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Examples Of Jem Coming Of Age In To Kill A Mockingbird

712 Words3 Pages

Ryan Talley
Mrs. Malone
English 9H Period 5
05 March 2023
Jem’s Journey Coming of Age “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 39). This is what Atticus Finch tells his kids that start their coming of age and worldview in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, which takes place in the small fictional town of Maycomb in the 1900s. Although one of the protagonists Jem is fairly young in the novel, his actions and growth significantly show how far he has matured in these years of his life. Throughout the novel, Jem shows many aspects of his coming of age and becoming like his father, but one great example of his development is his view …show more content…

One of the best showcases of this is when a mob shows up at the Finch's house to try and lynch Tom Robinson. This is shown when Atticus says “I said go home.” and “Jem [shakes] his head” (Lee 203). Even though Jem disobeys Atticus by staying, Atticus ends up being grateful for this because the kids help de-escalate the situation. This shows Jem standing for what he thinks needs to be done according to his judgment. The outcome of these judgments he is making helps him appreciate Boo Radley and recognizes him as a person too. Jem shows this idea when telling Scout “Someday, maybe, Scout can thank him for covering her up” recognizing Boo as a normal person (Lee 96 ). Instead of a crazy scary man like the gossip that had been spread said he was. Overall Jem's ideas and standards for himself have increased, proof of this goes as far as Atticus telling Jem that “If you had been on that jury son, and eleven other boys like you, Tom would be a free man” showing that Atticus trusts in Jem to make decisions. As well as standing up for what he thinks is right morally (Lee 295). Jem's morals that he stands up for show how much he really has matured throughout the

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In the book To Kill a Mockingbird consists of bildungsroman which mainly focuses on Scout growing up but as well, it includes about Jem learning to become a man. Jem advances from a ten year old child to a young gentlemen. This is shown when he is stopping fights, showing a newfound respect for the people around him and becoming trustworthy as some of the ways he shows his maturity in this bildungsroman. By chapter three Jem’s maturity begins to be demonstrated.

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Jem proves this when he deals with situations differently, by standing up for what he believed to be right, or when he confronts a bitter truth in a painful manner. His word choice and manner of speaking demonstrate his superiority and his desire to act more refined. These factors are demonstrated as he changes his nature and personality. Jem’s change from being a naive child to a knowledgeable adolescent is similar to Laura Ingalls initially being a carefree youngster and later turning into a sensible, indefatigable youth. The gradual maturity of both characters influenced their respective books deeply.

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In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Jem grows from a little boy to an intelligent young man. Throughout the book, he discerns many things that shape his personality. As Jem grows, he learns how bad society is and that not everyone is perfect. Fortunately for Jem, this ends up helping him and he finds out that Atticus is a hero and that he should look up to Atticus. Through Atticus and the trial, Jem loses his innocence by learning about prejudice, bravery, and that the justice system is crippled.

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Jem was mature enough to then start to create his independent values, which were complementary to Atticus’s and Harper Lee’s. During the case of Tom Robinson, Jem said, “Doesn’t make it right... You just can’t convict a man on evidence like that—you can’t” (224). Showing that he views this case based on fact, not opinion. After the verdict turned up guilty, Jem cried on the way home.

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There were many personally impactful events happening in the town, like the rape trial, a neighbor’s house burning down, and new opinions coming to light. Jem could have learned a great deal from this because he was such a big part of society considering his dad was the lawyer for a black man, and he also could have been accused for killing Bob Ewell. As Atticus says in the novel, “‘Heck, ...‘If this things hushed up it’ll be a simple denial to Jem of the way I’ve tried to raise him” (Lee 314). Atticus was watching out for Jem because he didn 't want for him to be treated differently, he knew he was changing and was starting to understand what happened to Boo Radley. Boo was seen as a reckless child, so that 's how he got his reputation, and Atticus doesn’t want them to be seen in a bad way.

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Jem saw Atticus as a perfect father figure and a perfect person. As the story went on Jem slowly started to realize that Atticus isn’t a perfect person like he had thought. Jem learning more about how people like his father and sister aren’t perfect was a good part of him maturing and understanding people better and sees things differently from other people's point of view. Him seeing people that he is with everyday and knows who they are makes it easier for him to realize different things about other people and different situations they could be in that are different from him and his family. Jem learned that you can’t judge people before you know them or understand why they do something.

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As Jem starts to mature, his body language and use of words also start to show his overall maturity and his loss of innocence. Specifically, he acts exactly like his father,

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As the story develops so does Jem. With each day that passes Jem seems to becoming more and more like his father. “ JEM WAS TWELVE. He was difficult to live with, inconsistent moody. His appetite was appalling, and he told me so many times to stop pestering him I consulted Atticus: ‘Reckon he’s got tapeworm?’

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