What Is Jem Finch's Transformation In To Kill A Mockingbird

What is morality? Arthur Schopenhauer, a widely renowned German philosopher, once stated “compassion is the basis of morality”, yet respected writer, Ernest Hemingway, said, “I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.” It seems that throughout history, people have had all different ideas of what morality is. However, all of these ideas have a common theme: morality is what a person believes is right and wrong, or ethical. Therefore, moral growth is the development of somebody’s values and ethics, primarily through his or her own life experiences with family, friends, and their environment. Throughout the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jem Finch’s moral journey from an immature, innocent child to a wise, sympathetic teenager begins, climaxes, and ends with three major events: the Boo Radley incidents, the death of Ms. Dubose, and Tom Robinson’s guilty verdict.
Jem first begins to put himself in others’ shoes and learn sympathy from his fascination with Boo Radley.
Dubose, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson. He becomes kinder, more sympathetic, and more understanding. However, his transformation from a childish young boy to a wise teen also comes with a loss of innocence. He knows the reality of systematic racism now and no longer sees Maycomb through rose-colored glasses. In this way, Jem could be considered one of the “mockingbirds” of the book: Taking away his innocence and surrounding a naïve young child with such negativity (primarily the injustice of Tom Robinson’s case) is like shooting a mockingbird that does not do anything but sing. Through Jem and Tom Robinson, Harper Lee shows the reader how institutional racism harms everyone who is a part of the system. Jem’s development highlights the reality of growing up, especially in the 1930s: it can be positive but much of it can also be