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Character analysis to kill a mockingbird
Coming of age as a theme in literary texts
To kill a mockingbird character analysis
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“To KIll a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee is a very engaging, and educational piece, enlightening generations to come. Jampacked with emotions and morals, the book tells a story about a small family in a smaller town in the 1930s. There are many coming-of-age scenes in the book for a plethora of characters. The most noble of these scenes is the scene in the forest where Jem and Scout are attacked. In this essay, the discussion will follow how both Jem and Scout come-of-age in, or as a result of this scene. Before the analysis of how the two characters come-of-age, we must first assess the scene itself. The scene follows Jem and Scout through a thick forest on Halloween night. As they walk in their lonesome, they are attacked without notice. In astonishment, Scout falls over, blinded by her costume. In the heat of the moment, Jem fights off the strange figure as long as he could, giving Scout time to run. Unfortunately, Scout was having trouble collecting herself and as a result, her brother is knocked unconscious. Scout lay helpless of the ground, in fear of her life, when someone, who is later revealed to be Boo Radley, saves her, and grabs Jem and runs to the Finch’s house. …show more content…
Jem could have easily run and left Scout to fend for herself, but instead, he stayed. This is a coming-of-age scene because in risking his own life to save his sister, Jem shows a great level of maturity and thus, coming of age. In this scene, the characters did not have time to assess their situation and react accordingly, like I get to. No. They had to react on instinct, it was fight-or-flight. Jem, in order to save his sister, subconsciously stayed to fight, fight for
This passage of the story displays coming of age as an internal force through Jem’s character, conflict, and setting. This event led Jem to see situations in a different perspective. He learns that people might come out as rude. But, as hard as it is he must remain respectful, because he would not know what kind of battles they must be facing. He uses this coming of age experience as a life lesson more throughout the
...heme of maturation in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, is conveyed through the characters of Scout and Jem, in conjunction with the assistance of their virtuous father Atticus Finch. Early in the novel, Atticus ascertains himself as a major facilitator in the maturation process of Scout and Jem by incessantly providing mature solutions to his children’s predicaments. Moreover, Scout, a major benefactor of the Boo Radley incident and Atticus’ wisdom, has helped her develop into a very tolerant and mature individual. Undeniably, Jem’s remarkable development into a broadminded and compassionate character can be directly attributed to Atticus’ kindness and Jem’s exposure to the Tom Robinson trial. In synopsis, it is evident that the individuals and social circumstances that surround an individual play a major role in defining the type of individual one will become.
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.
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” and develop skills necessary for adulthood. They learn to defend Atticus and themselves by using words and developing self-control.
In ‘To Kill a Mocking Bird’ written by Harper Lee, there is a precise sense of maturity that is shown by Jem and Finch Scout as the novel progresses. Jem and Scout Finch start to mature considerably throughout the novel once they realize what horrid things adults are capable of, get their moral strengths tested and become familiar with distinguishing right from wrong. Shaping them into the young adults they are. Growing up can mean taking on many tasks and responsibilities, being able to distinguish right from wrong, just like Scout had done on her first day of grade one when she was asked to read in front of the class but came across as showing off. “I knew I had annoyed Miss Caroline, so I let well enough alone and stared out the window until recess when Jem cut me from the covey of first-graders in the schoolyard.
Imagine just two young kids maturing within a matter of years. Imagine that same two kids, experiencing or understanding things that they aren’t meant to at a young age. Jem and Scout were just like that. They have experienced many things that they shouldn’t have at their age. Scout on the other hand, seems to be the one maturing the most. Throughout this whole essay, you will learn about Jem and Scout’s attributes, personality, and how alike or different they are from each other.
As children we are oblivious to the influence of those who surround us . We chose to see the greater good in humanity rather than the obvious truth. We are influenced by our environment and choose to abide to the morals presented to us. This applies directly to the novel to Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, which moves along with the lives of two young children ;Scout and Jem. Along with the obstacles they face and the exposure they have to the ideas of racism, gender roles, and degenerate morals. Throughout the novel it is evident that Scout and Jem go from naïveté to maturity due to their surroundings, influence of family members, and the arising controversy of the Tom Robinson case. They both develop
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.
At the start of Part Two, Jem starts to grow to be a more mature person and develop a want for wisdom and knowledge. “In addition to Jem’s newly developed characteristics, he had acquired a maddening air of wisdom.” (116) In this quote, Calpurnia is speaking to Scout letting her know that the reason for Jem’s sudden changes is that he is growing up and is almost a young man. Jem is beginning to mature mentally. Jem wants to become more ...
Jem’s identity changes when Mrs. Dubose finally passes, after reading for her as an apology for ruining her flowers. Atticus explains why he had his son do this, teaching him a lesson that changes him for the rest of the story. “I wanted you to see something about her-I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a an with a gun in his hand.” (Lee 112) Atticus’ words show how Jem’s identity changed because he learned how to be strong in the real way. Strength is not always physical, but the way one handles things can show their true power. Jem learned from Mrs. Dubose’s death and his father’s wisdom that he needs to be courageous; doing things that he may not always want to and understanding others. Jem starts to really grow up after this moment. With siblings, it is not unusual for things to be shared: toys, food, and experiences. Scout’s identity also goes through change during the events surrounding Tom Robinson’s trial. She loses a great amount of her innocent, exposed to others’ pain and truths. Certain townsfolk are less than kind to Atticus for him defending Tom Robinson, causing their children to lash out at the Finch children as well. “’Somehow, if I fought Cecil I would let Atticus down.’” (Lee 77) After learning what Cecil’s hateful words truly mean, Scout decides to be the bigger person and not pick a fight. She is showing maturity through her restraint, and displaying her respect for her father. Scout’s identity in To Kill a Mockingbird affirms that identity is how you are influenced by the experiences in your life because she would not have been the same character without the events that
The key coming of age scene I am going to analyze is the jailhouse scene where the children run up next to Atticus when a mob of people show up with weapons. This scene uses voice, setting, and imagery to show the coming of age of Jem and Scout when Jem disobeys his father and Scout uses her words instead of her fists.
Scout begins to recognize that she and Jem were beginning to think differently; they are both growing and maturing. He is starting to act like a young adult, trying to please Atticus and stay out of trouble. Scout does not yet fully comprehend the fact that he is growing up. The age gap and different experiences lead them ...
1. Scout and Jem are both entering their early teenager years and are expected to be more mature and work there way into man/womanhood. One piece of evidence that demonstrates Jem is maturing is shown on (Lee 227). ‘If there’s just one kind of folks, why can’t they get along with each other? If they’re
Jem is growing up all the time. This can be seen when he stops Scout
Harper Lee highlights the innocence of Scout and Jem early in the book, then presents a maturation process in their personalities throughout the book. For example, in the introduction, when the children are interested in attempting to get Boo Radley out of his house, Dill bets Jem that Jem would never get farther than the gate of the Radley’s house: “In all his life, Jem had never declined a dare.” (13) The Radley house being haunted is quite an immature idea, as the kids are take a minor instance and make it an ordeal. Additionally, Jem is taking a risk, yet he has not learned the consequences that can accompany such a risk, and Harper Lee uses this moment of interaction between Jem and Dill to introduce their childish nature. Next, Scout has a habit of getting into fistfights when she becomes angered. When questioned as to why she was fighting Walter in the first place she replied “He didn’t have any lunch.” (22) Scout does not have valid reasoning to instigate a fight with Walter. Therefore, her immaturity is demonstrated. Finally, after the incident at school involving Walter Cunningham not having lunch money, Scout and Atticus have a talk...