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Childhood and adolescence in to kill a mockingbird
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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. The first page of the book mentions Jem right off the bat, making him a main aspect of “To Kill a Mockingbird”. The narrator (Scout) states ”When he was nearly thirteen my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.” Jem has been brought to the story in the first line of the book.This will eventually come full circle at the end when Jem gets his arm broken again by Bob Ewell. This is a significant showing how he is the main focus of the story. …show more content…
He would blindly do a dare not thinking of the consequence. The book states, “Jem wanted Dill to know once and for all that he wasn’t scared of anything.” Then Jem eventually touched the Radley house and ran off. He did this to show that he’s “brave”. This isn’t what courage/ bravery is to Atticus. He said, “It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.” When Jem finds out that Ms. Dubose had an addiction to painkillers and she stayed clean he realized he was able to see that Ms. Dubose has
...heme of maturation in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, is conveyed through the characters of Scout and Jem, in conjunction with the assistance of their virtuous father Atticus Finch. Early in the novel, Atticus ascertains himself as a major facilitator in the maturation process of Scout and Jem by incessantly providing mature solutions to his children’s predicaments. Moreover, Scout, a major benefactor of the Boo Radley incident and Atticus’ wisdom, has helped her develop into a very tolerant and mature individual. Undeniably, Jem’s remarkable development into a broadminded and compassionate character can be directly attributed to Atticus’ kindness and Jem’s exposure to the Tom Robinson trial. In synopsis, it is evident that the individuals and social circumstances that surround an individual play a major role in defining the type of individual one will become.
Jem starts to understand the true meaning of courage after Mrs. Dubose dies. Although Mrs. Dubose despised Atticus, Jem had seen past her negativities and considered her a very brave woman. This is because she died of a morphine addiction and decided to leave the world not belonging to anyone or anything. She had stopped taking her morphine, which meant her death would be slow and extremely painful, but she persevered. Atticus wanted to remove the image from Jem’s head regarding courage as a “man with a gun” and described it in chapter 11, page 112 as, “Courage...it’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyways and you see it through no matter what.” This incid...
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.
During the case, Atticus made a convincing argument proving that Tom Robinson was not, in fact, guilty. With the evidence and connections, Atticus managed to prove that it was not Tom Robinson, who was guilty of raping Mayella Ewell, but it was actually her father, Robert Ewell, who beat her and presumably raped her. While he was watching his father work in this court case, Jem was confident in his father’s abilities. Jem thought that Atticus would surely be able to prove that Tom was not guilty. “Jem seemed to be having a quiet fit. He was pounding on the balcony rail softly, and once he whispered, ‘We’ve got him’ (Lee 202)” this is a sample of Jem’s behavior during the case. “Jem whispered, ‘…we’re gonna win, Scout. I don’t see how we can’t…’ (Lee 230)” Jem’s confidence that justice would be rightly served built up his excitement and joy, only to have his hopes completely demolished when the verdict was
In ‘To Kill a Mocking Bird’ written by Harper Lee, there is a precise sense of maturity that is shown by Jem and Finch Scout as the novel progresses. Jem and Scout Finch start to mature considerably throughout the novel once they realize what horrid things adults are capable of, get their moral strengths tested and become familiar with distinguishing right from wrong. Shaping them into the young adults they are. Growing up can mean taking on many tasks and responsibilities, being able to distinguish right from wrong, just like Scout had done on her first day of grade one when she was asked to read in front of the class but came across as showing off. “I knew I had annoyed Miss Caroline, so I let well enough alone and stared out the window until recess when Jem cut me from the covey of first-graders in the schoolyard.
As children we are oblivious to the influence of those who surround us . We chose to see the greater good in humanity rather than the obvious truth. We are influenced by our environment and choose to abide to the morals presented to us. This applies directly to the novel to Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, which moves along with the lives of two young children ;Scout and Jem. Along with the obstacles they face and the exposure they have to the ideas of racism, gender roles, and degenerate morals. Throughout the novel it is evident that Scout and Jem go from naïveté to maturity due to their surroundings, influence of family members, and the arising controversy of the Tom Robinson case. They both develop
Everyone goes through different changes as they grow up. Maturing, coming of age, and doing the right thing are important themes in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. This theme is most often seen in the character Jeremy “Jem” Finch. He portrays this theme when he begins to enter puberty and becomes a young man. Jeremy starts to become more independent, wiser and more able to comprehend adult situations; Jem begins to get a better grasp on things. Other characters that demonstrate this theme are Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, and Arthur “Boo” Radley. Harper Lee shows how Scout comes of age in similar ways to Jem. Scout begins to grow up and become more tolerant of others by “putting herself in another person’s skin”. Boo displays his “coming of age” in a somewhat different way than Jem and Scout. There’s a scene in To Kill A Mockingbird where Boo has the chance to do the right thing by putting himself in harm’s way in order to save lives, and he takes the chance. To Kill A Mockingbird is a book that is overflowing with the theme “coming of age” (whether it is shown through the main character or others). This theme is important to the story because these characters are a small example of the changes that Maycomb needs to undergo. Jeremy Finch is the character in which this theme is most represented in.
Jem is the one to changed in every way during the book of to kill a mockingbird, because of what he have learned and became throughout the book. Jem had changed not just into a teenager but someone who have learned a lot about life and think he is ready to grow up. This character changed the most because when the story begins jem is just a little boy who loves to play with his sister but as the story develops jem begins to understand a lot about adulthood.
Over all, the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee have grown and matured throughout the whole novel. Boo’s maturity development is shown when he faces his fear of being with the outside world, Aunt Alexandra having some difficulties facing prejudice but, becoming more accepting of others, and Scout developing and learning lessons that she could apply to her everyday life. It shows that no matter whom the person is or what their troubles are, they all grow and mature in their own unique ways.
Atticus, the father of Jem and Scout, was right when he said, ¨you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.¨ Scout realizes that Boo Radley is not who everyone rumors him out to be. Scout learns that you need to spend time with a person to find out who he truly is. She learns this after walking Boo Radley home after the disturbing experience the Finch kids had been in. Scout finally understood what life looked like from Boo Radley's perspective when she is standing with him on his front porch. Also, when Scout talks to Atticus at the end of the book he shows her how she has turned into a wonderful young lady. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee develops the theme that believing rumors will lead you to false assumptions unless you have walked in that person's shoes through imagery, characterization, and point of view.
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.
Jem's definition of bravery changes as he grows up; he gains insight and experience of the world around him. At the beginning of the story, Jem only thought of bravery as touching the side of the Radley house, only because "in all his life, [he] had never declined a dare. (pg 13)" However, as the story continues, Jem learns about courage from several events. Upon hearing about a trial where a black person's been prosecuted, Atticus decides, as a lawyer, to defend that person. Atticus chose to defend Tom Robinson, an African American, because it's the right thing to do, and no one else wanted to ,or had the bravery to. "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win, (pg 76)" he said to Scout and Jem when Scout asked. Atticus was courageous for doing something just, even though it's not encouraged. Jem also learns a different kind of courage after learning about Mrs. Dubose's fight with a morphine addiction. Jem and Scout disliked Mrs. Dubose because she was quite a mean person. Later, they were glad they didn't have to read to her anymore. Atticus told Jem that Mrs. Dubose simply had her own views on things, and that her fits were from her addiction. Atticus made Jem read to her and explained, "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 It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway According to [Mrs. Dubose's] views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew. (pg 112)" This is similar to Atticus's choice to defend Tom.
The first time Jem shows courage, he is challenged by his best friend Dill to go up and touch the Radley house. Dill said “ I won’t sa you ran out on a dare an’ I’ll swap you the Gray Ghost if you just go up and touch the house”(Lee pg 14 ). This shows courage to Scout and Dill because they thought that if you touch the house you would be poisoned. Even though it did not show courage in Atticus’s definition.
First off, the book being narrated by Scout’s point of view shows how her view of innocence matures and changes as the she grows up. In the beginning of the story, Scout and Jem don’t really see injustices and thinks the world is fair and always a happy place. They have the normal false perception of childhood innocence that shape their
On page 74 of the book To Kill a Mockingbird, after Scout finds a blanket around herself, Jem shouted out,”...he coulda cut my throat from ear to ear that night but he tried to mend my pants instead...he ain’t ever hurt us, Atticus-” Jem is slowly changing what he thinks about Boo Radley. At first, he thought that Boo was dangerous and murderous. But after learning that it was him leaving the gifts, Jem realized that Boo Radley is just a sweet, big-hearted person. Towards the end of the book, Jem said to Scout “Scout, I think i'm beginning to understand something...why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time...it’s because he wants to stay inside.” (page 231) Jem started to comprehend why Boo did not want to leave his house. Him realizing this changed the way Boo Radley appeared to him. Boo was once a dangerous person to Jem, but now he is a caring individual. To summarize, Jem Finch is slowly learning to not be afraid of Boo Radley, which shows growth and