ipl-logo

Innocence And Growth In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

816 Words4 Pages

Hunter Beck 2nd Innocence and Growth To Kill a Mockingbird had multiple characters mature and change as it got closer to the end of the book. Jem had the most change out of everyone. Jem went from a kid that was childish and not thinking about what he did or consequences to acting like a big brother and mature enough to know what’s right and wrong for both him and Scout.Jem started maturing enough to where Scout started to realize that he was maturing quickly and started acting more adult than he was before. Jem at the start of the book didn’t have much matureness to him if he had any at all. He stayed inside of a tree because Atticus wouldn’t play football with him, that doesn’t display being mature at all. Jem being a big brother to Scout …show more content…

When Jem and Dill rolled Scout down a hill inside a tire and went down to the Radley house he realized the danger that he had put her in. If Arthur Radley was who they say he is, Jem could have potentially gotten her kidnapped or killed. Jem thinking about the danger that Scout was in could have a major impact on how he started to develop and mature throughout the rest of the book. Jem realizing what he had done he started to act more like an adult and take care of Scout more than he already did, showing a part of maturity and noticing his mistake and trying to make up for …show more content…

Jem saw Atticus as a perfect father figure and a perfect person. As the story went on Jem slowly started to realize that Atticus isn’t a perfect person like he had thought. Jem learning more about how people like his father and sister aren’t perfect was a good part of him maturing and understanding people better and sees things differently from other people's point of view. Him seeing people that he is with everyday and knows who they are makes it easier for him to realize different things about other people and different situations they could be in that are different from him and his family. Jem learned that you can’t judge people before you know them or understand why they do something. The Tom Robinson trial was a major event for Jem to experience and grow overall as a person. Jem seeing how the town didn’t believe him and Atticus and found Tom Robinson guilty made him realize the failure in the justice system and notice not everything is perfectly made up as it should be. The trial made Jem start to understand the world that he lives in and how wrong and unlawful the town he lives in can be based on a person's skin color. Seeing the outcome of the trial was an important part of how Jem would see the people of his community and the people around

Show More
Related

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Wisdom Quotes

    539 Words  | 3 Pages

    Atticus is letting Jem grow into a better, more mature, and braver person. The child-like bravery in Jem has slowly matured Jem to lose that child-like

    Read More

  • Examples Of Empathy In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1511 Words  | 7 Pages

    While Scout is less knowledgeable of the trial, she sees Jem and how “... his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each ‘guilty’ was a separate stab between them,”(282). Jem is watching his father go against the beliefs of the majority of Maycomb, while trying to prove an innocent man free of his accused actions. Jem puts himself in Tom’s situation, fully able to comprehend the importance of the case. He takes the pain Tom Robinson must be experiencing into himself, knowing how this verdict is changing someone’s life forever. Jem’s mature knowledge and awareness makes him a compassionate person, which is what Atticus had always aspired for his son to be.

    Read More

  • Loss Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

    931 Words  | 4 Pages

    Also, in chapter 22, when Aunt Alexandra asks about Jem's total shock at the trial's result that Tom was guilty, Atticus says that he has "made it this way for [Jem]" (243), indicating that he supports Jem's right to see the trial events. This justifies that Atticus encourages Jem to taking on the harsh truth about the world and his responsibilities, showing that from Atticus's point of view, Jem has lost his childhood innocence. Finally, Scout's remark in chapter 26 that "when [Jem is] able to think about it, [he] would be himself again" (283) stabilizes that Jem has changed completely. The buildup of these

    Read More

  • Loss Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

    626 Words  | 3 Pages

    The major theme in To Kill a Mockingbird is the loss of innocence. Not only do Scout and Jem lose their innocence, but other characters do as well. Scout and Jem grow up throughout the book, as they are exposed to the realities of racism, hatred and child abuse. They witness racism in the Tom Robinson case when Mayella Ewell claims he took advantage of her, when it was really Bob Ewell that did it. The court voted Tom Robinson guilty because he was African American, and most of the town would have been furious if a white man was convicted over a black man.

    Read More

  • Boo's Transformation In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1038 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the story To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem’s perception of Boo Radley changes as Jem learns to understand Boo and empathize with him. Jem starts to acknowledge Boo’s situation as his curiosity gets the better of him. His curiosity leads to Jem’s horrifying description of Boo, and his father's interrogation. With those experiences, Jem learns to act maturely, and think critically. Boo’s empathy through his events of mending Jem’s pants, giving gifts in the Radley tree, and Mr. Radley’s cementing of the tree, causes Jem to understand that different people have their own way of doing things, and leads him to become more empathetic for Boo and others, setting a good example for Scout, and the reader.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Moral Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

    740 Words  | 3 Pages

    One lesson in the book that I feel Jem learns as a part of growing up is moral courage. Atticus once told Jem that “courage is [not] a man with a gun in his hand. It 's when you know you 're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” Jem had always seen bravery as important and often tried to show the courage in him but only learnt about what moral courage really was through a series events that took place in the book.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Coming Of Age In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1138 Words  | 5 Pages

    This is when he went out of control and lost all of the maturity he had. He could no longer take Mrs.Dubose’s insulting comments. This was a terrible decision yet others would have been tempted to do the same thing. As a punishment, Jem is forced to read to

    Read More

  • Theme Of Maturing In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1240 Words  | 5 Pages

    Jems opinion on life changes a lot through the Tom Robinson case. He learns that people aren't treated equally just by the color of their skin. From this quote it shows just how much Jem cares about people's equality and how he's maturing. After the case and Tom Robinson's death Jem doesn't do anything to anybody or anything that doesn't deserve it. Like this incident in the story, A rolly polly has crawled in the house by Scouts bed she was going to smash it

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Coming Of Age Quotes

    1100 Words  | 5 Pages

    The characterization of Scout reveals that she is very sympathetic and worried about Jem risking his life. This further heated the argument, leaving Jem feeling moody and silent. While trying to comfort her older brother, Scout is reminded of Atticus' advice, “As Atticus had once advised me to do, I tried to climb into Jem’s skin and walk around in it” (77). The characterization of Scout highlights her mentality maturing. At the beginning of the novel, Scout has a difficult time understanding others until Atticus gives her important advice about sympathy.

    Read More

  • Empathy Quotes In To Kill A Mockingbird

    661 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jem is in disbelief of how they could come to the verdict even after Atticus presented substantial evidence. He is very upset when he asks “How could they do it, how could they?” (Lee, 213) This quote shows that Jem feels sorry for Tom and is critical of the jury's discrimination. Jem exhibiting this behavior shows that he is now becoming aware of issues that someone his age might not think twice

    Read More

  • Loss Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

    661 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jem grew up believing that Maycomb was a great place to live in, because he believed he knew the towns ways and never encountered a sour situation. As Jem witnesses the injustice that Tom went through, Jem starts realizing that the place he thought was perfect was not perfect at all. “It’s like bein’ a caterpillar I’m a cocoon, that’s what it is… Like somethin’ asleep wrapped up in a warm place. I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that’s what they seemed like” (Lee 288). Jem slowly starts becoming more aware of his surroundings and starts portraying Atticus chapter by chapter.

    Read More

  • Who Was Responsible For Tom Robinson's Death Essay

    886 Words  | 4 Pages

    Jem was mature enough to then start to create his independent values, which were complementary to Atticus’s and Harper Lee’s. During the case of Tom Robinson, Jem said, “Doesn’t make it right... You just can’t convict a man on evidence like that—you can’t” (224). Showing that he views this case based on fact, not opinion. After the verdict turned up guilty, Jem cried on the way home.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Foreshadowing In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1548 Words  | 7 Pages

    Jem's actions foreshadow how there will be more to come, likely where he will take more substantial risks. Harper Lee tries to start a progressing trend almost where Jem starts to do more dangerous things to stand up for others. She foreshadows how eventually Jem will get hurt because he is just a boy doing what he thinks is right. We see this when

    Read More

  • How Does Jem Change In To Kill A Mockingbird

    520 Words  | 3 Pages

    As the novel progresses, Jem becomes less defiant and more understanding of adults. Jem witnesses the physical and moral courage of his father before and during the trial of

    Read More

  • Theme Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

    747 Words  | 3 Pages

    As Jem starts to mature, his body language and use of words also start to show his overall maturity and his loss of innocence. Specifically, he acts exactly like his father,

    Read More

More about Innocence And Growth In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Open Document