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To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee: Character Analysis

900 Words4 Pages

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”-Helen Keller. Helen Keller’s idea about how only with suffering will someone grow up, is relevant to the characters Jem and Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Scout and Jem are siblings growing up in the same county at the same time. This being said though, each child interprets the events in Maycomb in a different way. Jem grows up because he experiences and understands important issues and trials that Scout, his younger sister, does not.

One of the first things that helps Jem grow up occurs when Dill, a friend, shows up at the Finch's house after he ran away from his own family. Scout and Jem are trying to go to bed …show more content…

This trial is another event where Jem grows up. The trial is about a black man named Tom Robinson who is accused of raping a white girl named Mayella. Jem and Scout’s father, Atticus, is Tom’s lawyer. At the trial Atticus is providing lots of evidence that to any unbiased jury, would claim Tom Robinson not guilty. Unfortunately in the 1930’s, a white man’s word is always taken over a black man’s. Because of this, the jury declares Tom guilty. When the verdict comes out, “It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheering crowd. ‘It ain’t right,’ he muttered” (Lee 284). After the trial, Scout doesn’t understand why it is such a big deal that Tom Robinson was declared guilty, compared to Jem who cries and is very upset. Scout just goes with the crowd and never questions why it is so devastating to Jem that Tom was declared guilty. Jem has a much harder time taking in that Tom is guilty and questions Atticus why the jury could convict Tom. This circumstance also shows how Jem is growing up because he understands this important event which Scout does

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After Atticus loses his trial, Jem notices that the Maycomb County justice system is broken and it needs help, “Then it all goes back to the jury, then. We oughta do away with juries. ”(294) This shows that Jem now understands that people are racist in everything and racism needs to be fought. On top of realizing that the justice system is in shambles, Jem realized that Tom Robinson’s case was very good at showing that.

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Additionally, from other people’s perspective, Atticus has lost, his innocence because of him defending a Negro. However, it is not true because Atticus is a lawyer and he is doing his job without criticizing him. This incident made Scout ask Atticus that if it is right to defend a Negro. By this, Scout is able to gain the ability to look from new perspectives on how the world works in very early age compared to her brother, Jem and other children. Secondly, Jem is not completely disillusion until a guilty verdict is returned to Tom Robinson at the end of his trial.

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Atticus, being a lawyer, decides to defend Tom in his case because he feels that it is the right thing to do, since he knew no one else would; due to the fact that Tom was black. Tom was a man accused of rape and was found guilty even though the evidence clearly proved otherwise. Jem and Scout mature a lot during

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At this point, Jem’s mind remains set that Tom Robinson will not be convicted. However, the judge’s perspective towards colored people lies inevident enough to ensure that Tom will not be pleaded guilty. When Reverend Sykes, the reverend of the First Purchase African American Church, informed Jem of the misfortune all black men encounter in trial, Jem “took an exception to Reverend Sykes” (279). After Tom Robinson’s trial, Jem became furious and confused at the prejudice against Tom. Jem believed that Tom would be proven innocent, because of Atticus’ in-depth argument against Mayella Ewell, the daughter of a white family of the lowest ranks, but Jem eventually faces the undenying truth.

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Scout and Jem are forced to deal with racial slurs and insults because of Atticus ' role in the trial. Scout has a very difficult time not physically fighting with other children due to this. Tom is asfsd to be guilty, even after Atticus proves that Tom did not commit the crime. Atticus unintentionally offends Bob Ewell, the father whose daughter is accusing Tom.

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The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is about two kids, Jem and Scout, and their childhood in their small town Maycomb, Alabama. In the beginning of the novel, Jem and Scout were two innocent kids playing in the summer sun, until school came along. Jem was about twelve throughout the novel and Scout was eight, and considering that Jem was twelve in the novel, he was changing. During the middle of the novel a rape trial occurred, which included a black man being accused by a white woman of first-degree rape. Atticus, the kid’s father was defending the african american man; Tom Robinson.

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Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem and Scout 's perception of courage drastically changes their behavior as they mature. They learn a lot about courage throughout the novel from their father Atticus and what they learn from him influences their choices and opinions. Although Jem is older than Scout, they both experience change in their behavior. At the beginning of the novel, Jem is still a young boy. He is defiant towards Atticus, he plays all the usual childhood games with Scout and Dill, and he engages in the younger children’s obsession with Boo Radley.

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They saw horrible things that happened during the case at courthouse. Jem and Scout saw a colored man be get called racial slursred by the other lawyer and jury. Both of them soon realized that Tom was wrongly convicted and called racial slurs. Thus both Scout and Jem realized what people actually think about the

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Jem and Scout learn many valuable life lessons throughout the novel and although they “grow up” at a much faster rate than other children in Maycomb, they will become people that have lots of wisdom and have been exposed to the real world. The experiences that the children have throughout their childhood help them solve problems, think wisely, and shape their

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The childhood and innocence of Scout and Jem die during the trial. Whether it’s people yelling racial slurs at Scout or even their own family members looking down upon Atticus, the kids are affected a lot by the trial. The book begins with Scout and Jem playing together in the yard and as the trial goes on, they grow up and start to realize the crudeness and ignorance of the real world. After the conclusion of the trial, Jem leaves the courtroom in tears due to his realization of the unjust, racist, final decision. Throughout the book, Jem stops playing outside with Scout and begins to have his own responsibilities.

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Scout and Jem witness the trial. They witness Atticus proving Tom’s innocence, they witness the racism that is projected on Tom, they witness the jury labeling Tom as guilty. Appalled that the jury found Tom guilty, Jem shows his true feelings on racism. Scout narrates, “It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd.

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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.

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As a punishment for ruining her bushes, he needed to go to her house everyday for a month to read to her. Scout goes along with him. Jem is growing up because he learned that he needs to own up to his mistakes and the consequences that come with them. Throughout the entire first part of “To Kill A Mockingbird”, we constantly see Scout grow up in front of our eyes.

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