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Jem is drawn to Boo’s story, which he has heard all of his life. Townsfolk tell stories of Boo coming out at night and peeping through peoples’ windows, freezing their azaleas by breathing on them, and terrorizing household pets. When Atticus refuses to give Jem details about the Radleys, Jem turns to Miss Stephanie Crawford, the neighborhood gossip. She talks about Boo saying she “woke up in the middle of the night one time and saw him looking…
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To begin, the author of the story To Kill A Mockingbird tells the life of brother, Jeremy Finch and his sister, Scout who grew up in the era of racism and social inequality. Jeremy Finch, better known as Jem, is a typical young boy who grew up in a small Alabama town of Maycomb. He was described has someone who had an interest in sports, guns and being tough. The author, Harper Lee develops the character of Jem, who encounters many conflicts (internal and external) and shows how many of them were handled with using the theme of coming of age. With Jem’s voice and characterization, Lee shows how a young immature boy can grow into a mature, independent man.…
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In the beginning of the novel Jem is introduced as a child who is oblivious to the true meaning of the issues that surround him. However, as the story goes on Jem begins to perceive things in a different way. For example, when Scout sees that Jem “had been crying” (pg. 84) on the Radley porch Jem shows a new more sophisticated side of himself. The fact that Jem is upset because he realizes that Boo is not being allowed to communicate…
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Maycomb’s fear and prejudice towards Boo Radley and Tom Robinson is shown through the character development and innocent views of the children in the story, as their views and understanding mature over time. Scout, Jem and Dill harvest innocence and strong curiosity towards Boo Radley as they act out ‘Boo Radley’ in the summer. The drama is ‘woven…
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I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time. It’s because he wants to stay inside.”’ (301). With this statement from Jem one can clearly infer that Jem has overcome his previous invisions and fantasies of Boo Radley, and has come to a clearly, more realistic idea of what actually is occuring with Boo. Jem can now realize that the things people do are none of his business and if they want to stay inside, such as Boo does, then they can and Jem cannot do anything about it. Jem can also be seen as a fully matured young man when he defends Scout in the struggle against Bob Ewell. Jem and Scout are ambushed, and Jem takes initiative and does all he can to protect his younger sister. Jem tells Scout to run and as they run they are pulled to the ground by Bob. Jem overcomes, picks himself up and pounces upon Mr. Ewell so as to save his one and only sister. Jem could have been expedient, run away and left Scout to fend for herself, but he had attained his immaculate goal of maturity and does all he can to assist in the epic battle between himself, Scout and the ravaging Bob Ewell. As one can infer from the several examples that are displayed from Jem and Scout proceeding their catalytic maturity experiences, they have worked for, and attained ultimate maturity for…
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After Atticus’s brilliant arguments, Jem remains optimistic about his father’s victory despite Reverend’s uncertainty: “‘… He’s not supposed to lean, Reverend, but don’t fret, we’ve won it… Don’t see how any jury could convict on what we heard…” (279). This naïve confidence results from Jem’s lack of understanding of how deep the racial-bias judgment engraved in the minds of Maycomb’s residents, thus results in his ultimate realization. Likewise, another character who is also misjudged in the novel is Arthur Radley, or Boo Radley. With their childish imagination and the fictitious rumors about Boo, Jem, Scout, and Dill misbelieve him to be “…about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that's why his hands were bloodstained—if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time.” (16). Fabricated myths and rumors about Boo and his family circulate through the entire town only because Maycomb and its residents, despite the scarce amount of compassionate individuals, are ignorant of what is behind the family’s closed door. To the children, Boo Radley only exists as a figment of their imagination, a ruthless monster with no physical identity, a “malevolent…
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Even though he is her brother, he is also her best friend, and they get along better than Scout does with any of the kids at school. As Susan McHale stated, “Like friends, siblings are a focus of free time activities in childhood, but they also share family-centered activities such as meals and outings” (McHale). Jem may be Scout’s brother, but he has just as big of an impact on her life and growth as any other person in or out of Maycomb. He can get annoyed with her presence, but he loves her greatly and enjoys how she looks up to him, even if he doesn’t show it that often. She is fascinated by his knowledge, though sometimes his attempts at being authoritative drive her crazy. She also enjoys being with him, and his presence is comforting to her when she is afraid. For example, she is excited the next year of school because, “The only thing good about the second grade was that this year I had to stay as late as Jem, and we usually walked home together at three o’clock” (Lee 77). She appreciated him near, and she also owes him her life. If it weren’t for Jem, then she may never have gotten the nerve up to go close to the Radley house or have been protected when Mr. Ewell attacked them. No matter the time or place, Jem has always been there for Scout and has made a massive impact on her life.…
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Scout learns that certain people in town are feared, distrusted or hated because of their skin color, personal decisions, or rank on the social hierarchy, also known as class warfare. Colored people don’t receive as much respect as white people because they are lower in the social hierarchy than the white people who are on the top. By stepping into the shoes of Boo Radley, Walter Cunningham, and Dolphus Raymond, Scout learns a lot about class warfare. Tom Robinson is a black man who is falsely accused of beating and raping Mayella Ewell. The jury finds him guilty, and Scout knows that it was wrong. Her father, Atticus, was Tom’s lawyer, so she was able to experience each step of the trial. Arthur “Boo” Radley was feared by all of Maycomb because he stabbed his father with a pair of scissors when he was younger. Scout constantly wonders what it would feel like to be trapped in your house for so many years and be all alone to understand why Boo does not have great social skills and is quite shy. He left many things for the children in the hole of a tree, but expected nothing in return. Scout and Jem both recognized that he was not a bad man, and just needed some friends. Dolphus Raymond was the town dunk. Actually, he wasn’t. He drank Coca-Cola out of a paper bag to make everyone think that he was drunk. Dill and Scout got the opportunity to talk to him during the trail, when they decided to take a…
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These occurrences in Maycomb eradicate the naivety of the children to prepare them for the real world. Scout initially begins to lose her prevalent innocence when her cousin subjects her to the use of derogatory tongue. Additionally, the two most significant deaths evoke a maturation in Jem when he realizes the subject matter involved in one of the two. Bob Ewell’s subsequent vengeance moreover eradicates all indications of Scout’s innocence as she is exposed to violence, revenge and murder. A child’s innocence is a crucial variable amongst many in their development, although it must be left behind for the sake of comprehending the actuality of the world; no matter how harsh it may be.…
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Scout and Jem learn about the power of being prejudice. Boo Radley has always been the scary-like human that everyone is scared of, for they judge him since Boo is different from everyone else. According to the people of Maycomb, Boo Radley “went out at night...and peeped in windows.” The people of Maycomb criticize Boo for not being like everyone else, for every time a crime is committed, it is blamed on Boo Radley. The townspeople believe Boo Radley is an evil guy; therefore, the legends of Boo Radley get passed down to the children, which teaches the children to become prejudice at a young age. Scout soon realizes all the rumors about Boo Radley are all lies; therefore, Scout discerns Boo Radley’s name isn’t Boo, it’s Author Radley, and he is a good guy that saved Jem and Scout lives. No one will ever know Author Radley saved Jem and Scouts’ lives because the people of Maycomb will not only begin rumors about Author Radley, but also begin to go to his house when he wants to be away from…
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I asked my teacher If I could do anything to save my grade, and he said “yes”. I have to do a theme, in order to raise my grade. Also, the last time we visited you, after you died I took Gone With the Wind. I felt like I needed to finish that book, because it would've made you happy. Since we won the rumble I wish we could get a prize, and that prize would be to bring you back from the dead. I really do miss you man.Sniffles*. Every time I go to bed I always think you’re alive, but everyone keeps saying that you’re not alive. I always wanted to ask you this question, how come you killed Bob? Was it because you were fed up with all this nonsense, or were you sick of everyone picking on us. If you didn't die you would be in jail rights now. It's all my fault I caused everything to happen. If I didn't jump out of that car to save the kids you wouldn't be dead. I can't say this enough man, I just really miss you man. Ever since you left everyone has been yelling at each other, and I’m so sick of it. I don't like violence, and you know that. Do things happen for a reason? Are family seems to be falling apart without you. Everyone is dieing Now I’m gonna go, and I pray that you will have a good time in heaven. The…
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During the first part of the novel, Jem, Scout and Dill have a childish obsession with the idea of Boo Radley, the “terrifying” recluse who lives down the street from them. Yet, over time, he commits various acts of kindness towards the children: leaving presents in the tree, sewing Jem’s pants, and eventually giving a blanket to Scout when they were forced to stand in the cold. When Jem pieces this together after the blanket incident, he becomes upset. When Atticus is discussing the matter with him, Jem says, “[...] he’s crazy, I reckon, like they say, but Atticus, I swear to god he ain’t never hurt us, he coulda cut my throat from ear to ear that night but he tried to mend my pants instead...He ain’t ever hurt us, Atticus” (96). Jem is upset because he knows that he has harmed someone unnecessarily, and has learned the “it’s a sin to kill mockingbirds” lesson for himself before Atticus has even properly explained it to him. Jem becomes more self-aware because of this experience, and, in future chapters, seems to want to prevent others from being victims of actions like his. When Atticus must shoot Tim Johnson, the dog with rabies, Jem is clearly disturbed. After he witnessed the shooting, Lee writes, “Jem was paralyzed. I pinched him to get him moving” (128). He had…
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Jem first begins to put himself in others’ shoes and learn sympathy from his fascination with Boo Radley.…
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are attacked by Bob Ewell while on their way home from a school play. Jem was badly…
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Scout and Jem learn life lessons about morality, justice, and what the right thing to do is. Despite obviously being proven innocent, Tom Robinson is found guilty and is sentenced to the electric chair. Atticus receives many threats from Bob Ewell, the prosecutor's father, that he will hurt Atticus. On the way home from a school dance, Scout and Jem are attacked by…
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