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Examples Of Jem's Maturity In To Kill A Mockingbird

812 Words4 Pages

Gabriela Estrada
Ms. Kelly
10 Honors English
10/29/15
The Transition of Jem Finch’s Maturity Throughout the novel of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jem Finch matures from a child to a young adult. Just like every young boy, Jem goes through puberty and begins adolescence. This alone is difficult enough, however Jem encounters many life changing events. Harper Lee shows you the transition of Jem’s young self to a man involving an unknown neighbor, a prolonged trial, and an old woman filled with rage. By way of example, Jem’s maturity was powerfully impacted by his encounters with Mr. Arthur Radley. Jem’s curiosity lead to ridiculous perceptions of “Boo”, believing that he was six feet tall, dinned on squirrels and cats, and that his hands were blood stained. After his …show more content…

He heard gossip about his father from the whole town and he sees firsthand the evil in the people of Maycomb. “I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that’s what they seemed like” (Lee 288). Jem recognizes that there are that there are different types of people in his community. He watches his community send an innocent to death due to the color of his skin. “I don’t know, but they did it. They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it seems that only children weep” (Lee 285). As Jem matures his mindset about people changes, with the verdict, he sees the hypocrisy and injustice of the people of Maycomb.
“That’s what I thought, too,” he said at last, “when I was your age. If there’s just one kinda folks, why can’t they all get along with each other? If they’re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other? Scout, I think I’m beginning to understand something. I think im beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time… it’s because he wants to stay inside” (Lee

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