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Examples of jem maturing in the book to kill a mocking bird
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Children have different aspects of thinking. This all depends on what their parents and what the society teaches them. Jem is an innocent child born in to the middle of the great depression, where racism was not a problem. Jem changes in the course of the story ‘To kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee’. Jem is one of the main characters in this book. He learns about the reality of the situation and learns how to deal with it. These changes are seen from the point of view of his little sister, Scout. This gives us a unique perspective of the growth of Jem and the way he changes. Jem displays qualities and traits that can be rarely seen in most kids in literature or in real life. These qualities are that he is very brave, he is very protective over his little sister and he respects his father a lot during the course of the book. Jem shows bravery in everything he does. His definition of bravery changes after he realizes what the situation of the real world is. This goes beyond the fact that Jem ages from 10-13 throughout the book, the change that happens is based on his experiences. At the beginning of the book, Jem’s idea of bravery was to simply touch the wall of the Radley house, although Scout says “In all his life, Jem had never declined a dare.” As the story goes on Jem learns a different definition of bravery from his father Atticus when he is facing the mad dog, also when Mrs Dubose is fighting her addiction and is willing to face head on the illness despite the fact that she knows what is coming for her and many other scenarios from the book. Jem realizes that he has to grow up and face the world which is such a corrupt place to be in. Jem shows his strongest bravery when he faces the mob who confront Atticus at the jail wher... ... middle of paper ... ... knew he had to do the right thing by refusing his father. This doesn’t mean that he doesn’t respect his father. It means that he is growing up and ready to defend his family even if the consequences are bad. Jem did the right thing by standing up to his father because he shows that he can make his own decisions and that he is changing into a young man. In conclusion Jem has changed a lot throughout the course of the novel. I think that when I started to read the book there was a sense of childness in him but when I closed the book I realized that he had changed a lot due to the experiences he had and the lessons he learnt from Atticus. I think Harper Lee gradually changes Jem in to a young man after each experience he encounters. The main person that had an affect on Jem was Atticus because he knew what was best for his children and thats who Jem learnt off from.
In the beginning of the story, Jem enjoys the childish games of fantasizing about Boo Radley, taking any dare, and . Scout tells the reader that Jem becomes more and more moody as the story progresses, due to his aging. He thinks more; he shows more compassion; and he is appalled by the unfairness that rears its ugly head in his hometown. While Scout recounts the events of her childhood, the reader fails to notice that “To Kill a Mockingbird” is not a story about the narrator (Scout) maturing, it is actually about Jem maturing, and becoming an adult.
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.
Jem is a complex character who changes a great deal in the novel. He begins the novel as a boy and ends as an adult. People show bravery in many ways, both typical and atypical. Atticus, Boo and Jem all showed important examples of bravery. Atticus models bravery for his children in the determined way he defends Tom Robinson.
To Kill A Mockingbird The Maturing of Jem Finch Society is not as innocent to a child as it may appear to be. In fact, when one really understands the society in which he lives he is no longer a child. This is much the same case as found in To Kill A Mockingbird, by Leigh Harper. Although Jem, being a child at the beginning of the novel, is immature and unaware of the society in which he lives, he matures mentally to the point where he sees the evil in society and gains a knowledge of death. Like most children, at the beginning of To Kill A Mockingbird Jem and Scout are both young, play together, and have childhood monsters or fears like other children.
In the beginning of the book Jem is ten. He is innocent and is kind of oblivious to what is happening in the town. In the book Jem represents courage and how that courage is represented changes the older he gets. In the beginning Jem‘s courage is shown when is dared to touch the Radley house, he does that because he never backs down from a dare. That is the Jem‘s and the kids idea of courage. As the story continues Jem sees how courage is not the naive idea of touching the Radely house. He sees Atticus shot a mad dog and Mrs. Dubose fight with morphine addiction. Jem is made to read to her and when he asks why Atticus says: “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand.“
To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee sheds light upon the controversy of racism and justice in his classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. The notion of equality in accordance with the law and the pursuit of justice are hindered by racial discrimination. The essence of human nature is pondered. Are we inclined to be good or in the wrath of evil? The novel reflects on the contrasting nature of appearance versus reality.
Jem, a character in the novel whom develops from an unseasoned boy, to a pubescent boy, then to a youthful man, grimaces through a great deal of development within himself. These developments led to distinct changes socially and mentally within Jem. Author Harper Lee used the development of characters as a whole, to
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is an ideal father, who sets a great example for his kids. A picture of Atticus is important to Scout because Atticus teaches Scout many important life lessons about life. Firstly, as Atticus talks to Scout about Miss. Stephanie, he states “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee,30). Scout realizes that one can never feel someone’s pain, happiness, or glory until she looks at their point of view of things; she learns to consider other people’s situation and feelings. She also understands that she will never know what goes in other people’s lives, and therefore she cannot judge anyone. Scout matures as she learns to apply Atticus’ wise advice to understand Mrs. Dubose and Boo Radley, who are individuals that are misunderstood by the community. Furthermore, as Miss Maudie talks to Scout, she states “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets” (Lee, 46). Miss Maudie knows about Atticus’ personality quite well. Miss Maudie explains to Scout Atticus is a man with moral principles, he does what he believes is right even if others are not there to praise him. Through Atticus’ exemplary role, Scout understands the importance of integrity, and strong moral values. Finally, when Scout questions her father about the possible outcome of the trial, Atticus states “simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us to try to win” (Lee, 76). Atticus teaches Scout toleration, determination and moral courage. He already knows he is going to los...
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.
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
At the beginning of the novel, he posses a youthful nature, and demeanor. Quickly though, he realizes that everything is not right in the world. Jem begins to pick up on social cues, realizing things that Scout could not. For example, when the lynch mob came to kill Tom Robinson, Jem knew of the danger present, and would not leave his father’s side, worried that he may be injured. Scout did not realize the danger, and knew not of why the men were present. Though, in that situation, her innocence saved them from a potentially deadly conflict. As the story progresses, Jem becomes a protector of Scout, saving her from situations she was not prepared to handle, and trying to explain those she couldn’t understand. As Jem attempts to protect Scout’s innocence, he loses some of
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.
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 through 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. Jem grows to become a believable character, in the start of the book the things he says might not seem realistic. The transition he made through the novel was enough to show what certain events can do to a child's beliefs and way of thinking, while still helping him grow.
Jem shows that he is growing up in many different ways. For example, he shows this when he goes back to the Radley house to retrieve his pants. “Atticus ain’t ever whipped me since I can remember. I wanta keep it that way.” (Jem 75) The fact that Jem went back to get his pants was a brave decision. This quote shows that he is maturing because he didn’t want Atticus to whip him, but not because he was afraid, because he didn’t want Atticus to go through the pain of having to whip his child. A quote that describes Jem at the moment is "We have not passed that subtle line between childhood and adulthood until we move from the passive voice to the active voice--that is, until we have stopped saying 'It got lost,' and say, 'I lost it.'"(Sydney J. Harris). In addition to Jem’s developing characteristics, he acquired a load of wisdom. Jem shows a loss of innocence, after his perfect view of the world is shattered right in front of his eyes. For example, “I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, at least that’s what they seemed like.”(Jem 288) This is important because Jem realizes that Maycomb folks aren’t that great. This also shows that he saw the prejudice in the people, and how racist they were to African Americans. As Jem matures and starts developing a new eye for the world, he slowly starts to lose his childhood innocence and is exposed to the wrong doings of the
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee portrays Jem as determined and childish. One part in the book, Scout is describing Jem and she says, “Jem’s head at times was transparent: he had thought that up to make me understand he wasn’t afraid of Radleys in any shape or form, to contrast his own fearless heroism with my cowardice”-(Lee 43). Jem is determined to let them know that he is not afraid. He knows that he