Jem's Growth in Harper Lee’s Novel, To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

Jeremy Atticus Finch, or Jem, is one of the main characters in To Kill a Mockingbird. He is the son of Atticus Finch and the brother of Scout Finch. At the beginning of To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem is an immature ten year old, and at the end, he is a much more mature thirteen year old. At the beginning of the book, Jem believes that bravery is through the acceptance of dares given to him.

In the beginning of the book he starts by knocking on the window and going on his property. Throughout the book Jem starts to mature because he is hitting puberty. When Jem and Scout discover someone has been leaving things for them inside the knot of a tree he then realizes it is Boo. He and scout then try to leave him a thank you note but, his brother Nathan Radley had filled the hole with cement because, “The tree is dying.” He realizes that the stories of Boo are not true and thinks he isn’t as dangerous as the stories he’s heard everyone say. He also realizes after trying to leave a note on the window Nathan Radley comes out with a shotgun. Then they run away and have to crawl under a chain-link fence, which Jem catches his pants on and in the moment takes them off and leaves them. When he comes back for them he finds them folded and the hole had been sewed up by someone (Boo). Jem grows a lot thru the book because of his understanding of Boo and now knows he is actually a good

Jem refuses to admit it, but he is terrified of Boo and the horror stories that lurk around him. When Dill challenges him to knock on the doors of the Radley Place, he unsurprisingly follows through because “he loved his honor more than his head” (13). The importance of preserving his reputation and pride overpowers his fear. After the incident, Jem becomes more assertive and constantly boasts about his accomplished feat; he believes that it was an act of bravery, conquering something that no one else dared to do. Dill incessantly tests Jem’s willingness to take on new risks and the Boo Radley Game is invented. The children mock Boo in front of the entire town on a daily basis, and Jem believes he is proving a point by doing a harmless, comical thing. Atticus catches them in the action, yet “[he] hasn’t said [they] couldn’t, therefore [they] could...Jem had thought of a way around it” (41). Like most kids, Jem is brutally honest and goes off of what he hears and what is in plain sight. His doings are prompted by the innocence he still has as well as his lack of exposure to the darker sides of the world. He is unable to make higher-level connections or construct advanced ideas about his environment yet, showing that he is no more mature than the next child.

One reason the readers have come to love Jem Finch is the many personality traits he has shown throughout the book. These personality traits also happen to further themes in the book. He’s innocent, idealistic, and responsible. Jem’s innocence is one of the first traits readers are introduced to. It is shown when Jem spreads and believes rumors about Boo Radley: “Jem hissed. ‘Scout, how’s he gonna know what we’re doin’? Besides, I don’t think he’s still there. He died years ago and they stuffed him up a chimney.’” (Lee 39). In this scene Jem, Dill, and Scout are playing “‘Boo Radley.’” (Lee 38). Jem suggested the plan to the others as foolish game where they play out roles of the Radley household. Jem’s action in doing

In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout’s brother, Jem, was always a good big brother and he also needed to develop just as much as Scout needed to. Jem was as responsible as Dill’s aunt. Until the end of this book, Jem finally realizes that one can’t judge a person unless they know what he or she has been going through. Jem was appreciative that Boo Radley saved his life. Jem knows that Boo was not a crazy man; he was just a shy guy who didn’t want any attention drawn to him.

At the beginning of the book, Jem was extremely immature. He was intent on getting Boo Radley to come out of his house. Jem claimed Boo “. . . dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch . . . there was a long jagged scar that ran along his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time.” (16) Jem created the Boo Radley game, in which him, Dill, and Scout acted out their rumor-filled version of Boo’s life story. Jem also did not question any of Maycomb’s social conventions, and barely even recognized their existence. He had utter faith in Maycomb and did not realize that there was an ugly side to the town he knew and loved. During the trial, Jem said with

After this Jem looked up to his dad he wanted to be like him so then he started to grow up. He was being more like Atticus because after he took care of the mad dog he thought Atticus would be proud so Jem built up that energy to be brave. On the other hand, his sister scout also taught him bravery when she went in front of all the men that were at the jail and got them to go away. Jem didn't leave his dad and scout stood up to the men and spoke to them about their kids and hope they would listen. Thankfully they did go away after scout got one of the men to go they all went because they thought about their families. Lastly, Jem has a lot to look up to but, he will grow up to be a

In the book to Kill A Mockingbird, we find many examples of characters who show a change in perspective and outlook of the world around them. Few however change as dramatically as Jem Finch. We see a character who experiences the hardships of reality during some of the most awkward years of adolescents. As a result, we find a character whose morals are shaped and molded by each situation he faces. Jem Finch changes his motivations and perspectives because of the traits shown by the people of Maycomb and through the predicament of growing up.

It is later when the trial is going on that Jem really comes out of his shell and essentially grows up. He has an epiphany and realizes that the world really isn’t fair and things aren’t as they seem. He says to Scout “Scout, I think I'm beginning to understand something. I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time. It's because he wants to stay inside." (277) At this point Jem realizes that Boo would rather stay inside then be out here and I feel as if he is understanding of that because he knows how cruel the world can really be. It is here that you start to see that Atticus's parenting techniques are paying

Jem and Scout continuously attempt to “invade” and “torment” Boo Radley because of their extreme curiosity. As this issue gets worse, instead of physically punishing them Atticus tries to help them understand that Boo Radley may not want them to be around him. "... stop tormenting that man." (Lee 26) Is what Atticus says to Jem and Scout when he catches them playing the “Boo Radley” roleplaying game. As the book progresses further, Jem and Scout begin to understand what Atticus was really trying to say and understand that respecting other people and their privacy is an essential skill and proficiency. In the second part of the book they really follow Atticus’s lesson and leave Boo Radley alone in his house, but eventually fulfill their childhood wish of getting to see Boo Radley at the end of the book.

Moreover, Jem moral development is gradually growing from preconventional level: stage one to stage two. Jem in this novel is maturing at an early age and now can view what’s right and fair. In the novel, when Tom Robinson was put to Maycomb jail after the court; Atticus went to the jail to stand by with Tom because he heard that a group of men will stop by the jail. Jem, Scout, and Dill went to see what’s going to happen at the jail; when Jem say a group of men going through the jail and say that they were going to attack their father. Jem take the others with him and Atticus said to Jem “ Sons, I said go home” (Lee,152). At this point, Jem is refusing Atticus orders because he realizing the right thing to do because if Jem, Scout, and Dill go home then the group of men will attack Atticus. So by staying with Atticus; Jem felt that he leaves he will disappoint his father so his mind understands that Jem knows what right and fair he should stand up. Jem is getting an understanding of his maturity at this stage because the more mature he's got, the more he’s realizing what’s the importance of rights and fair.

By the middle of the novel Jem changes his perspective towards Boo Radley because he started to think beyond the rumors that people would say. According to the novel, it states “ when I went back, they were folded across the fence....like they were expecting me” (page 58). This explains that Jem thinks that Boo Radley isn't dangerous at all so he feels he is misunderstood because there was no proof. Jem realizes that a person is more than the sum of his parts. He feels sad for Boo Radley because everybody thinks that he is dangerous man when he is not.

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's definition of valor changes as he matures; he gains insight in the world. At the beginning of the novel, he only thinks of bravery as simply touching the Radley’s house, because "in all his life, [he] had never declined a dare”(Lee 13). Jem is quite intrigued and curious about Boo’s life throughout the novel and often finds himself risking everything just to get a better understanding of the complex character. At first, like any young boy, Jem tends to judge a book by its cover, but after months of growing into an understanding young man, he comes to the realization that Boo is not the monster everyone thinks he is. Jem comes to the conclusion that maybe Boo is just as scared of what's outside as the kids are of whats inside the Radley house; “Scout, I think I'm beginning to understand something. I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time. It's because he wants to stay inside”( Lee 227). Also throughout the trial, Jem shows his interest in the Tom Robinson case. He feels sympathy for the Robinson family and grows to truly understand the extent of how wrong it was for Tom to be found guilty. He shows a lot of emotion when he cries after the verdict was revealed, "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… ‘It ain't right, Atticus,' said Jem. ‘No son, it's

Most young boys are not as courageous as Jem are in the second half of the novel. Specifically in chapter 15, Jem and Scout come to the aid of their father as a mob attempts to attack Tom while he is in the cellar. As the mob tries to move the children, Jem stands tall and does not give in to their wishes, he “… finds himself confronted for the first time with the wrongs of the world” (Bloom, page 32). Jem, Dill, and Scout all display an act of courage at this particular moment and it all started from Jem. Jem held his ground and didn’t move. It was a chain reaction and due to Jem’s response; Dill and Scout decided to follow Jem’s lead. These two often look up to and follow Jem. This reaction and Scout’s words together decreased the tension and forced Mr. Cunningham to call off the attack on Tom. “Atticus and Jem were well ahead of us, and I assumed that Atticus was giving him hell for not going home, but I was wrong. As they passed under a streetlight, Atticus reached out and massaged Jem’s hair, his one gesture of affection.”(Scout) Scout sees her father rubbing the head of his son as a symbol of compassion and respect for his son. Atticus sees Jem as not only a leader to the rest of the children, but also a new, courageous side of him as he is developing into a strapping young