Bravery in Through Time
When Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird begins, Jem Finch is ten years old. Scout begins by mentioning the ending of the story for Jem who breaks his arm when he is thirteen. Although he sometimes teases and aggravates Scout, Jem becomes a good brother. He protects her, serves as one of her best friends, and in the end, saves her life. Many things impact Jem between that beginning sentence and the actual event. Jem ages from 10 to 13 over the course of To Kill a Mockingbird, a period of great change in any child's life. Jem is no exception to this rule. The three years that are covered by the story are a transitional period for Jem as for any boy. He enters puberty and begins adolescence. That is enough in itself to be difficult without the life altering events that Jem experiences. The best gauge of Jem’s maturity comes from the development of his courage and bravery.
Jem represents the idea of bravery in the novel, and the way that his definition changes over the course of the story is important. The shift that occurs probably has as much to do with age as experience, although the experiences provide a better framework for the reader. When the story begins, Jem's idea of bravery is simply touching the side of the Radley house and then only …show more content…
Even after Atticus' long explanation about the intricacies of the Tom Robinson case, Jem is unable to accept the jury's conviction. In fact, he is ready to overhaul the justice system and abolish juries altogether. Wisely, Atticus doesn't try to squelch or minimize Jem's feelings; by respecting his son, Atticus allows Jem to better cope with the tragedy. Still, Jem turns on Scout when she tells him about Miss Gates' racist remarks at the courthouse, shouting, "'I never wanta hear about that courthouse again, ever, ever, you hear me?'" His coping skills are still developing, and his family is the one group that gives him the room that he needs to hone
When Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird begins, Jem Finch is ten years old. Scout begins by mentioning the ending of the story for Jem who breaks his arm when he is thirteen. Although he sometimes teases and aggravates Scout, Jem becomes a good brother. He protects her, serves as one of her best friends, and in the end, saves her life. Many things impact Jem between that beginning sentence and the actual event. Jem ages from 10 to 13 over the course of To Kill a Mockingbird, a period of great change in any child's life. Jem is no exception to this rule. The three years that are covered by the story are a transitional period for Jem as for any boy. He enters puberty and begins adolescence. That is enough in itself to be difficult without the life altering events that Jem experiences. The best gauge of Jem’s maturity comes from the development of his courage and bravery.
Jem represents the idea of bravery in the novel, and the way that his definition changes over the course of the story is important. The shift that occurs probably has as much to do with age as experience, although the experiences provide a better framework for the reader. When the story begins, Jem's idea of bravery is simply touching the side of the Radley house and then only …show more content…
Even after Atticus' long explanation about the intricacies of the Tom Robinson case, Jem is unable to accept the jury's conviction. In fact, he is ready to overhaul the justice system and abolish juries altogether. Wisely, Atticus doesn't try to squelch or minimize Jem's feelings; by respecting his son, Atticus allows Jem to better cope with the tragedy. Still, Jem turns on Scout when she tells him about Miss Gates' racist remarks at the courthouse, shouting, "'I never wanta hear about that courthouse again, ever, ever, you hear me?'" His coping skills are still developing, and his family is the one group that gives him the room that he needs to hone