I dedicate this to Jem, with thanks, because he provides an important reminder of why finding a cure to the “incurable” diseases are important. His part in To Kill A Mockingbird shows how losing his mother has had a major effect on his life. The effects of this loss are shown to clearly affect Jem when Scout says, “I did not miss her, but I think Jem did. He remembered her clearly, and sometimes in the middle of a game he would sigh at length, then go off and play by himself behind the car-house” (Lee 7). As Jem is older than Scout and being so was 6 years old when his mother died and can remember her clearly. This was a painful age to lose his mother as Jem is old enough to remember her but not old enough for her to have much of an influence …show more content…
Maudie, it isn’t the same as if his mother was alive. This also means that he doesn’t have a variety of opinion and doesn’t receive the same diversity of personality that someone would gain if they had two parents. He also depends so much on his father that one misstep from Atticus could ruin their relationship and make Jem, in a way, fatherless. This is demonstrated as Atticus says, “Sometimes I think I’m a total failure as a parent, but I’m all they’ve got. Before Jem looks at anyone else he looks at me, and I’ve tried to live so I can look squarely back at him... if I connived at something like this, frankly I couldn’t meet his eye, and the day I can’t do that I’ll know I’ve lost him. I don’t want to lose him and Scout, because they’re all I’ve got"(Lee 336). Even though Atticus would feel devastated if he lost Jem’s respect it would also be devastating to Jem. He already lost his mother and losing his respect for Atticus would be like losing his father too. I’m sure he would feel lonelier than ever and feel betrayed by Atticus. Everything Atticus taught Jem to become would seem hypocritical because of the one major decision Atticus made that was the opposite of the values Atticus …show more content…
You don’t have to look far to hear about some other family that was broken because of some illness or disease that has killed a family member. However, this may be more common than you think when you look at how “About 610,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year–that's 1 in every 4 deaths (Center for Disease Control and Prevention).” This leads it to be the highest cause of death in both males and females. In the Finches case, the heart attack was probably caused by a Coronary Heart Disease, which is the most common heart disease, and was passed down through her family by their genes. It is not uncommon for diseases, disorders, and illness to be passed down from family to family and effects almost every generation. In fact, one of the reasons I am dedicating this to the Finches is because how much I can semi-relate to their circumstances. I have had many people that greatly affect my family die because of diseases that were passed down genetically. My uncle died of pancreatic cancer but led a healthy lifestyle and was young enough that he shouldn’t have gotten cancer in the first place. And it seems that cancer runs in the family so the cause could be blood-related, but he could have also just had a weak immune system. My other relatives that died of cancer seemed to have gotten cancer because of their lifestyle choices rather than being genetically
2. What was the significance of having Jem die? Does this reflect on anything else in the book?
Jem sacrifices his ending childhood, childlike privileges and a close sibling relationship with his sister, Scout.
One of the ways Jem changes is by becoming more mature.Jem proves that he is maturing when the kids find Dill under Scout's bed and the first thing Jem says is “let your mother know where you are" and tells Atticus that he was there.This shows that Jem is starting to think like an adult and didn't care about breaking “the remaining code of childhood”. Even though it would mean Scout and Dill getting mad at him he still did it because he knew it was the mature thing to do.This shows that Jem cares more about doing the right, mature thing and less about having Scout and Dill mad at him.
These three deaths each had a their own individual effect on Jem, but Jem definitely gained an accomplished knowledge of death. Thus, Jem is a child at the beginning of To Kill A Mockingbird but does mature, gaining a sense of the society surrounding him and a knowledge, or a mature awareness, of death. Jem doesn't gain these mental developements easily but through much struggling, and this is exactly what To Kill A Mockingbird is all about; a struggle with society and learning by placing one's self in another's shoes.
There is one event in particular that causes Jem to doubt the morality of the world as he becomes enraged with life. That moment makes Jem realize how cruel life can be and learns about racism and inequality. Jem starts to cry after finding out Tom Robinson was seen as guilty despite obvious evidence of not doing the crime. Scout narrates that she and Jem “made our way through the cheerful crowd” as Jem mutters “it ain’t right” (Lee 284). This causes Jem to realize how the world has people who are unfair and downright cruel, his enjoyment of life gradually fades and is miserable after leaving the
Atticus is a good father because he shows Jem and Scout how to live a moral life. He passes his children his own traits. Atticus teaches his children that people are different from one another, and that they have different understandings of moral and equality. He teaches his children the difference between right and wrong. Atticus also tries to spend as much time as he can with his children showing that he is a respectable father as well as a respectable lawyer. Atticus finch makes a very good father for both Scout and Jem.
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.
Since Jem is a couple years older than Scout, he understands most things better than she does just because he’s been exposed to the world a little more than Scout has. During the story of To Kill a Mockingbird, these two young kids start viewing everything slightly different in their small county called Maycomb, such as how they view their father, racism, Boo Radley, and the people in the place they live. When Scout and Jem heard about the case their father had taken, they didn’t know what to think, but after they knew what really happened, they did not like the way their county was treating the black man, Tom Robinson.
Jem displays values like compassion and tolerance by believing that all men are created equal no matter which race, religion, or attitude they have. He shows this when he hears the verdict of Tom Robinson's trial. 'It was Jem's turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. 'It ain't right,' he muttered, all the way to the corner of the square where we found Atticus'; (212). This is the first time he realizes that there was injustice in the world. He slowly matures and begins to understand that there are such thing as prejudice and racism.
In the beginning section of To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the relationship of Atticus and Jem is simple. Jem sees Atticus as older and less active then the fathers of his friends at school. For example, Scout states, "Jem was football crazy. Atticus was never too tired to play keep-away, but when Jem wanted to tackle him Atticus would say, `I'm too old for that, son (89).'" As the story line began to progress, Jem started to admire his father. After the episode with the mad dog, Jem had said, " ` `d you see him, Scout? `d you see him just standin' there?...'n' all of a sudden he just relaxed all over, an' it looked like that gun was a part of him...an' he did it so quick, like...I hafta aim for ten minutes `fore I can hit somethin'...(97).'" Jem no longer felt that his father was useless.
Atticus is a great leader of his family, teaching his children morals and life lessons. He makes them better people by showing them how to deal with the trial and people making fun of them. Atticus teaches Scout how to respect other people. First, Scout learns to respect Atticus, then to respect "Boo" Radley, and finally to respect a whole race of people, negroes. He makes it a common practice to live his life as he would like his children to live theirs, and thus displays the attributes of an honest, respectable, and kind man. Throughout the trial process, Atticus shows Jem and Scout that true courage is standing up for what you believe in and that all human beings, despite their race, deserve respect. "You never really understand a person until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." This quote shows that Atticus wants his children to get along with people, and so other people will respect them for whom they are.
Jem Finch demonstrates growing maturity throughout the novel. After Tom Robinson’s trial, Scout reveals Jem’s feelings. “It was Jem’s turn to cry.” Scout uncovers, “His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd,” (TKAM 284). Jem understands the trial is not fair because of race. He is mature enough to realize this while Scout is not. Another example of Jem’s maturity is exemplified when he is fulfilling his obligation to read to Mrs. Dubose. Scout describes, “ ‘So you brought that dirty little sister of yours did you?’ was her greeting… ‘My sister ain’t dirty and I ain’t scared of you’, although I noticed his knees shaking,” (TKAM 141). Rather than Jem replying to Mrs. Dubose with an insult, he dismisses her comment. Furthermore, this showcases his patience and tolerance, which comes with maturity. Finally, Jem validates his maturity when the Finch children find Dill under Scout’s bed. “You oughta let your mother know where you are.” announced Jem, “You oughta let her know you are here…”(TKAM 187). At this point Jem knows the right way to handle this situation is to let an adult know where Dill is. Even though Scout believes she can keep him under her bed forever, Jem recognizes the reality. When Jem’s maturity is put to the test he demonstrates good judgment and decision-making.
When children grow up, they face difficult problems, and. they learn to cope and take responsibility. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a flashback about two kids that spans over a few years. Jem ages from ten to thirteen over the course of the novel, and undergoes much change, as his sister describes him. Over the years, he is exposed to issues adults face, and eventually shows an understanding of racism and innocence. As Jem grows up, his view on courage also changes. Jem follows his father's footsteps, and gets much of his knowledge from him.
Jem and Scout have a lot of reasons to look up to Atticus as a role
The morals for Scout and Jem to live by come from their father, Atticus Finch. He has experienced evils in his life, like the death of his wife, but he never lost faith in the good of people. He taught Scout and Jem right from wrong when they were young, because their mother was no longer around to teach them. Atticus understands that people have good and bad inside of them, but he feels that the good side can always overcome the bad side. This is true when he backed Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping Mr. Ewell’s daughter. Even though no one else helped Atticus out, he never gave up on Tom Robinson no matter how hard things got.