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Moral Integrity In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Being the older sibling, Jem realizes the long-held values of Maycomb, but only as he matures does he understand what it means to have moral integrity. There are many times in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee in which the reader can see Jem’s maturity and his moral values. The first time Jem starts to understand moral integrity is when he is forced to read to Mrs. Dubose. After her death, Atticus explains just how much she was going through, and this information had a great impact on Jem. Jem furthers his knowledge of moral integrity during the trial. Jem believes that Atticus and Tom Robinson have won because he knows that the evidence was strong. Atticus ends up losing, which causes Jem to realize how much men will overlook evidence and the truth just to go against an African American. Lastly, Jem understands moral integrity while watching and learning from Atticus. Atticus firmly believes in ideas such as Tom Robinson’s innocence. He never gave up or fell to other men’s beliefs during the time of the trial, before it, or after it. The first time Jem really starts to understand moral integrity is before the trial when he is forced to read to Mrs. Dubose. Jem destroyed her flowers after she had said nasty things about Atticus. She stated, “Your father’s no better than the nig...s and trash he works for! (p. 135)” It is obvious to the …show more content…

He starts to understand the meaning when he is forced to read to Mrs. Dubose. Jem then goes on to further his knowledge at the trial of Tom Robinson. Finally Jem understands moral integrity throughout the course of the novel by watching his father Atticus. In the beginning of the novel Jem is a rowdy young boy. At the end, Jem has grown and learned. The reader can see this through Jem’s reaction after Scout brings up Hitler. Jem has obviously matured and understood what it means to have moral

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Jem’s transformations in To Kill A Mockingbird One year ago my family and i were in a car accident that changed me to grow up a little more . I think my experience is similar to Jem’s because he experienced a lot of things in life and he had to grow up a little faster than most kids his age. The book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is about a young girl thoughts about her brother named Jem who had to learn a lot of hard things in life and how he also had to grow up fast, that also lead him into becoming more like his father Atticus . In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows us how much Jem changed from a child like kid to a more grown teen in order to be more like his father Atticus who is his role model .

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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,”...

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Even if Atticus can’t win the trial he fights hard because he wants to be a role model to Jem and Scout. Atticus believes Tom is a mockingbird, meaning his innocent and a victim of racism. For him to take the case makes sense.

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Jem starts to mature the most after the case. His [Jem’s] face was streaked with angry tears as we make our way through the cheerful crowd. “It ain't’ right," he muttered all the way to the corner of the square where we found Atticus waiting… “It ain’t right, Atticus,” said Jem. No son, it’s not right.” We walked home.

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Jem grows up sheltered from the evil in the world. Once the trial comes around, however, he learns out imperfect the world is through the racism and prejudice, and he struggles to come to terms with this realization. After the trial he tells Miss Maudie, who is their neighbor, how it feels like “bein’ a caterpillar in a cocoon… Like somethin’ asleep wrapped up in a warm place. I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world least that’s what they seemed like” (Lee 288). Miss Maudie then tries to comfort Jem, but it still shows that Jem has been changed because his childhood view of Maycomb being perfect has been shattered.

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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

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The realization that there is true evil within their society shakes Jem to the core. Jem, like Atticus, holds a strong belief in the goodness of all people, but after the trial he reevaluate his understanding of human nature.

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One lesson in the book that I feel Jem learns as a part of growing up is moral courage. Atticus once told Jem that “courage is [not] a man with a gun in his hand. It 's when you know you 're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” Jem had always seen bravery as important and often tried to show the courage in him but only learnt about what moral courage really was through a series events that took place in the book.

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