Jem is starting to follow in his father’s footsteps. Another example would be when Jem is starting to grow up. As he is starting to grow, Jem is changing the way he acts, such as him, visiting Mrs.Dubose’s grave and being “grateful for [Scout’s] company when he read to her [Mrs.Dubose]”. Earlier, when he was small, he disliked Mrs.Dubose because she would insult him and Scout. But it went far to an extent where Mrs.Dubose insulted Atticus for defending an African American, causing Jem to kill her favorite flowers. Atticus made him go to Mrs.Dubose’s house to read to her, every day for a month. Eventually, after a month, Atticus received the news that Mrs.Dubose has died. She sent a gift to Jem through Atticus, which was none other than her favorite flower- a camellia. Then he understands, from Atticus’s
Eleanor Roosevelt once acclaimed, “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, “I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along” (Roosevelt). Eleanor Roosevelt faced many challenges and prejudices throughout her life. She would not have been able to overcome these if she had not demonstrated strength and courage. Simply having these qualities is not what defines courage; but by using them in the face of adversity. The actions of Jem, Scout, Atticus and Boo exhibit these qualities in Harper Lee’s timeless classic, To Kill a Mockingbird. For the duration of the novel, readers embrace the concept that courage is not only pursuing a frightening act, but completing on it as well. This is engraved through the events and characters in the small town of Maycomb.
Scout (Jean Louise)- Jean Louise (more commonly known as Scout) is introduced to us as a young six year old girl who is innocent, but intrigued in the world. “‘If you shouldn’t be defendin‘ him, then why are you doin’ it?’ ‘For a number of reasons,' said Atticus. 'The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again.’ ‘You mean if you didn’t defend that man, Jem and me wouldn’t have to mind you any more?’ ‘That’s about right.’ ‘Why?’” (Lee 78). This shows that Scout is determined to learn as much as possible about the world.
The relationship between Jem and Scout is much like any other sibling relationship, full of love, support and trust. Scout looks up to Jem, greatly values his opinion on many different topics and trusts him completely. She follows his lead on may things such as when Atticus enquire about the nature of a game they are playing which depicts Boo Radley , “ Jems evasion told me our game was a secret so I kept quiet.” (Page 45) Jem in turn enjoys spending time with her and adores her. He cares deeply for Scout and protects her even at the cost of his own
Did you grow up in a racist community where the blacks and whites did not get along at all? To Kill a Mockingbird is by Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird is about how 2 children are growing up in a very racist community. It’s also about a big trial where a white man stood up for a black man, and back then that was a sin to stick up for blacks. In To kill a Mockingbird Scout is a very courageous little girl who sticks up to a mob, Bouncing back from an attack, and backing down from fights.
Everyone knows Jem from To Kill a Mockingbird, but do you? How well do you know Jem? To Kill a Mockingbird is a story about the deep south told through a young girl's perspective, a perspective of innocence written by Harper Lee. Jem plays an important role in To Kill a Mockingbird, because he had his dreams broken at a young age. This character has an unbelievable amount of backstory and depth to it because he is a good brother, great son, and a man of honor.
Many philosophers say; “The most challenging part of growing up is letting go of what is comfortable, and moving on to something unknown.” This quote strongly applies to the maturity process of Jeremy “Jem” Finch, a lead character in Harper Lee’s award-winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Jem struggles to understand his role in society as the picturesque facade of his sleepy southern town is destroyed, revealing the darkness underneath the surface. In this coming-of-age story amidst of a race war, Jem navigates the hardships of maturity. He is aided by the guidance of his father, who plays an integral role in the conflict of the small town as the court-appointed lawyer of an African-American man falsely accused of assaulting a white
Jem and Scout are taught a very different, and more humane, way of treating people, regardless of how different the person may be, by their father, Atticus. He teaches them that “you never really understand a person… until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it” (P 33). Scout tries to apply this as she struggles to understand the inhumanity she witnesses around her, but is largely unsuccessful until the end of the novel. Only after walking Arthur home on the night Arthur saved her life did she truly understand this; “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.” (P 308), which clearly portrays that Jean Louise’s transition from a young child to a young adult has begun, in contrast to the inhumanity she treats Walter Cunningham
In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Jem grows from a little boy to an intelligent young man. Throughout the book, he discerns many things that shape his personality. As Jem grows, he learns how bad society is and that not everyone is perfect. Fortunately for Jem, this ends up helping him and he finds out that Atticus is a hero and that he should look up to Atticus. Through Atticus and the trial, Jem loses his innocence by learning about prejudice, bravery, and that the justice system is crippled.
Throughout the story, Jem (taken from the word gem meaning a cherished and prized person) is used by Harper Lee as a representation of courage. In the beginning, Jem’s first act of courage occurs when Jem accepts Dill’s provocation to go and touch the Radley house. In the story, Scout says, “In all his life, Jem has never declined a dare” (Lee 16). This quote shows how Jem would never demur any sort of challenge, even if it involved stupid or childish acts like going to a forbidden place. Scout also shows how Jem even accepted a dare from her to jump off the roof of the house as a kid. An Enotes comment says that “Jem was scared but he overcame that fear and ran up and touched the house.” Even though these two acts were childish, they were brave and bold for someone his age and maturity none the less.
Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem and Scout 's perception of courage drastically changes their behavior as they mature. They learn a lot about courage throughout the novel from their father Atticus and what they learn from him influences their choices and opinions. Although Jem is older than Scout, they both experience change in their behavior. At the beginning of the novel, Jem is still a young boy. He is defiant towards Atticus, he plays all the usual childhood games with Scout and Dill, and he engages in the younger children’s obsession with Boo Radley. 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
As Nelson Mandela wisely said “ I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” The story centers around the Finch family and the lessons that both Jem and Scout Finch learn as their father defends a black man accused of rape. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, we see the idea of true courage reflected in Jem Finch’s journey. With her words, Harper Lee paints a picture of what true courage as it is, and Jem Finch takes this lesson to heart as he sees examples of true courage in his life.
Father, lawyer, and friend, the gentlemanly Atticus Finch hopes to shape the character of his children. The novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is the story of the childhood of a young girl named Jean Louise “Scout” Finch. Throughout the book, Scout’s father, Atticus, tries his best to raise her and her brother, Jem, the right way as a single parent. To Kill a Mockingbird exemplifies the way the character of Atticus Finch either uses ritual or abandons it in order to develop certain character qualities within his children. He specifically focuses on the development of honesty, courage, and humility.
Scout Finch is not an ordinary girl, and she does not want to be. Everything about her life proves a little bit out of the ordinary, especially the mysteries of her town. Things start to get even more odd than usual when a neighbor’s nephew, Dill, arrives. He has an untamed curiosity that also boosts Scout’s wonder to figure out the truth of the Radley house next door and the mysterious Boo Radley who lives there. While many questions surround Scout, her father takes a case that will change all of their lives. He agrees to defend an African-American man that was falsely accused, something that was unspeakable at the time. In the town of Maycomb, Scout’s traits of curiosity, tomboy personality, and boldness and courage, help her realize that