Theme Of Loss Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

James Gotwals

Mrs.Heinonen Teacher

Honors English 9

24 March 2023 A Lack Of Innocence To Kill A Mockingbird is written about a false rape and two murders. Jeremy Finch, Jem for short, is a young boy who has to grow up quickly with all three of these events taking place. He also has to try to help guide his little sister, Jean Louise-Scout for short, to making good choices. While Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird is told through Scout’s perspective, Jem’s loss of innocence is the most tragic.

In the beginning of To Kill A Mockingbird Jem and Scout both act like little kids, however as the novel progresses Jem begins to grow up much faster than Scout. When Jem tries to tell Scout that she needs to let Atticus work, he ostracizes her by

When Mr. Nathan Radley filled the tree, which had many gifts for Jem and Scout, Scout says,“He stood there by nightfall, and I waited for him. When we walked in the house I saw that he had been crying; his face was dirty in the right places, but I thought it odd that I had not heard him” (71). Jem knows why Mr.Radley filled the tree with cement, however Scout did not, leaving him to cry and for Scout to be confused. When Atticus offers to bring back the blanket that Boo, Arthur, Radley had given to Scout when he was not supposed to, Jem confesses, “Mr.Radley put cement in that tree, Atticus, an’ he did it to stop us from finding things-he’s crazy, I reckon, like they say but Atticus, I swear to God he ain’t ever harmed us, he ain’t ever hurt us, he coulda cut my throat from ear to ear that night but he tried to mend my pants instead… he ain’t ever hurt us Atticus-” (81). Jem’s confession completely blows Scout’s mind because she does not understand yet that Mr.Radley is trying to keep Aurthur locked up. Jem’s deeper understanding of events in Maycomb creates a mental gap between him and Scout, thereby making her confused and

This is incorrect, however, because as the novel progresses, it is evident how Jem’s wanting to be his own person negatively affects his relationship with Scout. A few months after Mrs.Dubose’s death, Scout complains, “Jem was twelve. He was difficult to live with, inconsistent and moody. His appetite was appalling, and he told me so many times to stop pestering him”(131). While Jem is maturing quickly, Scout is not. This leads her to become upset with the ways that Jem acts and for Jem to want Scout to be less annoying. When Jem came back from the Radley house he was acting weirdly, which Scout describes, “Jem stayed moody and silent for a week. As Attics had once advised me to do, I tried to climb into Jem’s skin and walk around in it; if I had gone to the Radley place at two in the morning, my funeral would have been held the next afternoon, so I left Jem alone and tried not to bother him”(65). Jem’s visit to the Radley house negatively affects his attitude, making him grumpy, which makes Scout not want to bother him. Jem’s trying to become his own person causes Scout to be upset with him and for their relationship to