Characteristicness And Obsessiveness In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Characters can make or break a story. The way an author uses them decides whether the book will be a good book, or if it flops instead. Some great characters are Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby, Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series, and Jem Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. Each is used in a strategic way by the author to make their story seem whole. They affect themes, plots, and overall feelings in a book. In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee uses the character Jem Finch to demonstrate the themes of innocence and maturity. Lee creates such a personality for him that it has shaped his role in the story. Through Jem’s trust in the goodness of people, he shows his childhood innocence, while his experiences and new understandings help him mature.

Atticus is guarding the jailhouse to make sure no one hurts Tom Robinson before his trial, when he is approached by Walter Cunningham and his fellow goons. Atticus shows his bravery by standing his ground for what he believes is right in front of his son. When Scout lashes out to her father’s side, Jem holds onto her and tries to stop her from interfering. Then Jem refuses to go home and stands up for his father’s side although the odds were against them, while trying to protect his sister from harm. In page 152, chapter 15, Scout says, “... but from the way he stood, Jem was not thinking of budging.” This shows us that Jem has matured from the boy who would do anything if dared, to a young man who can barricade his emotions and proceed with reason in difficult situations.

This makes it easy to succumb to peer pressure throughout the community. But going along with your peers just because can often get you in trouble, like it did with Jem and Scout often. While Jem and Scout and Dill were still trying so persistently to get Boo Radley to come out, Scout got sucked into the various activities they would do regarding him. Which would often get her caught and in trouble. When Jem tells her what their plan is, her indignance is clear, and she clearly doesn’t want to take part in bothering Boo. Since she’s younger though, she follows her brother. “We are going to give a note to Boo Radley... Just how? Jem-- “Now you’re in it and you can’t get out of it, you’ll just stay in it, Miss Priss!” Scout doesn’t want to bother him or get caught doing it, but that’s how being a little sister goes when Jem’s your older brother. The following instance is what happened when Jem and Scout and Dill got caught. Scout originally didn’t want to be part of acting out Boo’s life, and in the end they got in trouble and a scolding from Atticus. In a way, Scout looks up to Atticus for inspiration and as a major role model in her life him being displeased with her made her a little upset at Jem for sucking her into it. “‘Son’, he said to Jem. “Stop tormenting that man... and that goes for both of you.” Atticus grinned dryly. (65)” Atticus is clearly displeased with their activities because he knows Boo doesn’t want to come out. The children are young so it is hard to explain to them and them fully understand. He tries though, to explain that he doesn’t want them to coax Arthur out of his house. And instead of taking it logically, Scout takes it like he’s upset with them. Even though this is the consequence of peer pressure on a much smaller scale, it is demonstrated other times in Maycomb as well. Mayella Ewell is very much a victim. Of sexual,

He constantly makes or doesn’t make certain decisions in the hopes that his connection to others will remain as good as possible. He doesn’t perform a single action without thinking about how it makes others feel or the impression he gives about himself. The best example of this is the relationship he has with his father. Regarding the night that Jem’s curiosity drove him to sneak behind the Radley house, Scout wants to inform their father of the events that occurred. In response, Jem says, “‘I—it’s like this, Scout,’ he muttered. “Atticus ain’t ever whipped me since I can remember. I wanta keep it that way’” (Lee 75). Here, Jem shows his driving ambition to be seen as an admirable son in the eyes of his father. While this choice may also present a sense of dishonesty, it is later shown that Jem regretted disturbing the Radley home in the first place when he says, “‘I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley stayed shut up in the house all this time… it’s because he wants to stay inside’” (Lee 304). So, even though he’s concerned with the way that others think of him, the way he accomplishes this is to make changes to himself for the better. This is shown during the trial as well. When Jem supports Tom Robinson, whether it is for the approval of his father, the black community, or even himself, the motive doesn’t necessarily matter, so long as he actually

Another trait Jem shows throughout the story is his control over his anger. This is a trait

Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird Jem Finch shows us innocence, curiosity, and courage. Jem Finch showed innocence after the Tom Robinson trial, he showed curiosity when they went to go see Boo Radley, and he showed us courage at the jail the night before the trial. Jem Finch was the one that made me want to actually read this book, I was always interested in what his curiosity would drive him to do next. Jem is one of the main characters of the book and I fell in love with him throughout the

Atticus is a wise father and helps his children accept people no matter how they look or act. This is evident when he says “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view.” (Lee 33). Throughout the novel, Jem and Scout mature at different paces. Atticus guides his children as they begin to grow and mature. “It ain’t right, Atticus,” said Jem.” “No son, It’s not right.” (Lee 243). When Atticus lost the case, Jem expressed how he felt. He had tears on his face. Here was a turning point for Jem because he was old enough to understand the case. Atticus comforted him and agreed it was not right. Atticus shows affection towards his children when they saved him from trouble with “the mob”. “As they passed under a streetlight, Atticus reached out and massaged Jem’s hair, his one gesture of affection.” (Lee 176). At first, Atticus may have been frustrated with his children being at the office. Then, their innocence saved him. Atticus has many characteristics and is a loving father. Atticus displays a valuable lesson about equality and fairness for his children.

    To begin,  Jem and Scout have a father named Atticus who is a lawyer and has such a good character, that even he defends colored people for crimes even though most know that if a black person is tried in court, not at anytime did he or she receive a fair and unprejudiced decision toward their fate.  Based on Atticus and his overall character and actions, one can say that one of the most impactful and poignant lessons that Atticus ingrains into his children’s brains is to always live humbly towards life and live positively and politely.  Several instances of Atticus being reserved and respectful and most importantly impacting Jem and Scout would be when he shot a dog with rabies when nobody else particularly wanted too and shot it dead between the eyes and never told anyone about being “the best shot in town”.  It most left Jem in utter awe as Miss Maudie Atkinson, a neighbor of the

With Atticus as his role model, Jem starts to follow his father’s footsteps throughout the book. One day, when Atticus bravely shot a mad dog that ran rampant through the streets of Maycomb, Jem started to understand what it really meant to have courage. Unfortunately, Jem’s bravery shows his foolhardiness when he nearly becomes a shooting victim in an attempt to get Boo Radley out of the house. However, Jem’s fearlessness also displays maturity when a drunken mob with violent intentions surrounds Atticus. With his father in trouble, Jem shows a character quality that greatly resembles his dad. “Mutual defiance made them alike.” (15) In the end, Jem’s actions saved Atticus from injury.

The most important lesson Atticus teaches Scout and Jem is that real courage isn’t from physical intimidation, but from a mental standpoint.

For example, as Scout, the younger sister of Jem, stated, ” In all his life, Jem has never declined a dare” (Lee 13).Bravery is a very important trait to Jem because he does not want to show any signs of weakness. In order to prove his bravery, Jem accomplishes several dares. For example, touching Boo Radley’s house, a judged man that never goes outside and who has been deemed by the town as creepy.

Jem is young and carefree in the beginning of the novel. He is just starting to take on the responsibilities of an older brother: “Jem condescended to take me to school the first day, a job usually done by one’s parents, but Atticus said Jem would be delighted to show me where my room was.” (p.20). Atticus is trusting Jem to safely get Scout to school, and help her

In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, there are many different characters that have various personalities. One of the characters that has the best personality is Jem. Throughout the novel, it is shown that Jem is a better person than most adults by asking questions about others’ decisions, thinking about hard topics, and reflecting back on his life.

In addition to Jem’s childish, protective, and playful nature- he is also scheming and possesses a clever mind. He demonstrates this with his knack for avoiding conflict, finding loopholes in regards to the rules Atticus has set for him and Scout, and luring out Boo Radley. This mischievousness sometimes causes Jem to be a troublemaker. Despite his cunning nature- as the novel progresses, Jem changes and develops into a more mature and responsible character as

The many forms of courage are shown throughout the novel by the characters of Jem, Boo (Arthur), Mrs.