Essay On Jem Growing Up In To Kill A Mockingbird

In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, we see Jem Finch grow up from a young, ornery boy to a now mature and intelligent young man. There are many changes that occur with him and many events that happen to help him mature. In my opinion, I think Jem’s process of growing up is an easy one for him as he learns many life lessons throughout the book. We watch Jem grow up throughout the book in many ways, but his main change started in part two of the book. Jem originally gets in trouble with Atticus for mocking neighbors and playing inappropriate games. But as the story continues Jem stops playing with Scout and starts to treat her with discipline, as he threatens to spank her once. He starts to take more responsibility for his actions, like when he ruined Mrs. Dubose’s flowers and then went to her house and apologized, and he becomes more mature, not wanting to be with Scout as much. Scout is upset by this and talks to Atticus, as Atticus says “I just can’t help it if Mister Jem’s growing up,”(118). These are some examples of how we see Jem grow up throughout the novel. For some people, the process of growing up can be hard and difficult. I think that growing up is an easy process for Jem and he is able to grow quickly due to events in his life. The fact that he is the …show more content…
Not having a mother changed him in the way that he has to help Scout more and become more independent. The trial and losing it was a huge event that shaped Jem’s life, as it was one of his first realities of what his society is like. Jem realizes how wrong the trial is and it takes a great toll on him of how awful some people are, as he says, “It ain’t right,”(214), referring to the trial. I think his liking for football also shapes his life a bit as he tries harder to gain muscle and to be a player instead of just a water boy. All of these events have changed Jem, shaping him and helping him grow