Jem’s Education
In Harper Lee’s 1960 novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem Finch’s experiences affect what he thinks of the world and people. Tom Robinson’s case causes Jem to have to confront the harsh reality around him. Atticus leads by example and tries to teach him the best principles and both he and Mrs. Dubose impact his value of courage. Jem’s education increases through the teachings and examples of his environment and transforms his character.
Atticus gives air-rifles to Jem and Scout for Christmas and before Jem tries his air-rifle out Atticus advises, “I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”(119).
…show more content…
When Jem and Scout are outside, Jem spots a mad dog up the street, and everyone is alerted. Once the dog is close enough, the sheriff gives the gun to Atticus, who shoots kills the dog. The children are amazed and find out that Atticus is famous for his shooting skills. The kids wonder why Atticus never told them about his gift, and they ask Miss Maudie. “Miss Maudie replied, ‘People in their right minds never take pride in their talents.’”(130). Miss Maudie explains that Atticus was humble and smart enough to know not to boast or show off. Jem amends his thought that Atticus was simply an old lawyer to that his father is not only a great marksman but an exemplary human being. Jem says after the incident, “I wouldn’t care if he couldn’t do a blessed thing…. Atticus is a gentleman, just like me.”(131). Illustrating how Jem reveres his father and wishes to be a gentleman like …show more content…
Dubose is a cantankerous old lady who lives up the street from the Finch family. Whenever the kids walk by she shouts insults and tries to antagonize them. Atticus simply tells Jem, “She’s an old lady and she’s ill. You just hold your head high and be a gentleman. Whatever she says to you, it’s your job not to let her make you mad.” One afternoon Jem and Scout pass Mrs. Dubose on their way to town and she insults Atticus which deeply aggravates Jem but the kids continue walking to town. Jem buys a train for himself and a baton for Scout. On the way back Jem acts rashly and Scout reports, “He had cut the tops off every camellia bush Mrs. Dubose owned, until the ground was littered with green buds and leaves. He bent my baton against his knee, snapped it in two and threw it down.”(137). Atticus has Jem make up for his mistake by reading to Mrs. Dubose for a month, which is excruciating for both him and Scout who comes along. When Jem reads to her, it starts out with her pestering them as usual, but then she starts paying less and less attention, and they leave when the alarm in her room goes off. On Jem’s last day reading to Mrs. Dubose, she says, “Jeremy Finch, I told you you’d live to regret tearing up my camellias. You regret it now, don’t you?” Jem does, but later learns from Atticus that he wanted him to read to her anyway. She needed a distraction from the alarm clock that sounded later and later each time the children went to read to her. Mrs. Dubose was
...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.
Mrs. Dubose is a bitter, old lady that is extremely rude to Scout and Jem, yelling dirty thing at them everytime they pass by her house. Jem hatred for that woman was so short, that one day he grabbed Scout’s baton and lost his temper, Scout explains that “He did not begin to calm down until he had cut the tops off every camellia bush Mrs. Dubose owned…” (137). As a punishment for his sudden outrage, Mrs. Dubose asks that he read for her everyday and they learn things about her along the way. They described that “...From time to time she would open her mouth wide...cords of saliva would collect at her lips...Her mouth seemed to have private existence of its own” (143). Later on in the chapter, Atticus reveals that she was a morphine addict
Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior, to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, and the struggle between blacks and whites. Atticus Finch, a lawyer and single parent in a small southern town in the 1930's, is appointed by the local judge to defend Tom Robinson, a black man, who is accused of raping a white woman. Friends and neighbors object when Atticus puts up a strong and spirited defense on behalf of the accused black man. Atticus renounces violence but stands up for what he believes in. He decides to defend Tom Robinson because if he did not, he would not only lose the respect of his children and the townspeople, but himself
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.
In chapter 11, Mrs. Dubose says some hateful words about Atticus, which leads Jem to smash her flowers. As a punishment, Jem had to read to her every day after school for two hours. A conversation between Atticus and Jem shows how he felt about her in the beginning, “Did she frighten you?” Said Atticus.
Childhood is a continuous time of learning, and of seeing mistakes and using them to change your perspectives. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates how two children learn from people and their actions to respect everyone no matter what they might look like on the outside. To Kill A Mockingbird tells a story about two young kids named Scout and her older brother Jem Finch growing up in their small, racist town of Maycomb, Alabama. As the years go by they learn how their town and a lot of the people in it aren’t as perfect as they may have seemed before. When Jem and Scout’s father Atticus defends a black man in court, the town’s imperfections begin to show. A sour, little man named Bob Ewell even tries to kill Jem and Scout all because of the help Atticus gave to the black man named Tom Robinson. Throughout the novel, Harper Lee illustrates the central theme that it is wrong to judge someone by their appearance on the outside, or belittle someone because they are different.
In a town of such undeserved glory, Atticus Finch is the one character who is worthy of glorification. Yet, his humility further illustrates Atticus as a man of pure stability. Surrounded by the self-righteousness of others, he is able to remain emotionally grounded. Atticus Finch is a highly accomplished man of great intelligence, but even greater meekness. For example, during one of their chats with Miss Maudie, Scout learns that her father’s childhood nickname was “Ol Shot” (Lee page #), which referred to his unbelievable marksmanship. When Scout becomes excited about telling all of her friends about her father and his incredible talent, Jem says, “I'd reckon if he wanted us to know he’d a told us. If he was proud of it he’d a told us… but Atticus is a gentleman…and people in their right minds never take pride in their talents” (Lee 98).
On several occasions, Scout gets into a fight with people who make unpleasant comments about her father. Atticus continuously tells her that this is wrong and that she needs to learn to control her anger, “You might hear some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ‘em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change” (Lee 101). The day after this discussion with Atticus, Scout is approached by a fellow student who had previously made a mean comment about her father. “I drew a bead on him, remembered what Atticus had said, then dropped my fists and walked away...it was the first time I ever walked away from a fight” (Lee 102). 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”
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.
Throughout the novel, Atticus proved his numerous abilities and intelligences. He had achieved the nickname of "One-Shot Finch" because he was always the deadest shot in Maycomb. He saved the town from a rabid dog by shooting it with one shot. Jem and Scout were amazed when their neighbour, Miss Maudie, told them, "The very idea, didn't you know his nickname was Ol' One Shot when he was a boy," (pg. 98). His children thought Atticus could not do anything, until Miss Maudie explained to them that he was also the best checker player in Maycomb and that he knew how to play a Jew's harp. Atticus also explained many things and taught many lessons to his children as they traveled the journey of growing up.
As Jem and Scout are shooting, Atticus says: “I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want. but remember its a sin to kill a mockingbird” (90). With this said, mockingbirds are put in a new category of respect and can even be seen as sacred since it is a sin to kill them. This moral law that Atticus presents gives protection to the beautiful creatures.
Development during a child's younger years helps to give an insight into what type of person they will end up as an adult. In the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee, Jem Finch grows up from a naive 10 year old to a responsible 13 year old with the help from his father, sister and the rest of the town. His development from having an obsession with finding out more about Boo Radley to wanting to help his father with heavy issues that he was dealing with throughout the whole Tom Robinson case shows how this transformation did occur. Jem can be seen as a miniature version of his father, Atticus Finch, through his shared beliefs and morals. Jem grows closer to Atticus, in whom he goes to him first for help or important things that require someone as wise as Atticus.
In the book, Atticus tells Scout and Jem, "I'd rather you shoot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you'll go after birds.
He strongly believes in protecting his family and sticking up for his sister and father. He also believes that as the oldest child and as a boy, that he should support and protect his father in every way. Jem is seen as someone who strongly disagrees with injustice and discrimination as show when he states "I--it's like this, Scout," he muttered. "Atticus ain't ever whipped me since I can remember. I want to keep it that way". This shows the agreement between Jem and Atticus and how Jem looks up to his father and almost mimics his actions. Jem also finds it really important to show courage and bravery to prove himself to his friends and family. Scout states “Jem wanted Dill to know once and for all that he wasn't scared of anything”.
While Scout and Jem discover a sick dog, they alerted their neighbors about it. Atticus took his rifle and shot the sick dog. Staying close to Miss Maudie, Scout listens to Miss Maudie’s story about Atticus. She tells him how he had a great shot and almost never missed. Scout wondered why he didn;t go hunting anymore. Miss Maudie explains to her by saying, “Maybe he put his gun down when he realized that God had given him an unfair advantage over most living things” (130). Miss Maudie means that because of the advantage he has on wild animals, he found it unacceptable to kill things that couldn’t fight back. This shows how Atticus is, that he is honest with himself and shooting for sport is not ok.Atticus showed an example of his integrity. Scout sees this and understands the lesson of being fair and sticking to your principles. Also, Atticus has a different opinion than the majority in Maycomb. Being a lawyer, he defends Tom Robinson. Scout talks to Atticus and talks how lots of people in Maycomb believe he is wrong, while Atticus believes he is right. Atticus the states, “The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person conscience” (140). Sticking to what he believes, Atticus shows his person integrity. He doesn’t follow something because everyone else believes something, it is more because he sticks with and is strong with his principals.