ipl-logo

Jem's Growth In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

429 Words2 Pages

People grow up fast. In this case, it is Jem Finch in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. Throughout the book, we see evidence of Jem growing up. We can see him starting to become more mature. Jem’s growth is revealed through irony, internal conflict, and external conflict. To begin with, irony is one way Jem’s growth is shown in the book. For example in chapter 10, a rabid dog enters the neighborhood and Calpurnia calls Atticus to come home. Atticus brings Sheriff Heck Tate to shoot the dog. He then hands the gun over to Atticus telling him to shoot the dog. Jem starts to worry because he thinks Atticus can’t even shoot a gun. But Atticus then shoots and kills the dog with one shot. Jem is amazed of what his father just did and he is proud. In conclusion, Jems opinion of Atticus completely changes after this ironic event. It also builds his relationship with his dad. …show more content…

In chapter 6, Jem loses his pants in the Radley’s yard when the kids go to see Boo Radley and Mr. Radley shot the shotgun and scared the kids. Jem is scared to go back after what happened but builds up courage and makes the decision to go back to them. This shows that Jem matures and makes this important decision to go back to the Radley’s yard and grab his pants. Therefore, Jem’s growth starts when he builds up courage to go back to the Radley’s yard. Lastly, external conflict is another way that Jem’s growth is in the book. In chapter 15, the kids follow Atticus to the Jailhouse where Tom Robinson is, and see’s Atticus sitting outside of the jailhouse. A group of men pull up to the jailhouse wanting to kill Tom. The kids run to Atticus but he tells them to go home. Jem, knowing what will happen if they leave, refused. 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

Show More
Related
741 Words | 3 Pages

I made the mistake of reading the first Little House on the Prairie book once again after finishing the series. It was just so hard to believe that the distinguished Laura Ingalls Wilder was once a naughty five-year-old, always secondary to her flawless older sister. This transformation made me realize that in reality or literature, characters change as they grow. Their change depends on the events taking place in the book, which explains how and why Laura Ingalls rose up to be the head of the family when her older sister was unable to do so. Many literary works portray growth or refinement of certain characters; physically, mentally, or emotionally.

Read More
811 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
503 Words | 3 Pages

After Tom Robinson’s verdict was guilty, Jem started to throw a fit because he knew that everyone knew Tom was innocent but didn’t understand that white men basically always won in court. He realized with his age that everyone says people are equal but that’s false. Through Jem’s life lesson, he loses his innocence by him seeing the world for how it truly is and not a perfect as he thought it was when he was a kid. This loss of innocence shows coming of age as Jem is now aware of the world around.

Read More
733 Words | 3 Pages

The best teacher is always experience. Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jem, one of the main characters, undergoes many significant personality changes. Jem’s character changes through several experiences, the most prevalent of those being when Jem turns twelve, when he destroys Mrs.Dubose’s flower bed, and when he learns of the town’s racial bias. Jem’s personality underwent significant changes when he turned twelve years old. His new behavior was noticed by Scout, who described him as,”...

Read More
844 Words | 4 Pages

Jem was lost in society throughout this part of the novel, yet towards the end of the novel he had learned more to understand his community. At the

Read More
520 Words | 3 Pages

As the novel progresses, Jem becomes less defiant and more understanding of adults. Jem witnesses the physical and moral courage of his father before and during the trial of

Read More
1240 Words | 5 Pages

Maturing is something everyone goes through in life whether you go through it early or a little later in life. In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows a lot about maturing. Growing up in a small town in Maycomb, Alabama where life was a lot more different from today, you mature much different and in different ways. Jem is one person who matures through the whole story and makes realizations about people around him, including his dad, Tom Robinson, and Mrs. Dubose. Jem goes into the story thinking his dad is just some old man but as he gets older, he realizes there is more to his dad.

Read More
743 Words | 3 Pages

In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, she uses characterization to show how different events and people shape children as they grow up and ultimately determine what kind of adults they will turn out to be. Jem is a good example of this because he starts out as a little kid

Read More
233 Words | 1 Pages

Throughout the novel, Jem shows courageous behaviours and the courage definition changes over time, as Jem ages from 10 to 13 throughout the novel . At the beginning of the novel, Jem was 10 years old only , and his idea of courage is as simple as touching the side of the Radley house, and then only because "In all his life, Jem had never said no to a dare.”(pg.14). But as the story progresses, Jem learns more about courage and bravery from Atticus facing a mad dog (a literal scene of a dog with rabies that has to be put down) ,also from Mrs. Dubose's fight with addiction and her willingness to face her illness head-on although she knows that it's going to take her life. One of the most courageous act for Jem is when the mob confronts Atticus

Read More
1138 Words | 5 Pages

This is when he went out of control and lost all of the maturity he had. He could no longer take Mrs.Dubose’s insulting comments. This was a terrible decision yet others would have been tempted to do the same thing. As a punishment, Jem is forced to read to

Read More
822 Words | 4 Pages

Jem, a young and smart boy develops and matures through many unique situations in the novel. Jem is exposed to the harsh belief, judgement and circumstances of the court at a very young age. Following his father, Jem involves himself in the trial between Tom Robinson and Mayella Ewell yet takes Tom’s side due to his father's involvement. Jem slowly loses faith in the justice system and is faced with a loss of innocence as explained by Scout“It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd.

Read More
605 Words | 3 Pages

Addie Green Mr Storm Pre-AP English l April 29 2023 Jems Journey in To Kill A Mockingbird “His eyebrows were becoming heavier, and i noticed a new slimness about his body. He was growing taller,” (Lee 257). Physically and Mentally Jem has grown from a young boy into a young man, and it was noticed by many. The Characters in this story have shown it through words or actions and have treated Jem more maturely throughout the course of the novel.

Read More
747 Words | 3 Pages

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,

Read More
615 Words | 3 Pages

Atticus said no, Jem was growing” (pg 153). As Jem is dealing with more complicated issues, one being puberty, he is starting to grow up and develop a more

Read More
846 Words | 4 Pages

He realized Boo Radley had no intentions of harm; he just wanted to give the kids some gifts. “Atticus ain't ever whipped me since I can remember. And I want to keep it that way”(75) This shows Jem’s perseverance to perform actions that will benefit him in a positive way. Which speaks on the first quote on how he has changed for the better and just wants to be the best person he can be.

Read More

More about Jem's Growth In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Related Topics

Open Document