable character, at the start of the book the things he says might not seem realistic. The transition he made through the novel was enough to show what certain events can do to a child's beliefs and way of thinking, while still helping him grow. Jem Finch can be considered an appealing character because of his immense growth throughout the book. This is the cause of new experiences and things around the town that have been happening, for example the Tom Robinson case. After the confrontation between Atticus and the children against the group of men who were there to kill Tom Robinson, “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.
At the beginning of the novel, he posses a youthful nature, and demeanor. Quickly though, he realizes that everything is not right in the world. Jem begins to pick up on social cues, realizing things that Scout could not. For example, when the lynch mob came to kill Tom Robinson, Jem knew of the danger present, and would not leave his father’s side, worried that he may be injured. Scout did not realize the danger, and knew not of why the men were present. Though, in that situation, her innocence saved them from a potentially deadly conflict. As the story progresses, Jem becomes a protector of Scout, saving her from situations she was not prepared to handle, and trying to explain those she couldn’t understand. As Jem attempts to protect Scout’s innocence, he loses some of