Changes In To Kill A Mockingbird
The Change of Jem
People often view mistakes as a negative thing, but what people often ignore is the positive effect it has on a person’s personality and helps them improve as a person. In Harper Lee’s bildungsroman To Kill a Mockingbird, a young boy named Jem Finch undergoes a change in both personality and maturity. In this novel, at first Jem is unaware of the world around him, but because of Tom Robinson’s trial and his obsession with Boo Radley, he becomes mature and understanding. Jem’s interest in Boo Radley is sparked by simple rumors and gossip, but transforms into sorrow and understanding. Curious about Boo Radley, Jem attempts to sneak into the Radley’s house, but hesitates when, “the roar of a shotgun shattered the neighborhood…
found him struggling in the fence, kicking his pants off to get loose.” Upon realizing the threat of suspicion, he returns to the Radley yard in an attempt to retrieve his pants. He returns to find his pants folded across the fence. In addition, Jem discovers Boo’s gifts hidden in the tree’s knot-hole, but to his surprise, he discovers shortly after that “someone had filled [their] knot-hole with cement.” The lost connection between Jem and Boo due to the filling of the knott-hole causes Jem to undergo suffering. Jem reaches the conclusion that Boo Radley is held inside his home against his own will. Although Jem’s experiences with Boo help shape his maturity and understanding of the world, his experiences while watching the Tom Robinson case plays an important role in Jem’s maturity. Jem’s unawareness of others’ evil originally gives him an optimistic view, but by the verdict, he realizes the prejudice present in Maycomb. As he watches the case, Jem assures Scout “just gone over the evidence,’ Jem whispered, ‘and we’re gonna win, Scout. I don’t see how we can’t. He’s been at it ‘bout five minutes.” This shows Jem’s optimistic views and trust he has in Maycomb to do what is right. Jem does not understand the evil in men’s heart and hopes only for the best. His ignorance blinds his judgment and to the sad truth that Tom never had a “case in the secret courts of men’s hearts.” The jury reaches a verdict and declares Tom as guilty. The truth is unbearable and Jem is unable to comprehend why Tom is convicted guilty. Both Tom Robinson’s case and his interest in Boo Radley continue to help him mature. As an end result of both experiences, Jem’s view begins to shift from optimistic, to more understanding of other people’s judgments. When Jem realizes that Boo’s father seals the knot-hole to isolate Boo, he stays awake “crying; his face was dirty in the right places, but [Scout] thought it odd that [she] had not heard him.” Jem does not yet completely understand what Boo’s life is like, but he suffers from his lost connection. He realizes that the knot-hole was filled out of pure meanness and lies. Both experiences of Boo Radley and Tom Robinson makes Jem think twice as he says “I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that’s what they seemed like.” In his youth, Jem only sees the good in others. As he grows up, he sees the side of people he never noticed before, the side that pushes his neighbors to murder one another. In the end, Jem’s view changes and becomes more mature due to his misadventures. In conclusion, Jem learns of his town's faults and goes from his optimistic views to that of a realist. In the end, he realizes the boundaries people set between themselves and their neighbors eventually lead to hatred and prejudice.
People often view mistakes as a negative thing, but what people often ignore is the positive effect it has on a person’s personality and helps them improve as a person. In Harper Lee’s bildungsroman To Kill a Mockingbird, a young boy named Jem Finch undergoes a change in both personality and maturity. In this novel, at first Jem is unaware of the world around him, but because of Tom Robinson’s trial and his obsession with Boo Radley, he becomes mature and understanding. Jem’s interest in Boo Radley is sparked by simple rumors and gossip, but transforms into sorrow and understanding. Curious about Boo Radley, Jem attempts to sneak into the Radley’s house, but hesitates when, “the roar of a shotgun shattered the neighborhood…
found him struggling in the fence, kicking his pants off to get loose.” Upon realizing the threat of suspicion, he returns to the Radley yard in an attempt to retrieve his pants. He returns to find his pants folded across the fence. In addition, Jem discovers Boo’s gifts hidden in the tree’s knot-hole, but to his surprise, he discovers shortly after that “someone had filled [their] knot-hole with cement.” The lost connection between Jem and Boo due to the filling of the knott-hole causes Jem to undergo suffering. Jem reaches the conclusion that Boo Radley is held inside his home against his own will. Although Jem’s experiences with Boo help shape his maturity and understanding of the world, his experiences while watching the Tom Robinson case plays an important role in Jem’s maturity. Jem’s unawareness of others’ evil originally gives him an optimistic view, but by the verdict, he realizes the prejudice present in Maycomb. As he watches the case, Jem assures Scout “just gone over the evidence,’ Jem whispered, ‘and we’re gonna win, Scout. I don’t see how we can’t. He’s been at it ‘bout five minutes.” This shows Jem’s optimistic views and trust he has in Maycomb to do what is right. Jem does not understand the evil in men’s heart and hopes only for the best. His ignorance blinds his judgment and to the sad truth that Tom never had a “case in the secret courts of men’s hearts.” The jury reaches a verdict and declares Tom as guilty. The truth is unbearable and Jem is unable to comprehend why Tom is convicted guilty. Both Tom Robinson’s case and his interest in Boo Radley continue to help him mature. As an end result of both experiences, Jem’s view begins to shift from optimistic, to more understanding of other people’s judgments. When Jem realizes that Boo’s father seals the knot-hole to isolate Boo, he stays awake “crying; his face was dirty in the right places, but [Scout] thought it odd that [she] had not heard him.” Jem does not yet completely understand what Boo’s life is like, but he suffers from his lost connection. He realizes that the knot-hole was filled out of pure meanness and lies. Both experiences of Boo Radley and Tom Robinson makes Jem think twice as he says “I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that’s what they seemed like.” In his youth, Jem only sees the good in others. As he grows up, he sees the side of people he never noticed before, the side that pushes his neighbors to murder one another. In the end, Jem’s view changes and becomes more mature due to his misadventures. In conclusion, Jem learns of his town's faults and goes from his optimistic views to that of a realist. In the end, he realizes the boundaries people set between themselves and their neighbors eventually lead to hatred and prejudice.