How Does Jem Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird

Jem is maturing to a point that he gets exasperated with Scout’s immaturity. Lee writes, “… Jem hollered, “It’s time you start bein’ a girl and acting right!” … ” (Lee 153). This shows that Jem is maturing, but not to a point at which he learns to not worry about the way Scout acts, since she is only seven or eight. One of the reasons that Jem is maturing is that he is in middle school and realizes that being childish and immature is not common, but frowned upon.

Jem is growing up. It is a big change for everyone. For example, Scout says, “Jem was growing. I must be patient with him and disturb him as little as possible” (pg.115). The Finch’s are getting used to this change. The theme, “Support others through rough times”, is supported by the dialogue between Scout and Jem. Scout decides to be mature about the situation and supports Jem by being respectful. I believe that Scout is very kind for doing this. I don't think Jem realized that she is maturing as well as he is. I believe that change is really hard to adjust to but they seem to be coping with it better than I would. Although Scout seems to be happy, the tables turn for the worst.

Jem, as a child, has little respect for life or Scout his younger sister. When Jem, Scout, and Dill are on the hill Jem takes revenge on Scout by “pushing the tire with all the force”. As a child, Jem does not realize how important life is. He pushes Scout extra hard because she made him mad not knowing she could get seriously hurt. As Jem matures he has compassion for life and a realization of how important life is. Scout was going to “mash” a roly-poly but Jem asks her to spare it “ Because they don’t bother you.” Jem does not want Scout to kill the roly-poly because it is innocent. Jem’s statement is very reminiscent to Atticus telling the children to never kill a mockingbird because “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy.” The court case brings out Jem's adulthood as he starts to understand the unfairness of life and has a newfound compassion for what is right. Jem tells Atticus “that it ain't right” when he hears the guilty verdict, although knowing he is innocent. At this moment, Jem loses his childhood innocence as he realizes that the case should have been innocent but it was not because of the people in his town. Jem loses his childhood belief that everyone will treat others fairly and now has a compassion for what is right. The decisions Jem is faced with like the roly-poly and the court case brings out Jem's compassion in his coming of age.

In the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird,” Jem’s personality changed drastically throughout the story. Jem is forced to grow up by what he experiences. He starts to develop by the end of the book, and learns many lessons from his father, as well as how to stand up for what you believe in. As he grows, Jem’s sense of mortality develops with him.

Jem changes a lot in To Kill a Mockingbird but Scout changes even more. Jem grows from a child to a young adult and follows further into Atticus’s footsteps by becoming more mature and not worrying as much. But Scout is still a kid understanding big concepts, that is why I say she grows more. Jem may physically grow more and get older and understand things better but I believe Scout has grown just as much which means she has grown more. She may not be as big or as old as Jem but in the end of the book she understands everything as much or more than Jem does.

Dill was watching peacefully, and so was reverend Sykes beside him. “What is it?” I whispered, and got a terse, “Sh-h!” This shows a lot of how Jem is intrigued by the court and what’s going on inside it and also definitely showing how Scout doesn’t really see the big picture. Dill on the other hand is a little less tense about the court but still understands the importance of it.

There are many things in life that cause people to grow up; whether it be a death of a family member, the loss of a friendship or love. These experiences help us understand the world around us and all the people that are in it. Everybody’s coming of age and transition into adulthood is different. Although many authors tell stories of kids coming of age, no story can compare to Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” that leads you through many characters travels from childhood to adulthood. The events in the novel cause Jem and Scout to grow up and mature because they realize that the people in their town are prejudice.

But as he grows, the way he acts and speaks changes. In the middle, Jem becomes moody "Jem was twelve. He was difficult to live with... His appetite was appalling... Overnight, it seemed, Jem had acquired an alien set of values..."

In addition, Jem abandons all of his childish morals: “Jem looked the floor. Then he rose and broke the remaining code of our childhood. He went out of the room and down the hall. ‘Atticus,’ his voice was distant, ‘can you come here a minute, sir?’” (p.187-188). Dill, Jem and Scout’s best friend, ran away from his home and came to the Finch’s house. Jem has broken “the remaining code of our childhood” by telling Atticus about Dill, rather than keeping it a secret. He has matured past his childhood years, and realizes that sometimes it is best to involve adults.

Children mature and grow up at different stages of their life for a variety of reasons. The children may mature because of tragic moments in their life or just through time passing. Jem and Scout are two characters in “To Kill a Mockingbird” that have matured throughout the whole novel. These two characters went through a crucial trial and had been exposed to stereotyping, racism, loss, and eye opening moments. Jem and Scout have been just like any other child, but were thrown into stages of maturing and growing up.

Jem had changed throughout the story from acting like a child and doing things that children do to becoming more mature and taking part in the

As To Kill a Mockingbird progresses, Jem takes definitive steps toward maturity with his actions in the tire and flower incidents, for example. He would later go on to repair the flowerbed he destroyed, and take greater care to protect Scout. Through his actions, we can see Jem develop a sense of morals and responsibility that would prove to be a lifesaver.

When many people are children, their parents, grandparents, or anyone who poses as a parental figure tell them that they will become more mature with age. However, psychological maturity is mainly learned rather than simply accompanying a person’s ascent into adulthood. Inevitably people grow, but this statement proves the experiences a person has in their life, whether good or bad, will change the path he or she takes while growing up or even continuing his or her adult life. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jean-Louise “Scout” and Jem Finch are six and ten in the beginning of the book, respectively. Although they gain only three years by the end of the novel, the children develop even more mature mindsets than many of the physically grown-up people in the town. Three events that prompt this early maturation are a conversation that takes place between Atticus and Scout, Tom Robinson’s death, and the ordeal with Mrs. Dubose.

Over the course of the novel, the reader watches Jem mature from age 10 to age 13, growing up from a brave and playful boy, to a calm, collected young man similar to the likes of his father Atticus. One of the most important life lessons that Atticus teaches Jem is to always do the right thing even if it’s the hardest thing to do. Atticus Finch is known as a man who is “the same in his house as he is on the public streets.” (Lee, pg. 61) He lived by morals, and always abade by them. After Atticus took up the court case of Tom Robinson, a coloured man, he had many people insult him and make fun of him. Atticus knew that he couldn’t refuse the case, as he stated “before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”(Lee, pg.140) Atticus took the job that no person wanted, especially knowing that he was going to lose the case before it even began. In doing so, Atticus shows Jem that you should always be a man of your morals, that you should always do the right thing even if it is the hardest thing to do. Although he has a hard time understanding Atticus’ actions at first, Jem begins to comprehend his father’s values in the world around him, with more mature eyes.

In part one, Jem gets mad at Mrs. Dubose and decides to kill some of her flowers. When Atticus finds out, he makes him read to the sick old woman on a regular basis until she passes on. Atticus tells Jem that she was addicted to morphine and she was very sick. Jem realizes that what he did is wrong. Maturation can even be seen here when he understands the situation Mrs. Dubose was in. Also in part one, Scout gets into several fights at school. Every time someone makes fun of her or someone in her family she beats them up. Atticus tells her it is wrong to solve her problems this way and to stop fighting no matter what someone says. She doesn’t listen until part two when she stops fighting people altogether. This shows tremendous maturation on her part because she has gotten past the childhood habit of fist fighting when she had a problem with someone. Both of these acts show the children’s progressive maturation.