ipl-logo

How Does Jem Show Maturity In To Kill A Mockingbird

1974 Words8 Pages

Jem shows maturity and growth throughout the novel. In chapter two of the book, it is Scout’s first day of school and she has a disagreement with the new teacher Miss Caroline. Scout let the teacher know she made a mistake trying to offer Walter Cunningham lunch money when he doesn't have any. Scout tells her Walter will not take the money because he isn't able to pay it back. Scout is punished by Miss Caroline. (Lee,23) Scout knocks Walter down on the playground and begins to wrestle with him because she got in trouble. Jem stops the fight. In chapter twenty one, Jem’s father, Atticus, talked about the Cunningham’s not having money but knew they always paid their debts somehow. Jem understands that Walter is stuck in this family situation and there isn't much he can do. He knows he should be treated with respect instead of fighting with him. Jem invites Walter home to share their lunch because he does not have anything to eat. “That’s okay ma’am, you’ll get to know all of the country folks after a while. The Cunninghams never took anything that they can’t pay back - no church baskets and no scrip stamps. They never took anything off of anybody, they get along on …show more content…

Initially Scout does everything she can to get her out of the house. When Walter comes to her house for dinner, Scout criticizes Walter for pouring molasses all over his food, and Calpurnia yells at Scout. After Walter leaves, Scout asks Atticus to fire Calpurnia because she yelled at her. Atticus does not fire her. (Lee,182-183) “Jem said suddenly grinned at him. ‘Come on home to dinner with us, Walter,’ he said. … We’d be glad to have you.” Walter’s face brightened then darkened.” (Lee p. 30). Walter interrupted the conversation to ask if there was any molasses in the house. He then poured it all over his meat and

Show More
Related
875 Words | 4 Pages

“Come on home to dinner with us, Walter,” he said. “We'd be glad to have you.” (Lee 25). This is when Jem showed compassion to Walter Cunningham. He made Scout stop beating him up and invited him to have dinner with them.

Read More
599 Words | 3 Pages

After Scout fights with Walter Cunningham, Jem invites him over for dinner but Scout is very rude. After a scolding from Calpurnia, Scout wants to fix her mistake and invite Walter over to play to make her for her actions. This shows that even though she can act tough and mean that she means well and has a good heart. Another kind-hearted act occurs during the trial. During Tom's testimony she realizes Dill does not feel well, she escorts him outside to get some fresh air.

Read More
429 Words | 2 Pages

This shows that Jem doesn’t care if he gets hurt or not but he will do anything to protect his dad. This is one of the important decisions that he made in the

Read More
631 Words | 3 Pages

Walter Cunningham is poor and he is judged because he can’t afford to buy lunch at school and Jem first showed acceptance of him by inviting him to dinner. Scout said,“he didn’t have any lunch"(Lee 30). When Jem asked why Scout was picking on Walter. Calpurnia says, “hush your mouth! Don’t matter

Read More
491 Words | 2 Pages

s children get older, they start to mature and experience new things, some of which are not always pleasant. In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, by Harper Lee, this maturing is illustrated through Jem, who starts the novel as a small, disobedient child. However, as the story progresses, several changes can be seen in Jem’s personality and overall being. Jem starts to become colder towards Jem and Dill, stops partaking in the games that they used to play, and overall just becomes more like an adult. Lee highlights how the transition from a child to an adult can be sudden and rough through Jem by his experiences from a naive, reckless boy, to a mature and accepting young man.

Read More
1839 Words | 8 Pages

After Scout fights Walter Cunningham Jr., Jem breaks up the fight and invites Walter over for dinner, he says, “‘Come on home to dinner with us, Walter,’ he said. ‘We’d be glad to have you’”(Lee 31). Jem shows compassion and feels pity towards Walter, considering Scout just beat him up. Jem knows that the Cunningham family is poor and Walter may not have had a proper meal in a long time. Jem also shows compassion when he learns the verdict of the trial; that Tom Robinson is guilty.

Read More
1013 Words | 5 Pages

After Jem breaks up the fight between Scout and Walter, Jem says to Walter “Come on home to dinner with us, Walter,” “We’d be glad to have you” (30). Jem invites Walter over for dinner because Scout just beat him up because she got in trouble for defending him. Walter is not sure about going at first but then Jem tells him that their fathers are friends. Another way Jem shows compassion is when his father is talked about. Jem got so worked up about how Mrs. Dubose called Atticus trash because he was defending Tom.

Read More
389 Words | 2 Pages

Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout first handedly experiences Jem growing and developing from a child into a young man. While Jem develops, Harper Lee uses Jem’s emotional growth and his actions toward others to prove how maturity can change a person over time. When Jem started maturing, he expressed immediate signs of puberty: uncontrollable mood spikes and consecutive periods of isolation are only several of the symptoms he showed. “He was difficult to live with, inconsistent, and moody.

Read More
668 Words | 3 Pages

Another reason to why Jem is caring is the time Aunt Alexandra told Scout that Walter Cunningham was trash and Scout was devastated. Jem comforts Scout by saying, “ goin out for football next year. Scout

Read More
437 Words | 2 Pages

Jem was forced to act like a grown man by how he had to deal with racism, injustice, and poverty in Maycomb. Jem is not innocent but he has a good heart; therefore, he invites Walter Cunningham over for lunch and he tried his best to save Scout

Read More
679 Words | 3 Pages

Scout thought she was just telling the teacher that he was a Cunningham and he did not have money for Lunch. Even though Scout beat him up later for making her get in trouble; Jem took the next level of courage which was emotional courage and asked Walter to come home for Dinner with them and that was also really nice Jem even though Scout didn’t want him to come to her house for dinner. Scout was very curious throughout the whole dinner, but the one that got Scout in trouble was when she said why did Walter put syrup on everything on his plate. Calpurnia tells Scout that is not how to talk to someone you invite to dinner so she told Scout to come and eat in the kitchen, and scout had enough physical courage to walk back into the living room to grab her plate and eat in the kitchen even though she was humiliated by what

Read More
358 Words | 2 Pages

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem notices Walter Cunningham, a classmate of Scout's, is extremely poor so he’s instantly nice to him. “Come on home to dinner with us Walter, he said. We’d be glad to have you”(Lee 3, 30). Walter isn’t accepted by society, but Jem still invites him to dinner even though he doesn’t

Read More
692 Words | 3 Pages

Jem's Coming of Age in To Kill a Mockingbird There are many bouts in which children learn to grow into adults or come of age and various situations that will shape the kind of adult they will be .An engaging example of coming to age is given to us in To Kill A MockingBird by the character known as Jem. During the novel numerous events and moments of realization hit both Jem and Scout causing them to more mature state which grants them a better understanding of their situation . With this further depth of understanding they also gain a sense of morality that lets them see a new side of their home,otherwise known as Maycomb, the side of their town that is prejudice,violent ,and illiberal, the side of racism. This racism exclusively peaks when

Read More
205 Words | 1 Pages

“He stood there until night fall, and I waited for him. When we went in the house I saw he had been crying”(Lee 84). Although Jem thought of Boo as a monster he now realizes that Boo is a normal person. This

Read More
615 Words | 3 Pages

As the book progresses Scout is having constant difficulty with her lack of maturation. Many problems are starting to occur in the book, and they are problems that she just doesn't understand yet. Scout is still young and doesn’t quite understand why she isnt told everything, and why she isn’t just as mature as Jem. “ That’s because you can’t hold something in your mind but a little while, said Jem. It’s different with grown folks, we-”

Read More

More about How Does Jem Show Maturity In To Kill A Mockingbird

Related Topics

Open Document