The Character Growth of Jem Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Example

TKAM has a lot of characters that the author plays around with. The author gives us characters that have to deal with these problems/ ideas face first. Jem is one of the most developed characters in the story and he changes through others around him and faces challenges. Jem has had 3 big changes in this story. Jem matures as a character when he spends more time with Atticus. Atticus shows Jem bravery, commitment, honesty, respect, etc. Jem now wants to become like Atticus. Jem matures as he sees racism unfold. He sees how people don't like or respect black people and how all they want is control over them. Jem stops being so childish and instead starts to mature and try to make sense of the things that he sees happening. He starts to be alone and thinks Scout is immature.

Jem was an interesting character to follow throughout the story. He changed a lot and for the good. One of the main people who helped change him was Atticus. At the start, Atticus seemed like a boring old dad but he was far from that. Atticus was able to shoot an injured dog with ease. Jem was blown away when he saw this and started to see Atticus differently. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, it states, “With movements so swift they seemed simultaneous, Atticus’s hand yanked a balltipped lever as he brought the gun to his shoulder. The rifle cracked. Tim Johnson leaped, flopped over and crumpled on the sidewalk in a brown-and-white heap. He didn’t know what hit him" (TKAM Chapter 10). This shows how Atticus is more than this boring dad. He has one of the best shots in the town and he cares for the town by protecting them from the dog who could be infected with something. Jem was shocked Atticus was able to do this and now has a different view of Atticus. Atticus did not stand down to anyone. He respected everyone, even if he got hate for it. Atticus after visiting Tom’s family was approached by Mrs. Ewell and was cursed at, spat on, and threatened to kill him while Jem was watching it all from the car. In the novel, it states, “Atticus was leaving the post office when Mr. Ewell approached him, cursed him, spat on him, and threatened to kill him. Miss Stephanie (who, by the time she had told it twice was there and had seen it all—passing by from the Jitney Jungle, she was)—Miss Stephanie said Atticus didn’t bat an eye, just took out his handkerchief and wiped his face and stood there and let Mr. Ewell call him names wild horses could not bring her to repeat. Mr. Ewell was a veteran of an obscure war; that plus Atticus’s peaceful reaction probably prompted him to inquire, “Too proud to fight, you nigger­lovin‘ bastard?” Miss Stephanie said Atticus said, “No, too old,” put his hands in his pockets and strolled on.” (TKAM Chapter 22). This shows how wise Atticus is and how calm and respectful he is. He was threatened, spat on, and cursed out but did not do one thing back. He did not wanna have conflict so he just left. Towards the end of the story after the court case of Tom, Attius gets news that Tom has been killed so he goes to hum care to tell Tom’s family but Jem wants to go with him and be a part of this. In the novel, it states, “You’d better catch a ride back. I won’t be going home for a while.” Calpurnia was in the back seat. Jem protested, then pleaded, and Atticus said, “All right, you can come with us if you stay in the car.” (TKAM Chapter 23). This shows Jem being skeptical about going with Atticus but he soon decides he will go and experience this with Atticus. Atticus has done a lot for Jem but also racism has played a part.

Racism is a big part of society that has lasted for a long time and still continues. Racism happens a lot in this novel and Jem witnesses it a few times. Atticus is a great person. He will defend anyone who needs help. He even defends black people even if it's weird to others. In the novel, it states, “Do you defend niggers, Atticus? I asked him that evening. “Of course I do. Don’t say nigger, Scout. That’s common” (TKAM Chapter 9). This shows how Atticus defending black people is odd to others. Also, this shows how Atticus is not racist and how he is respectful and helps and cares for everyone. Atticus does not care about someone's race. He respects and helps everyone. This is shown in the case of Tom Robinson. He tries his best to defend and win the case and should have won but Tom was still found guilty.  In the novel, it states, “Now don’t you be so confident, Mr. Jem, I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man….” (TKAM Chapter 21). This shows how Atticus has almost no chance of winning just because Tom is black. A white person will always win against a black person. Even with Atticus knowing this, he still tries his hardest to win. Jem is there in the crowd watching Atticus try to do the impossible. Atticus goes to Tom’s family to tell them about Tom’s death but then Mrs. Ewell comes up to him and harasses him for helping/ associating with black people. In the novel, it states, “Mr. Ewell was a veteran of an obscure war; that plus Atticus’s peaceful reaction probably prompted him to inquire, “Too proud to fight, you nigger­lovin‘ bastard?” Miss Stephanie said Atticus said, “No, too old,” put his hands in his pockets and strolled on.” (TKAM Chapter 22). This shows how racist white people don't respect Atticus for helping black people. He shows bravery by helping black people and standing up to Mrs. Ewell. Jem can see this from the car and how special Atticus is. Jem has grown a lot throughout this story. He has strived to be a man and understand things in this world. 

At the start of this story, Jem is very childish and always messes around with Scout. He soon matures and spends less time with Scout. He is now having to be the adult and put Scout in her place. Scout gets in a school fight with Dill and Jem is forced to break it up and pull Scout away. In the novel, it states, "Scout here, she’s crazy—she won’t fight you anymore."... (TKAM Chapter 3). This shows Jem having to get Scout off Dill showing him maturing and becoming an adult towards Scout. Towards the end of this story, Jem has become almost an adult. He is always looking out for Scout and keeping her in place. Jem and Scout get attacked when they were walking home from the pageant. In the novel, it states, “your fathers no better than the niggers and trash he works for!” (TKAM Chapter 28). This shows how Bob Ewell wanted to get revenge on Atticus for helping Tom and his family. Jem shows bravery when he protected his sister during the attack. As you can see Jem has improved as a character a lot. He has become more mature and has been able to see the good in Atticus and the bad in the world like racism. 

Jem was one of the main characters the author focused on with character development and change. This kid has seen a lot and made a change for the better. TKAM explores a lot of ideas and problems in society. The author then puts a main character in front of these problems and sees how they will react/ change. Jem was a perfect character to choose and grew a lot because of this.