Preview

Jem's Loss Of Innocence Research Paper

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
308 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Jem's Loss Of Innocence Research Paper
Jem’s loss of innocence

There are many events in Harper Lee’s: To Kill A MockingBird which can lead to Jem’s loss of innocence. All of them are very important for understanding the transformation of the young mind. But one event is the most crucial for changing Jem’s life - the result of the trial and its unfairness. That transformed Jem’s outlook on reality forever. Before these unlucky events occurred, Jem lived a playful and carefree life. From his perspective he believed that the world is equal no matter the colour or race. Jem believes what adults say, looks up to them and respects them,
“Tree’s dying. You plug ‘em with cement when they’re sick. You ought to know that Jem.”(Lee 84.)

However, small events are piling up, making Jem
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    To What Extent Did Tom Robinson Have A Fair Trial In To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 107 Words
    • 1 Page

    To What Extent Did Tom Robinson Have A Fair Trial In To Kill A Mockingbird

    The trials verdict was made and Tom Robinson was proven guilty. There were plenty of evidence that supported Tom Robinson’s innocence, but because he is black he was treated unfairly. Jem was very disappointed when the decision was made because he thought Maycomb was a town filled with great and fair people. It affected Jem a lot and it made him overthink so many things, it also made him not talk to Scout much or anyone and that made Scout sad and worried about Jem. Meanwhile, Scout did not really care about the decision that was made because she did not quite understand what was going on.…

    • 107 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Is Jem Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 120 Words
    • 1 Page

    How Is Jem Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird

    To begin, the author of the story To Kill A Mockingbird tells the life of brother, Jeremy Finch and his sister, Scout who grew up in the era of racism and social inequality. Jeremy Finch, better known as Jem, is a typical young boy who grew up in a small Alabama town of Maycomb. He was described has someone who had an interest in sports, guns and being tough. The author, Harper Lee develops the character of Jem, who encounters many conflicts (internal and external) and shows how many of them were handled with using the theme of coming of age. With Jem’s voice and characterization, Lee shows how a young immature boy can grow into a mature, independent man.…

    • 120 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Jem's Maturation In To Kill A Mockingbird '
    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Examples Of Jem's Maturation In To Kill A Mockingbird '

    In To Kill a Mockingbird Jem and Scout’s process of maturation is present by describing how both Jem and Scout are affected by different and harsh incidents. An example of this situations would be when Jem does not want to leave his father alone in front of the jail, because he thinks that if he does, the mob is going to harm Atticus; at the same time Scout is trying to talk with Mr. Cunningham to make him reason about the situation. Jem’s maturation is shown when he eventually finds out that Mrs. Dubose’s attitude had a justification. Jem’s changes can be seen after the trial that makes Tom Robinson guilty. This is the main issue in the story that proves how the he changes. Jem and Scout’s maturation is seen along the whole story, but it is mainly demonstrated in these issues: they both defended his father from a fractious mob, Jem learned from an old and ill woman that it is not fair to prejudge people, and Jem realizes that racism is the main fact that controls people in Maycomb.…

    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Jem Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Does Jem Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird

    Jem specifically matures throughout the process of the Tom Robinson case and learns a positive lesson from the trial. After seeing the unfair way Tom Robinson was treated, Jem wants to protect and care for people no matter their age, skin color, reputation and personality. Jem also learns a few lessons from Atticus regarding the judgement of others. At the beginning of Chapter 25, His sister Scout is about to kill a roly-polly bug, Jem stops her and she asks why, Jem responds, "Because they don't bother you." (Lee 320) This quote relates to when Atticus teaches Scout and Jem about the importance lesson of…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Atticus Change In To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 428 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How Does Atticus Change In To Kill A Mockingbird

    In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, the author Harper Lee showed the hardships of growing up in the 30's. The characters Jem and Scout are thrown in the middle of difficult times when their father, Atticus, chooses to represent a black man. From this choice of their father, Jem and Scout come to understand that the world isn't fair and they learn how to deal with it. Through the interactions of the childhood world and the adult world, Jem and Scout's personalities and learning change. Jem starts to feel the effects of Atticus's choice to represent a black man when he has an encounter with an old lady, Mrs. Dubose. When Mrs. Dubose was rude to Jem, he got angry and ruined her flowers. Jm was young and didn't understand the effects of his actions. Atticus told Jem that he needs to just hold his head high "and be a gentleman"(133). Jem was just a boy and wasn't used tp dealing with cruelness, especially coming from an adult. His father made it clear…

    • 428 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Nelle Harper Lee's Philosophy On The Proper Treatment Of Human Beings
    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Nelle Harper Lee's Philosophy On The Proper Treatment Of Human Beings

    During the Tom Robinson trial, Atticus could not have portrayed his evidence in a more professional and convincing manner. Unfortunately, Tom Robinson was found guilty by the jury and was sentenced to death. Atticus’s son, Jem, expresses his rejection to the unfair treatment of blacks by stating, “‘How could they do it, how could they?’” Atticus responds, “‘I don’t know, but they did it. They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it—it seems that only children weep.’” Both Jem’s development of maturity and disapproval of the verdict of the Tom Robinson case play an important role in the point that Lee is trying to prove through this story. Scout is far too young for her opinion to be considered valid. However, Jem, no longer a little boy at this stage of the story, can be listened to if he states an opinion for the simple fact that he is not a “little kid”. He also preserves his innocence due to his small age. Therefore, when he states that the verdict of the case was not only wrong, but irrelevant and unfair, it makes you inquire whether the case was a fair one or…

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Jem Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 1102 Words
    • 5 Pages

    How Does Jem Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird

    Many things can influence a child’s life. Today a child may suffer from stress all the way to learning life lessons through a breakup. In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, two children, Scout and Jem had to deal with a less common stressor. They dealt with the trial and conviction of an innocent black man in their town and to make things worse, their own father Atticus was the appointed defense for Tom. Scout and Jem were six and ten at the beginning of the novel; throughout the next three years that it took place their maturity goes on to be influenced by many experiences and people. The two children learn valuable lessons from adults during events surrounding the trial such as empathy, courage, honestly, equality and justice. The main characters…

    • 1102 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Literary Analysis Of To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 1008 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Literary Analysis Of To Kill A Mockingbird

    As Jem and Scout are watching the judge convict, Scout starts to cry, but Jem does the opposite. “‘It ain’t right’ he muttered, all the way to the corner of the square where he found Atticus waiting”(pg.284). When readers examine this passage, they are able to sense this feeling of Jem transitioning into Mr.Finch. As he is hearing the convict, a feeling of anger overpowers him, enabling him to see how racism is affecting the South deeply. This contributes to the theme by showing Jem’s turning point from a kid to a mature man. Also, his perspective plays a huge role in this, as his anger is controlling his actions. Since Scout hasn’t realized the power of racism yet, her emotion are just for Tom, not for the movement. Another example of tone in the novel is when Jem is trying to tell Atticus that Maycomb County needs to understand that Tom Robinson didn’t do nothing to the girl. “‘He didn’t kill anybody even if he was guilty. He didn’t take anybody’s life”’(pg.293). This quote shows how Jem’s tone towards helping Tom has changed from anger to reason. The theme supports this by showing how the perspective of Jem is beginning to see the trial from all the different sides. Although he is too young to even participate in this kind of situation, he is beginning to understand the concepts of the kind of people there are in this world. Altogether, Jem’s coming of age for becoming a man can be seen in…

    • 1008 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Essay On Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

    Deaths are cruel, albeit imperative as they allow children to lose their innocence, preparing them for the real world. In “To Kill A Mockingbird”, the usual string of events that Jem Finch is accustomed to changes, providing him with adequate experience to mature. Jem better grasps the concept of death following Tom Robinson’s impending demise rather than at the time of Mrs. Dubose’s sudden passing. At the time of her death, Jem is indifferent; he shows no signs of sorrow whatsoever. Upon his father’s revealing of their neighbour’s death, Jem responds, “Oh…well” (Lee 147). This goes to show that in the eyes of Jem, dying is incomprehensible. He does not quite understand the impact that it has. However, later on in…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Importance Of Life Lessons In To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 825 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Importance Of Life Lessons In To Kill A Mockingbird

    “Everything in life can teach you a lesson, you just have to be willing to observe and learn” -Ritu Ghatourey. Everyone learns crucial life lessons in their lives through various aspects of life around them, whether they realize it or not. Learning these lessons is a crucial part of losing one’s simple, childlike way of life. Throughout the novel To Kill A Mockingbird Jem and Scout lose their innocence through numerous life lessons they learn. One way in which they learn these lessons is through their personal experiences. Another way is through their personal discoveries caused by their maturity. Finally, they learn life lessons that cause them to lose their innocence through events they observe.…

    • 825 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    To Kill a Mockingbird - the Ne
    • 660 Words
    • 3 Pages

    To Kill a Mockingbird - the Ne

    Jem displays values like compassion and tolerance by believing that all men are created equal no matter which race, religion, or attitude they have. He shows this when he hears the verdict of Tom Robinson’s trial. “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, all the way to the corner of the square where we found Atticus” (212). This is the first time he realizes that there was injustice in the world. He slowly matures and begins to understand that there are such thing as prejudice and racism.…

    • 660 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Coming Of Age Experiences In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee
    • 977 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Coming Of Age Experiences In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

    Jem and Scout encounter contradistinctive prospects when they are judged for what their father does, and how they act. Scout witnesses what it’s like to see her father be considered “trash like the people he works for,” as a result of Atticus defending a black man. In a different situation Scout wants to show Cecil Jacobs shouldn’t call her parent a bad name. “and I was far too old and too big for such childish things, and the sooner I learned to hold in, the better off everybody would be.” Scout is taking pressure from the trial, Mrs. Dubose comments, what she shouldn’t do.…

    • 977 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    To Kill A Mockingbird Character Development
    • 1084 Words
    • 5 Pages

    To Kill A Mockingbird Character Development

    Everybody experiences change in their life. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Jem grows up during his time in Maycomb, and he begins to understand the town and it’s negatives. Maycomb is packed with negatives, starting from the discrimination between blacks and whites, and the four kinds of folks, each treated worse or better. Jem is able to embrace the town and learn from it through major events taken place in the novel. As Jem starts to understand the social classes, two reasons that prove this are his understanding of the town’s groupings and his understanding of what occurred in the courtroom, the readers relate to the development through the understanding of differences in people and society.…

    • 1084 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    To Kill A Mockingbird Coming Of Age Analysis
    • 1572 Words
    • 7 Pages

    To Kill A Mockingbird Coming Of Age Analysis

    One of the ways he matures is he learns to protect his sister and do what’s best for her. An example of this is “[…] But when I was rubbing his nose in the dirt Jem came by and told me to stop “You're bigger'n he is” he said.”This quote shows that Jem is standing up for his sister. He sees that Scout is being inappropriate so he comes over to stop her. He is making the right choices and helping out his sister very much. He wants his sister to make better choices so he is trying to help her out more. Jem wants to do what he can do to make Scout make the right choices and do what is best for her. Jem is being a very good brother in the novel and becomes an even better one towards the end of the story. Jem also matures throughout the book because he realizes that people of different races are treated unfairly. An example of how Jem matures through this is, “It was Jem's turn to cry. His face was streaked with tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. “It ain't right,” muttered […]” This quote shows that as Jem, Scout, and Dill are attending the court they see that people of different race and colour are treated completely different and much ruder. But Jem is the one that realizes this the most, compared to the other two children. Jem did not understand this when he was younger but now as he attends the court he starts to notice that they are treated completely different. Jem notices…

    • 1572 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Tom Robinson "to kill a mockingbird"
    • 525 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Tom Robinson "to kill a mockingbird"

    Tom Robinson is a victim of society’s flaws and prejudices but, Jem Finch is just as much of a victim. Jem loses his innocence and in this way is a victim. He loses innocence when he becomes so sure because of how obvious Tom was innocent. On chapter 23.30 when he says “…Reverend, but don’t fret, we’ve won it… Don’t see how any jury could convict on what we heard.” Then when Tom becomes convicted, a part of Jem’s innocence is taken away. Harper Lee on chapter 21.5 expresses this when she says “His shoulders jerked as…

    • 525 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics