“Growing up is losing some illusions, in order to acquire others.” ― Virginia Woolf. In the sleepy, southern town of Maycomb this statement seems overwhelmingly true; losing your childish belief in fairness for the delusion that justice is unachievable seems like a necessary part of maturation. However, Jem Finch is an exception. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee we follow him and his sister during the time surrounding the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. During the trial the children witness the unjust consequences of racist biases, resulting in the man’s death. Over the course of the novel Jem progressively matures and becomes aware of the hatred and prejudice in his surroundings, but as opposed to the adults of Maycomb he manages to keep his vital hope in justice despite shedding his innocence.

At the beginning of the novel, Jem is still very much a child, but as the story progresses, he gradually acquires a more complex understanding of the world. Initially, Jem possesses quite a linear worldview and lacks any experience of the evil surrounding him. Consequently, he is somewhat short of the ability to view the world in another’s eyes. Among other things, this results in the fairly narrow identity of his neighbor Boo Radley, based solely on the boy’s youthful superstitions. On account of this, he comes up with the idea to play The Boo Radley Game, with little respect for the man owning its name. Later in the story,