Jem's Innocence
There is a time in someone's life when the delusion society creates of the modern world
fades into just childish beliefs, more formally known as growing up. This is experiencing
the unfairness of the world and how it will wear down the innocence of even the most
sheltered child. Harper Lee's treasured novel To Kill a Mockingbird is beloved for
numerous reasons, one of which is the explanation of the world's evil in the eyes of
innocent children in the 1930's. The book features an array of colorful characters and
their reactions of one of the biggest problems in their day in age; racism.
The main character, Scout Finch, tells the tale of her childhood. She describes herself at young
age to be interested in childish endeavors such as …show more content…
investigating the mystery of Boo Radley with
her brother and good friend. Her fear of him and her innocence begin to fade as more adult
problems appear. Adult Scout says "The Radley Place had ceased to terrify me, but it was no less
gloomy, no less chilly under its great oaks, and no less uninviting" and "So many things had
happened to us, Boo Radley was the least of our fears" (Lee 324, 326).
Another example of a child facing maturity is Jem Finch. Brother of Scout, he braved the
problems of Maycomb with a shield of obliviousness, and the weapon of his father's reassurance.
Jem tended to progress in maturity throughout the book, and is depicted later explaining things
someone of Scout's age did not comprehend.
"In addition to Jem's newly devolved
characteristics, he had acquired a maddening air of wisdom" Scout had described (Lee 155.) As
he matures, the innocence that comes with being a child begins to dissolve into a career confused
adult.
Racism had fallen common in the town. Children like Cecil Jacob were raised to have distaste of
the people of a darker skin. Cecil had yelled "'My folks said your daddy was a disgrace an' that
n**** oughta hang from the water-tank!'" (Lee 102). Another example of the racism is that no
matter the amount of evidence Atticus could conjure, the trial would lean towards a white purely
because of how the society they lived in was built. Scout and Atticus had discussed the trial
"'Atticus, are we going to win it?' 'No, honey.' 'Then why-' 'Simply because we were licked a
hundred years before we started is no reason for us to try to win,' Atticus said" (Lee 101). People
such as Atticus wanted change, and children such as Dill didn't understand why their world was
the way it was.
His innocence blinded him of the obvious truth of why Tom wouldn't be treated as fairly in the
trial.
fades into just childish beliefs, more formally known as growing up. This is experiencing
the unfairness of the world and how it will wear down the innocence of even the most
sheltered child. Harper Lee's treasured novel To Kill a Mockingbird is beloved for
numerous reasons, one of which is the explanation of the world's evil in the eyes of
innocent children in the 1930's. The book features an array of colorful characters and
their reactions of one of the biggest problems in their day in age; racism.
The main character, Scout Finch, tells the tale of her childhood. She describes herself at young
age to be interested in childish endeavors such as …show more content…
investigating the mystery of Boo Radley with
her brother and good friend. Her fear of him and her innocence begin to fade as more adult
problems appear. Adult Scout says "The Radley Place had ceased to terrify me, but it was no less
gloomy, no less chilly under its great oaks, and no less uninviting" and "So many things had
happened to us, Boo Radley was the least of our fears" (Lee 324, 326).
Another example of a child facing maturity is Jem Finch. Brother of Scout, he braved the
problems of Maycomb with a shield of obliviousness, and the weapon of his father's reassurance.
Jem tended to progress in maturity throughout the book, and is depicted later explaining things
someone of Scout's age did not comprehend.
"In addition to Jem's newly devolved
characteristics, he had acquired a maddening air of wisdom" Scout had described (Lee 155.) As
he matures, the innocence that comes with being a child begins to dissolve into a career confused
adult.
Racism had fallen common in the town. Children like Cecil Jacob were raised to have distaste of
the people of a darker skin. Cecil had yelled "'My folks said your daddy was a disgrace an' that
n**** oughta hang from the water-tank!'" (Lee 102). Another example of the racism is that no
matter the amount of evidence Atticus could conjure, the trial would lean towards a white purely
because of how the society they lived in was built. Scout and Atticus had discussed the trial
"'Atticus, are we going to win it?' 'No, honey.' 'Then why-' 'Simply because we were licked a
hundred years before we started is no reason for us to try to win,' Atticus said" (Lee 101). People
such as Atticus wanted change, and children such as Dill didn't understand why their world was
the way it was.
His innocence blinded him of the obvious truth of why Tom wouldn't be treated as fairly in the
trial.