To Kill A Mockingbird - The Maturing Of Jem Finch Essays

To Kill A Mockingbird - The Maturing of Jem Finch Society is not as innocent to a child as it may appear to be. In fact, when one really understands the society in which he lives he is no longer a child. This is much the same case as found in To Kill A Mockingbird, by Leigh Harper. Although Jem, being a child at the beginning of the novel, is immature and unaware of the society in which he lives, he matures mentally to the point where he sees the evil in society and gains a knowledge of death. Like most children, at the beginning of To Kill A Mockingbird Jem and Scout are both young, play together, and have childhood monsters or fears like other children. Primarily, in To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem is young. Scout states their age when it supposedly all starts: "When I was almost six and Jem was almost ten..." (10). Here Jem is only nine years old and therefore still a moderately young child; it is assumed he is therefore immature. Jem also spends his time playing with his five year old sister. This also occurs very early in the novel: "Early one morning as we were beginning our day's play in the back yard, Jem and I heard something next door in Miss Rachel Haverford's collard patch." (11). As the novel progresses, Jem no longer plays with his sister Scout, but he is doing so at this point and he would appear to anyone as one child playing with his sister. Lastly, Jem has childhood fears like most any child does. All children have their fears or monsters. In Jem's case it i rthur Radley, commonly known as Boo: " Let's try and make him come out..." Jem said if he wanted to get himself killed, all he had to do was go up and knock on the front door... " It's just I can't think of a way to make him come out without him gettin' us."... When he said that I knew he was afraid. (17-18) Often, during his first summer with Dill, Jem talks of Boo and his house much like a child discusses a haunted house. Primarily it is assumed that Jem is a child due to three main points that come across; Jem is young, plays with his little sister, and has childhood monsters. However, as the novel progresses so does Jem to the point where he matures mentally enough to see the evil in the society around him. Jem's awareness of the society in which he lives can first be noted when his father accepts the case of a black man and others begin to talk of him rather rudely: " Have they been at it?" I (Scout) asked. " Sort of. She won't let him alone about Tom Robinson. She almost said Atticus was disgracing the family. Scout... I'm scared." (149) Here Jem gains his first taste of fear from his society in which his own aunt was getting cross at his father for defending a black man. When Mr. Robinson is pronounced guilty by a white jury things only heat up for Jem: "It was Jem's turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd." (214). Jem grows so angry and frustrated with the justice system and society in general that he becomes overwhelmed at this moment and begins to cry bitterly. At this point Jem is no longer a child and when he takes his frustrations to his father it only becomes clearer: "It ain't right, Atticus," said Jem. "No son, it's not right." (215) The fact that Jem becomes aware of the society around him in these three incidents support the theme that Jem is no longer a child but has matured mentally to the point where he sees the evil in the society around him. Just as Jem in his maturity gains a sense of the society around him, he also obtains a knowledge of death. The primary death was that of Mrs. Dubose, the elderly lady down the street: "Did she die free?" asked Jem. "As the mountain air," said Atticus..."...I wanted you to see what real courage is... It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." (116) Here Jem and his father Atticus have an emotional talk over