Who Is Jem's Loss Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

“‘It ain’t right Atticus.’ said Jem. ‘No son, it’s not right.’” This is an excerpt from the popular story, To Kill A Mockingbird. During this dialogue, Jem’s tears are streaming down his red, angry face as his father Atticus is wearily acknowledging the unjust outcome of the trial of Tom Robinson to his son. This is an excellent example of the loss of innocence in the novel, where Jem is faced with the harsh reality that innocent, good people can be victims of vicious racism. Other examples include Jem’s loss of innocence by Mrs. Dubose, Boo’s loss of innocence by his father, and Scout, Dill, and Jem’s loss of innocence by Dolphus Raymond. Jem’s loss of innocence by Mrs. Dubose contributes to Jem’s character development dramatically. Jem

He comes from an old, wealthy family; but to Maycomb’s confusion, he surrounds himself with African Americans, as well as having several children with an African American women. Mr. Raymond drinks from a Coca-cola bottle with a straw in a brown paper sack to give appearance that he is “In the clutches of whiskey,” to give the whites a simple explanation why he prefers to live with the African Americans. In reality, Raymond is disgusted by the hypocrisy of the whites. Raymond tells Scout, Jem, and Dill why he drinks from a Coca-cola bottle in a brown paper sack. Their innocence is lost by seeing the white people’s actions through the perceptive eyes of Raymond. To sum it up, the novel To Kill A Mockingbird contains many themes. One very important and recurring theme is the loss of innocence. Whether the loss of innocence plants itself in racism, white hypocrisy, or a dramatic change in the outlook of humanity, the novel is filled with it. In any person’s life, this sudden loss of innocence or a naive perspective is inevitable. The famous novel demonstrates that the people (or lack thereof), that comfort the child at this sudden loss dramatically change the child’s outlook and attitude on reality for the unforeseeable