How Does Jem Finch Mature

Betty Friedan once stated, “Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” In life, there comes a time where people undergo series of situations that lead to maturity. In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, one of the main characters, Jem Finch, goes through this process throughout the book. The novel, set in the 1930’s, shows Jem growing up in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. Confined to the set beliefs of the town, he learns to expand his knowledge with situations that he experiences throughout the book. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the symbols of the tree, the gun, and the camellias, to illustrate Jem Finch’s increasing maturity throughout Part One of the novel.

Jem Scout first

Dubose and her flowers, he understands what real courage is. After Mrs. Dubose insulted his father’s action, he “snatched my baton and ran flailing wildly up the steps into Mrs. Dubose’s front yard, forgetting everything Atticus had said...he did not calm down until he had cut the tops off every camellia bush Mrs. Dubose owned…”(Lee 137). Jem impulsively ruins Mrs. Dubose’s garden, out of revenge for what she said about his father. He believes that Mrs. Dubose is a wicked woman who has no drive in life, except to torment him and his sister. But, after he is forced to help her, he learns that there is more to Mrs. Dubose’s story. Atticus explained that she was addicted to morphine, and Jem reading to her was a key part of her rehabilitation. He then states that she had real courage, which is “When you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through, no matter what” (Lee 149). Even though Mrs. Dubose was an angry old woman, she tried her hardest to beat what she was going through. This showed Jem that courage is not a person with a gun, but rather a person who perseveres, even in fruitless attempts. In the end, Mrs. Dubose dies. Before she passes, she tells her maid to fix Jem a “gift”. Inside of the box was one of the camellias that Jem had tried to kill. After seeing this, “Jem picked up the candy box and threw it in the fire. He picked up the camellia and when I went off to bed I saw him fingering the wide petals” (Lee 149). Initially, Jem believes she did it as a “one last laugh” scenario, and it angers him, but soon he realized it is a sign of forgiveness. She forgives Jem for what he did and he has been made “pure” of it. In addition, he realizes that Mrs. Dubose had evil and goodness inside of her, which relates to the town. The town, although on the surface, is a great place, underneath it is made up of hatred and racism. It is up to Atticus, to show and teach others in the town