Jeremy “Jem” Finch, the young brother of Scout, is a pivotal character in Lee Harper’s To Kill a Mockingbird. He is an active boy, and he shows his various traits throughout the book. As a daring young man, he accepts and completes every dare shoved at him. Protectiveness, too, is a trait of his, shown in his careful protection of his sister. Afraid sometimes as well, he shows his more tender side when confronted with dedicated adversity. These three traits are only a few of the bubbling pot full of the characteristics that make up Jem. “[Scout] dared [Jem] to jump off the top of the house: “If I got killed, what’d become of you?” he asked.” (14) This passage from the book is one of many that represents Jems determined protectiveness. He has a constant guard put over his family, and furiously defends his father and sister. His fierce sense of fairness, probably created by having Atticus as a father, is evident in the book at places like the court case, interacting with Mrs. Alexandra, and going to school. He even is protective of his honor and reputation, as seen when he eventually takes Dill’s dare, just as he had taken every other dare presented to him. …show more content…
He is afraid of not being able to play football, afraid of losing his father, and even afraid of his father, in a way. He will try his hardest to keep his father’s respect for him, and will protect his name whether it is at Mrs. Alexandra’s house or at school or at court. He is also rather superstitious, as shown when he doesn’t look back after touching the house on Dill’s dare. He is also has a healthy fear of Boo Radley and his uncle, Arthur: “[After recovering his pants from the Radley house] He lay down [in his cot], and for a while I heard his cot trembling.” (64). His various fears slowly piece together a picture of a growing young man who cares for those close to him
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.
In the beginning of the story, Jem enjoys the childish games of fantasizing about Boo Radley, taking any dare, and . Scout tells the reader that Jem becomes more and more moody as the story progresses, due to his aging. He thinks more; he shows more compassion; and he is appalled by the unfairness that rears its ugly head in his hometown. While Scout recounts the events of her childhood, the reader fails to notice that “To Kill a Mockingbird” is not a story about the narrator (Scout) maturing, it is actually about Jem maturing, and becoming an adult.
Jeremy “Jem” Finch is a leading protagonist in Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mocking Bird” published in 1960. Jem matured greatly throughout the duration of the book, starting to resemble and idolize his father, achieves the status of a guardian to his sister and introduces a whole new set of ideals in his lifestyle. He embodies the themes of growth. Throughout the novel we see how perceptions of things such as courage, respect, tolerance, and cruelty changes Jem as he matures.
The novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, is an American classic, narrated by the young Scout Finch, the most engrossing character in the book. The novel is about the adventures of two siblings over the time of about three years. Jem and Jean Louise (Scout) Finch were two young siblings who one day met another young boy named Dill. Over time, Jem and Scout grow up under the careful watch of their father and friends, learning how to be adults. They play games, they sneak into a courthouse, and they learn a valuable life lesson. Scout was an intriguing character. As the narrator, you learn more about Scout’s feelings towards the events in the book and soon learn to love her. Let me introduce you to Scout Finch.
Jem Finch is a three-dimensional character with symbols of success, virtue and an adverse personality in To Kill a Mockingbird. For example, in the beginning of the book, Jem was aggravated by the then taunting Dill Harris (a young visitor to Maycomb) so that Jem would touch the house of Radley. By touching the Radley house, he proved that he was not afraid and could take on any challenge. When such predicaments come Jem's way he will usually be able to make the best of them successfully. In addition, Jem will lash out in complete contempt for a wrong against his moral conscience, such as Mrs. Dubose slinging blasphemy at Jem's father. A good character must have a sense of morality to defend what is believed to be right, and Jem has this emblematic realism. But, a life-like character must have their weaknesses; and he displayed that on account of Mrs. Dubose's harsh words.
Jem is Scout's brother. He is a little older than Scout. He also becomes familiar with the prejudice of Maycomb County through the story. In addition, he grows up like most teenagers “He was difficult to live with, inconsistent, moody” “said Scout” (pg. #). That statement is made when Jem starts to grow up. He doesn’t want to play with Scout like a little kid anymore. He wants to be a man.
Jem can be seen as knowledgeable from Scout’s eyes as he matures. Scout thinks to herself, “In addition to Jem’s newly developed characteristics, he had required a maddening air of wisdom” (Lee 155). As Jem matures, Scout notices Jem’s sudden intelligence that he never had before. Along with his sudden wisdom, Jem also becomes moody and often gets irritated easily by Scout’s actions.
In the every beginning of Lee 's book we notice that Jem is young and immature and his ways. Over the course of events we see Jem grow up and slowly becoming a man. Jem believes that a real man is one who knows how to shoot a gun and over rule their peers. We see Jem change in what he believes a man is by the interactions with people in the conflicts he faces. Jem Finch is a main charactor but also a dynamic charactor because of his coming-of-age change.
“Maturity is the ability to think, speak and act your feelings within the bounds of dignity. The measure of your maturity is how spiritual you become during the midst of your frustrations”(Cowley). Coming of age and maturing is a long and confusing pathway that we all go through, it is full of stress and discoveries of ourselves. Jeremy Atticus Finch is a young boy going through this process beginning to make decisions in which his growth can be see through his younger sister, Scout's perspective. There are many quotes that give an insight into Jem's character and his personality. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem exhibits the traits of bravery,curiosity, innocence, and protectiveness helping reveal the theme of good and evils coexistence.
Jem Finch is a prime representation of a big brother. Now, most people think of older siblings as an authority in a younger child’s life. However, there is a significant difference between an ‘older sibling’ and a ‘big brother’. A big brother is a friend as well as a role model. Jem Finch meets is both, and he is good at both. He tries to teach his little sister Scout that school isn’t all bad, and that she will appreciate it later. He also enjoys playing with her and being her companion in her adventures. Jem is a paramount older sibling to his sister, as he perceptive, repentant of his mistakes, and a playful friend.
Jeremy Atticus Finch (aka Jem) from To Kill a Mockingbird is viewed as a “regular” kid who is immature and innocent to the “real world”. Since Jem is still young, he has not gone out on his own in the world and had to fend for himself. He has not seen the “real world,” therefore Jem does not understand that life is not always fair. This view of the world is clouded by his innocents. Jem, although going through the death of his mother, does not completely understand how life can be. Jem’s eyes finally start to open up to the true, harsh world after witnessing the verdict of “guilty” in the Tom Robinson court case. In seeing this injustice, Jem begins to mature more, his innocents starts slipping away, revealing how to world is.
Jems naïve views are soon corrupted as he goes through experiences like with Boo Radley, but Jem manages to grow in strength as he sheds his pure qualities and learns to have hope. Jem and Scouts childhood friend Dill represents another killing of a mockingbird, as his innocence is destroyed during his trial experience. Scouts childish views dissipates as she witnesses different events in her life, and she grows in experience and maturity as she encounters racial prejudice, making her learn how to maintain her pure conscience that Atticus has developed without losing hope or becoming cynical. Harper Lee’s novel explores human morality, as she weaves the path from childhood to a more adult perspective, illustrating the evils in a corrupt world how to understand them without losing
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
Dubose. As the kids discuss the trial with their father, Scout begins to question why Atticus insists on helping Tom. Atticus tells them, “simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win” (Lee 76). Previously, Jem believed that bravery was never turning down a dare. After listening to his father, however, he begins to understand that bravery is much more than that. Atticus’s influence on Jem starts to transform him into a much wiser and more thoughtful person. Additionally, after Jem is forced to read to Mrs. Dubose, he tries to understand why Atticus respects her so much. Atticus says, “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). Jem finally understands that the true meaning of bravery is to do what is right, even when others disagree. This thought begins to shape Jem’s behavior, in that he starts to act more like Atticus. Being able to understand the meaning of courage allows Jem to act much more mature. As Jem is growing older, his growth in maturity is expanding to not only his family, but to all aspects of his
Throughout the story we see Jem develop as a character who helps develop the idea that moral courage is greater than physical courage. Harper Lee does this several times, although it may not be originally intended, it can be evident to the reader.