Siblings In To Kill A Mockingbird

It has been said that “[s]iblings are the people we practice on, the people who teach us about fairness and cooperation and kindness and caring - quite often the hard way.” Siblings can be the most cordial people to the most heinous at times. One can be very close to their siblings or start to distance themselves from them. Growing apart can be a positive thing, while it other cases it may be negative. In some cases, when a relationship changes as siblings grow up, it can lead to many complications. One can be more vulnerable to these complication compared to their siblings. Jem and Scout also experience alterations in their relationship due to certain circumstances that cause them to become distant. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by …show more content…
Initially, on Scout’s first day of school, Jem confirms Scout is doing well and tries to sympathize with her, even though he is embarrassed to be seen with her. Jem states sincerely, “Don’t worry, Scout,” (23) and tries to comfort her. This demonstrates that Jem sincerely cares about Scout and wants her to live in harmony and ease. Secondly, one also sees when Jem becomes moody due to his pubertal phase, it puts an abundance of emotional pressure on Scout. Scout talks about Jem’s new disturbed behavior and how she is having a rough time. For instance, Scout explains, “Jem was twelve. He was difficult to live with, inconsistent, moody … and he told me many times to stop pestering him …” (153). This displays Jem’s temperamental behavior that he starts to develop. This contributes to slowly breaking their strong bond. Thirdly, one also sees that when Atticus loses the Tom Robinson case, Jem tolerates a phase of depression and sympathizes for Tom; this causes changes in his relationship with Scout. By the end of the novel, Scout talks about Jem’s reaction to Atticus losing the case and Scout says, “It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd” (284). This enlightens the reader of Jem’s anger about this issue, which causes him to be extremely moody in the future, once again putting mental pressure on …show more content…
One notices that Jem starts to dislike Scout because she is a girl. Initially, one sees that Jem and Scout’s relationship is steady at the start of the novel. For example, Scout teaches the reader about her close relationship with Jem and talks about walking home with Jem after school (45). This shows the reader that Jem did not bother having Scout in his company and generally enjoys being with her. Secondly, one realizes that Jem begins to dislike Scout by the middle of the book because she decides to act like a “girl” from his perspective. As an illustration, Jem says, “[Scout] was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, that’s why other people hated them …”(54). This demonstrates that Jem begins to hate the idea of Scout being like a “girl” and limits the time he spends with her. Thirdly, when Scout starts raising logical objections about Jem being reckless at times, Jem starts to dislike it and once again accuses Scout of being a “girl”. Jem says, “Scout, I’m tellin’ you for the last time shut your trap or go home - I declare to the lord you’re getting more like a girl everyday!” (69). This communicates the idea of Jem viewing Scout as a girl who worries excessively over smaller issues and it adds onto the change in their relationship. However, overtime, Jem decreases his nagging and starts to accept her as a girl. Overall, Jem