Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird Analysis

Register to read the introduction… Amazed and concerned about Dill’s actions, Jem shows a sign of growth and maturity by informing his father about the situation. Although both Dill and Scout see Jem as a “traitor” for telling Atticus, the young man recognizes that he did the right thing. He says, “Dill, I had to tell him… You can’t run three hundred miles off without your mother knowin’” (161). Consequently, by alerting Atticus and seeking help from a grown-up, Jem proves to be a more mature character. He clearly puts adult notions of what is right before child ones. Towards the end of the book, Jem loses his innocence almost entirely by understanding the reality of Maycomb. He realizes that his hometown is not …show more content…
They both undergo some type of transformation that enables them to become mature and aware of the reality that surrounds them. As analyst Claudia Durst Johnson states in her work “Literary Analysis: Unifying Elements of To Kill a Mockingbird,” during the course of the novel, “the children pass from innocence to knowledge. They begin to realize their own connection with the community’s outsiders, and they observe one man’s heroism in the face of community prejudice” (81). During their innocent childhood, they assume that every individual in Maycomb is good because they have never been exposed to evil before and consequently, have never experience cruelty in their lives. As they grow up, however, they gain more knowledge about the reality of the world and are able to distinguish between right and wrong. They both realize the injustice that exists in society and develop a broader conscience, changing from ignorant and naïve to experienced and more knowledgeable