Jem Finch Personality

One of the most important and prominent characters in To Kill A Mockingbird is Scout’s older brother, Jeremy Atticus Finch, more commonly referred to as Jem Finch. Jem is precisely four years older than Scout (Jem ages from 10 to 13 throughout the novel), asserting him as the superior individual, although early on Jem and Scout are playmates, along with their friend Dill in the summertime. Unlike Scout, Jem is also old enough to remember his and Scout’s mother who had died when Scout was only two. In one sense Jem is your stereotypical boy, reading football magazines and spending most of his time tracking the “the vital statistics of every college football player in the nation” (Lee 147). However, Jem proves to be peculiar with characteristics

Atticus had forced Jem to read to Mrs.Dubose not only as a punishment for destroying her camellia bushes, but also so Jem could “see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand”, a belief that Jem held for a long time (Lee 149). Courage and bravery is something that Jem expresses from the beginning to the end of To Kill A Mockingbird, from when he ran up and touched the Radley Place to when Jem had to fight Bob Ewell. Jem also proves to have a creative mind when he creates small plays during the summer and formulates plans to make Boo Radley come out of the Radley Place. The most important element in Jem’s beliefs is his determination to do things that are just, particularly with Tom Robinson’s trial. In disbelief that any jury could possibly ever find Tom Robinson guilty, Jem quickly learns that people bring all of their prejudices with them to the jury box, something Jem refuses to allow. Although Jem has many great characteristics, like everyone else he has his shortcomings, such as being stubborn, although this proved to be a good thing for Atticus when Jem refused to leave the jail when the Sarum Bunch came to cause

When Jem is taught by Atticus what true bravery is, Jem struggled to understand and realize that Mrs.Dubose was a great lady, even after everything she had said to Atticus. Mrs.Dubose fighting her morphine addiction also taught Jem that it’s important trying even if you know you can’t win, which translates directly into why Atticus defended Tom Robinson, even though Atticus knew they couldn’t win the trial. Understanding why Boo Radley never comes out of the house is something Jem struggles with for a very long time, showing that he and the other children don’t yet fully understand that people live different lives than their own, and that they must respect other’s ways of living. Since Jem’s and Scout’s lives are so closely intertwined Jem has a great amount of control and influence over Scout’s lifestyle. Jem often feels like he is superior to Scout and tell her things like “It’s time you started bein‘