Jem's Innocence

Jeremy “Jem” Finch is a leading protagonist in Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mocking Bird” published in 1960. Jem matured greatly throughout the duration of the book, starting to resemble and idolize his father, achieves the status of a guardian to his sister and introduces a whole new set of ideals in his lifestyle. He embodies the themes of growth. Throughout the novel we see how perceptions of things such as courage, respect, tolerance, and cruelty changes Jem as he matures.

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.

During the process of the trial, Jem experiences his coming of age and lost innocence moment by opening his eyes to the racism he is constantly surrounded by. When Tom Robinson lost the trial, Jem instantly matured and realized how racism in Maycomb was the only reason Tom lost. After Tom was declared guilty, the kids walked with Atticus, “It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. ‘It ain’t right’” (Lee, 1960, p. 284). Throughout the entirety of the trial, Jem was blinded by his innocence and thought there was no possible way that Tom could lose the trial. It was the moment when the jury declared Tom Robinson guilty that Jem lost his innocence and started opening his eyes to the world. This quote illustrates how frustrated Jem was by the unfairness of the trial. Jem now understands the only reason Tom Robinson lost the trial was because of his skin color. Due to his young age, he had not yet succumb to the disease of Maycomb and realized racism is not right. Furthermore, when Tom Robinson lost the trial, Jem’s perspective of Maycomb changed Jem is left to understand the reality of people’s biased opinions. When talking to Miss Maudie, Jem described to her, “‘It’s like bein’ a caterpillar in a

Living in a small town a boy named Jem matures his thinking and learns compassion which takes him on the journey of becoming a man. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a novel about two southern children Jem and his younger sister Scout who experience love, danger, and tragedy. Jem begins the novel as a boy but as it progresses he takes on a more adult-like thinking and shows compassion for others and the truth.

Jem like Scout realizes that Boo is not that bad of a person. Jem leaves his ripped pants laying in the Radley yard one night trying to peek into the window and get a glimpse of Boo. He runs back to get them and finds them folded neatly on the fence without a rip in them. Jem later finds out that Boo was taking care of him. “Scout, I think I am beginning to understand something. I think I am beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time..it is because he wants to stay inside.”(304) Jem then realizes Boo’s reasoning for not wanting to see the world. Tom Robinson’s trial has an effect on Jem’s ideas if empathy. He never pays attention to the actions of others from his own view, he just listens to what people such as Miss. Stephanie say assuming that it is true. When his father has to stand up for Tom on trial for “raping” Mayella Ewell and does not win, Jem can not believe that a group of men could make a decision based off of lies. He asked Atticus multiple times “How could they do that?” and Atticus simply said “they have done it before and they will do it

Many see the glass half empty. Others see it half full. A certain viewpoint makes people who they are. A human's perspective provokes particular beliefs and thoughts that run through our mind like millions of tiny termites. Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird authored by Harper Lee, the Finches, Ewells and Robinsons all view the world in a different manner. For Jem Finch, his beliefs are constantly being changed by his environment, surroundings, and people around him. Jem’s early antics with Boo, his attendance at the African-American church, and witness of the trial have one thing in common. All three change Jem’s beliefs from childish to thoughtful!

I peeked at Jem: his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each "guilty" was a separate stab between them...” (end of Chapter 21). Jem, who had been watching court cases for years thought that justice would come to Tom. Unfortunately racism prevailed and Tom was convicted of a crime he wasn't capable of committing.

After the trial Jem realizes that there are some bad people in this world, understanding how things actually work. You can tell Jem was affected because “His face was streaked with angry tears”(Lee 284) and he was obviously surprised by the way people can really act. Later after Jem was becoming more and more aware of the way things work in the world around him, which make him question the way he was raised. He is also confused about the things he was told and taught by Atticus. Once Jem was finally able to figure out “ There’s four kinds of folks in this world”(Lee 302) he can fully understand what was going on, and why Tom was convicted. Jem now is totally aware that things are not as they were made out to be. As soon as Jem was exposed

“Don’t you cry, now, Scout… don’t you cry now, don’t you worry.” Through this quote from To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem shows he has matured a lot since the beginning of the novel. By the end of the novel, Jem becomes understanding and patient and also begins to know more about the world. This causes him to become a better role model toward Scout.

After Jem is exposed to the real southern town, full of racism, he gets angry and upset. Jem is also miserable, since his father lost the case. At the trial of Tom Robinson, he was so sure that Atticus would win, he was very shocked when almost all of the jury said “guilty”. Jem becomes wiser through his experiences, leaving some of his childhood innocence behind. Scout says, “‘That’s what I thought too,’ he said at last, “when I was your age.

Through the course of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Jem encounters a series of events that cause him to grow up. During Tom Robinson’s trial, Jem’s eyes were opened to the racism and prejudice of the South: loss of innocence, a major theme in the novel, is a realization of the cruelty and injustice in the world, and that one must develop a tolerance for it.

What Jem is saying I understand because that trial would have made me that way also. Jem isn’t trying to be mean he just wants to forget. The way the trail went wasn’t equal at all. As soon as the jury saw the color of the man then they automatically assumed that he was guilty. Which that isn’t right at all.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee demonstrates that it is wrong to convict the innocent which is supported by the characters Atticus Finch, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. For example, Atticus Finch always saw people equally; he was a courageous man who allowed everyone a chance to show their worth. Atticus says to Jem when Mrs. Dubose dies that “[he] wanted [Jem] to see what real courage is…. It is when you're licked but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (Lee 149). This proves that Atticus does not force hate upon a human; he stands up for a strong man even when no one else supports him. In addition, many people see Boo Radley as a

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

Jem is another one of the main characters in the story or by his real name Jeremy Atticus Finch. Jem is a role model and a protector to Scout and teaches Scout throughout the book. Jem has a lot of maturity during the book just like Scout does and