The Fracture of Jem’s Innocence Coming of age is often like watching a set of rose colored lenses shatter to reveal a shocking reality. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the court trial of Tom Robinson, an alleged rapist, shakes the entire town. When it ends in a guilty verdict based on his race rather than the evidence, Jem, the protagonist’s brother, is shocked to the core, his innocence destroyed, and his beliefs fractured by the result (Lee, 212). This happens despite reassurance from the community around him. The reader comes to see Jem’s reality drastically change based on the jury’s biased opinion, Jem’s own newfound reasoning, and his growing empathy towards Boo Radley, a social recluse.
A child’s view is unbiased and without conflict. Scout, the protagonist and younger sibling of Jem, says, “I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks” (Lee, 227). Within this quote Scout shows not only her innocence, but also the unbiased opinion of a child. It demonstrates the common misconception that everyone can get along, while a different reality sinks in for Jem. When he remarks, “I used to think that too” (Lee, 227), Jem reveals a newborn opinion of cynicism and bias towards members of his community. Unlike Scout, who recovers her optimism and …show more content…
As Jem explains his thoughts to Scout, he reasons, “If there’s one kind of folks, why can’t they get along,” and concludes that they must differ from one another due to deep divides that cause them to fail at coexistence with those who hold different opinions (227, Lee). Based on the reasoning Jem divulges to Scout, it can be inferred that Jem learned how to reason and it led to cynicism and shattered innocence. In order to explain his views, he must try to come to terms with a new and more adult reality. As children experience the adult world, they generally witness shocking reality and develop judgement which can cause a cynical view of
A child’s view is unbiased and without conflict. Scout, the protagonist and younger sibling of Jem, says, “I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks” (Lee, 227). Within this quote Scout shows not only her innocence, but also the unbiased opinion of a child. It demonstrates the common misconception that everyone can get along, while a different reality sinks in for Jem. When he remarks, “I used to think that too” (Lee, 227), Jem reveals a newborn opinion of cynicism and bias towards members of his community. Unlike Scout, who recovers her optimism and …show more content…
As Jem explains his thoughts to Scout, he reasons, “If there’s one kind of folks, why can’t they get along,” and concludes that they must differ from one another due to deep divides that cause them to fail at coexistence with those who hold different opinions (227, Lee). Based on the reasoning Jem divulges to Scout, it can be inferred that Jem learned how to reason and it led to cynicism and shattered innocence. In order to explain his views, he must try to come to terms with a new and more adult reality. As children experience the adult world, they generally witness shocking reality and develop judgement which can cause a cynical view of