Jem's Growth in Harper Lee’s Novel, To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

One reason the readers have come to love Jem Finch is the many personality traits he has shown throughout the book. These personality traits also happen to further themes in the book. He’s innocent, idealistic, and responsible. Jem’s innocence is one of the first traits readers are introduced to. It is shown when Jem spreads and believes rumors about Boo Radley: “Jem hissed. ‘Scout, how’s he gonna know what we’re doin’? Besides, I don’t think he’s still there. He died years ago and they stuffed him up a chimney.’” (Lee 39). In this scene Jem, Dill, and Scout are playing “‘Boo Radley.’” (Lee 38). Jem suggested the plan to the others as foolish game where they play out roles of the Radley household. Jem’s action in doing

Jem refuses to admit it, but he is terrified of Boo and the horror stories that lurk around him. When Dill challenges him to knock on the doors of the Radley Place, he unsurprisingly follows through because “he loved his honor more than his head” (13). The importance of preserving his reputation and pride overpowers his fear. After the incident, Jem becomes more assertive and constantly boasts about his accomplished feat; he believes that it was an act of bravery, conquering something that no one else dared to do. Dill incessantly tests Jem’s willingness to take on new risks and the Boo Radley Game is invented. The children mock Boo in front of the entire town on a daily basis, and Jem believes he is proving a point by doing a harmless, comical thing. Atticus catches them in the action, yet “[he] hasn’t said [they] couldn’t, therefore [they] could...Jem had thought of a way around it” (41). Like most kids, Jem is brutally honest and goes off of what he hears and what is in plain sight. His doings are prompted by the innocence he still has as well as his lack of exposure to the darker sides of the world. He is unable to make higher-level connections or construct advanced ideas about his environment yet, showing that he is no more mature than the next child.

In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout’s brother, Jem, was always a good big brother and he also needed to develop just as much as Scout needed to. Jem was as responsible as Dill’s aunt. Until the end of this book, Jem finally realizes that one can’t judge a person unless they know what he or she has been going through. Jem was appreciative that Boo Radley saved his life. Jem knows that Boo was not a crazy man; he was just a shy guy who didn’t want any attention drawn to him.

“Maturity is the ability to think, speak and act your feelings within the bounds of dignity. The measure of your maturity is how spiritual you become during the midst of your frustrations.” is a quote from Samuel Ullman. This describes the struggles that Jem went through by taking part in the community and trial and by also taking the risk of losing some of his friends and family in Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird. Through Jem’s interaction with the racism of Maycomb, he became aware of the things around him. We all learn that it takes a strong person to overcome the barriers of society.

It is clear Jem is maturing while Scout is not. At the beginning of chapter twelve there is a definite change in Jem. Previously Jem hated Mrs. Dubose for the names he calls Atticus and refused to see Mrs. Dubose’s side. Not much later Scout states that “Mrs. Dubose was not cold in her grave - Jem had seemed grateful enough for my company when he went to read to her. Overnight, it seemed, Jem had acquired an alien set of values.” (115 Lee). Jem seems to have forgiven Mrs. Dubose to some extent, and even respects her. Scout doesn’t understand and finds this alien and sudden.

At the beginning of the book, Jem was extremely immature. He was intent on getting Boo Radley to come out of his house. Jem claimed Boo “. . . dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch . . . there was a long jagged scar that ran along his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time.” (16) Jem created the Boo Radley game, in which him, Dill, and Scout acted out their rumor-filled version of Boo’s life story. Jem also did not question any of Maycomb’s social conventions, and barely even recognized their existence. He had utter faith in Maycomb and did not realize that there was an ugly side to the town he knew and loved. During the trial, Jem said with

In the beginning of the book he starts by knocking on the window and going on his property. Throughout the book Jem starts to mature because he is hitting puberty. When Jem and Scout discover someone has been leaving things for them inside the knot of a tree he then realizes it is Boo. He and scout then try to leave him a thank you note but, his brother Nathan Radley had filled the hole with cement because, “The tree is dying.” He realizes that the stories of Boo are not true and thinks he isn’t as dangerous as the stories he’s heard everyone say. He also realizes after trying to leave a note on the window Nathan Radley comes out with a shotgun. Then they run away and have to crawl under a chain-link fence, which Jem catches his pants on and in the moment takes them off and leaves them. When he comes back for them he finds them folded and the hole had been sewed up by someone (Boo). Jem grows a lot thru the book because of his understanding of Boo and now knows he is actually a good

Jem and Scout continuously attempt to “invade” and “torment” Boo Radley because of their extreme curiosity. As this issue gets worse, instead of physically punishing them Atticus tries to help them understand that Boo Radley may not want them to be around him. "... stop tormenting that man." (Lee 26) Is what Atticus says to Jem and Scout when he catches them playing the “Boo Radley” roleplaying game. As the book progresses further, Jem and Scout begin to understand what Atticus was really trying to say and understand that respecting other people and their privacy is an essential skill and proficiency. In the second part of the book they really follow Atticus’s lesson and leave Boo Radley alone in his house, but eventually fulfill their childhood wish of getting to see Boo Radley at the end of the book.

By the middle of the novel Jem changes his perspective towards Boo Radley because he started to think beyond the rumors that people would say. According to the novel, it states “ when I went back, they were folded across the fence....like they were expecting me” (page 58). This explains that Jem thinks that Boo Radley isn't dangerous at all so he feels he is misunderstood because there was no proof. Jem realizes that a person is more than the sum of his parts. He feels sad for Boo Radley because everybody thinks that he is dangerous man when he is not.

It is later when the trial is going on that Jem really comes out of his shell and essentially grows up. He has an epiphany and realizes that the world really isn’t fair and things aren’t as they seem. He says to Scout “Scout, I think I'm beginning to understand something. I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time. It's because he wants to stay inside." (277) At this point Jem realizes that Boo would rather stay inside then be out here and I feel as if he is understanding of that because he knows how cruel the world can really be. It is here that you start to see that Atticus's parenting techniques are paying

Moreover, Jem moral development is gradually growing from preconventional level: stage one to stage two. Jem in this novel is maturing at an early age and now can view what’s right and fair. In the novel, when Tom Robinson was put to Maycomb jail after the court; Atticus went to the jail to stand by with Tom because he heard that a group of men will stop by the jail. Jem, Scout, and Dill went to see what’s going to happen at the jail; when Jem say a group of men going through the jail and say that they were going to attack their father. Jem take the others with him and Atticus said to Jem “ Sons, I said go home” (Lee,152). At this point, Jem is refusing Atticus orders because he realizing the right thing to do because if Jem, Scout, and Dill go home then the group of men will attack Atticus. So by staying with Atticus; Jem felt that he leaves he will disappoint his father so his mind understands that Jem knows what right and fair he should stand up. Jem is getting an understanding of his maturity at this stage because the more mature he's got, the more he’s realizing what’s the importance of rights and fair.

At the beginning of the story, Jem has many misconceptions. "Jem's idea of bravery is simply touching the side of the Radley house" (Castleman.) Jem Finch starts as a ten year old boy. Taking away from the novel, this particular period in a boy’s life is very important as the long journey to manhood begins. It is enough that Jem is going through this time in

This is something that has touched Jem the most out of all the other characters. When Jem was younger and more naive, he believed that courage could be defined as being able to touch the side of the Radley house, only because "in all his life, [he] had never declined a dare. (pg 17)". While later on he learns through events like the encounter with Miss Dubose, that courage can be expressed in many ways. Jem learns about courage most notably when Atticus mentions that "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway… According to [Mrs. Dubose's] views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew. (pg

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.

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