To Kill a Mocking Bird Essay example

Jem on pg 231 that is wasn’t right for Tom Robinson to be convicted of a crime that he did not commit, Jem asked his father is they could do away with the juries because he knows that there was no way the Tom Robinson should have been convicted of that crime, and it was because of the juries that he was sent to prison. On Page 240 Atticus says to his son Jem that “In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black mans, the white man always wins. They’re ugly, but those are the facts of life”. Atticus said this to Jem because the society that they lived in was always going to treat ‘black’ people in

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.

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

Like the book had been stated jem was only 10 years old when this book started. Now most 10 year olds have almost no knowledge of the world. This was expected but as the book represents jem shows us this multiple times. The first big example in the book was when scout had found the a piece of gum in the tree hole, the text states, “Don't eat things you find scout.” This is showing that Atticus has taught him at a very young age or Jem caught on to the idea dn knew it was bad. Another example in the book was when Jem wanted to contact Boo radley or Arther. Jem knew,”If i had gone alone to the Radley Place at two in the morning then my funeral would have been held that afternoon.” He had made sure they went together just in case something bad were to happen.

After watching the trial, Jem saw that the people of Maycomb were being unjust to Tom Robinson and giving the Ewells an unfair advantage. “There’s something in this world that makes men lose their heads- they couldn’t be fair even if they tried. In our courts, when it’s a black man’s word against a white man’s, the white man always wins.” (pg. 117) Jem knows that everyone should be treated fairly. When he was younger he did not understand why this was. Now, he is now exposed to the amount of racism that the South has. Atticus has taught him to stay strong through the tough times and to always treat people with respect no matter the color of his skin. Towards the end of the trial Jem was sure that Atticus and Tom Robinson had won the case. However, the rest of Maycomb was on Mayella and Mr. Ewell’s side which made him very frustrated. “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,” he muttered, all the way to the corner square where we found atticus waiting.” (pg. 113) He knows it’s not right to not believe a man’s word because of the color of his skin.

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it”. Discuss this quote from Atticus in relation to 3 characters from the novel.

As the novel progresses, both Jem and Scout are shown to mature, this is due to "To Kill A Mockingbird" being a bildungsroman novel. Through this coming of age process, we are actually shown Jem’s new found maturity enabling him to find empathy and acceptance regarding the Boo Radley myths, as he finally took his father’s advice to “climb into someone else’s skin and walk around in it” when he was explaining to Scout his epiphany that he “[is] beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut in his house all this time. It’s because he wants to stay inside.”

In the earlier parts of To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus and Jems bond is simple. Jem looks at his father as older and less athletic then his friend’s dads. This makes Jem upset and want Atticus to change. Example includes, Scout says, "Jem was football crazy. Since Jem loved football he played with Atticus. Atticus liked to throw it and play keep-away but when Jem wanted to tackle Atticus said, `I'm

When Scout and Jem are six and ten respectively, they abide by Atticus’ and Calpurnia’s boundaries, but with contrasting responses; while Jem obediently stays within the rules, Scout challenges them, only complying with great effort. Despite their age difference, the siblings play together as a team based off of mutual trust. Jem is the leader of this team and is often a source of knowledge, restraint, and judgment. For example, when they meet Dill, Scout’s impression of him is that he is strange, and she does not thoroughly approve. When she moves to challenge him, Jem intervenes. “…Jem told

In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird a major theme is the loss of innocence. Whether from emotional abuse, racial prejudice or learning, Boo, Tom, and Scout all lose their innocence in one sense or another. The prejudice that each character endures leads to their loss. Through the responses of Boo, Tom, and Scout, Harper Lee shows how each character responded differently to their loss of innocence.

Jem leads this change, as hes older than Scout, but both of them experience it. At the beginning of the book the think that everybody in the town has all goodness thinking everyone understands and pursues to the same values they and their father do. During Tom Robinson's trial, the children are sorely disappointed when the jury, made up of their fellow townspeople, convicts the obviously innocent Tom Robinson simply because he is a black man and his accuser is white. They realize that their is true evil in their society and jem trys to figure out what could it be.. He held a strong belief in the goodness of all people, but after the trial must reevaluate his understanding of human nature.

Jem kinda gets mad at Atticus sometimes because he wants to play football with him, but Atticus says no cause he is too old to rough house. Jem does not really understand that he can't really do stuff anymore.

because his mother and new father did not pay enough attention to him. Also Jem goes down the hall to tell Atticus that dill is coming back

     In my opinion theme with the most impact in 'To Kill a Mockingbird" is Hypocrisy as shown in three main incidents . These are the teachings of Ms Gates about the atrocities of Adolf Hitler whilst she hated blacks ; the missionary circle trying to show how Christian they are while believing that to be a brother of Christ you must be white and finally the hypocrisy of the American court system in the 30's by saying they stand for justice.

Children look up to their elders for wisdom and advice. They rely on someone experienced and with authority for guidance on how to live their lives. However, sometimes the people who are accountable for youth mislead them; they may have good intentions, but are not mature enough to exemplify their values and morals, or they simply are ignorant. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Aunt Alexandra plays a negative role: she is a proper, southern lady with a strict code of behaviour and etiquette, but is too closed-minded and obstreperous to change her ways or view the world from others’ perspectives. Calpurnia takes on the position of a positive role model by disciplining the children in the Finch household. Miss Maudie takes on the role of a