Jem Finch Character Analysis

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 goes through puberty throughout the book and transforms from an adolescent to a young adult. This is especially emphasized when the adults Jem interacts with begin treating him as such. Calpurnia, the Finch’s maid that raised both children, comforts Scout, Jem’s sister, when she is upset at Jem by saying, “Don’t you fret too much over Mister Jem—” (Lee 116). Scout is shocked to hear Calpurnia refer to Jem as Mister Jem. To Scout Jem is nowhere near an adult. But Calpurnia recognizes that he is now of age and that he is no longer the young child she raised but a young man. She knows she must treat him as such, and instead of referring to him as Jem as she would normally do she calls him Mister Jem instead. Calpurnia was not the only adult to notice that Jem was of age. Scout, Dill, both Jem and Scout’s friend, and Jem travel to Miss Maudie’s house and she serves them cake. However, there is something different when she serves them cake, “she cut from the big cake and gave the slice to Jem” (Lee 218). This might seem like a miniscule detail but it holds great importance, it’s a rite of passage for Jem. Before in the novel Jem had always received a miniature cake along with Scout and Dill, so Miss Maudie serving him a slice instead speaks volumes. It’s a coming of age moment for Jem and it accentuates his newfound

Jem’s loss of innocence begins with Mrs.Dubouse’s constant harrasment of Scout and Jem when they walk past her property. Scout recalls when Jem becomes fed up with Mrs.Dubouse and takes action, “...Jem snatched my baton and ran flailing wildly up the steps into Mrs. Dubose’s front yard...He did not begin to calm down until he had cut the tops off every camellia bush Mrs. Dubose owned..” (Lee 106). Jem’s actions completely contradict his past behaviour and personality. Jem is levelheaded and his actions are something that Scout would do, not him. Mrs.Dubouse’s slandering of their father was Jem’s first preview of what Maycomb was truly like. The court trials had the most severe impact on Jem’s loss of innocence. During the trial Scout