Bradley Stuewe

Cox

English 9 Honors

12 January 17

Jem Finch

To Kill a Mockingbird is a story that shows a deeper meaning

and is more about acts in life than a story. Jem is the narrator, Scouts,

brother. Jem is a key character and changes a lot throughout the story.
There are many events in the story that shape Jem. The three main

events in the story that shaped Jem in To Kill a Mockingbird are when

Jem read to Mrs. Dubose, when the whole in the tree connecting to Boo

Radley was filled with cement, and the time period of Tom Robinsons

Trial.

The first event that shaped Jem was when Jem had to read to

Mrs. Dubose as a punishment. This event changed Jem in many ways.

Jem had to read to Mrs. Dubose because he destroyed her garden since

she was calling Atticus names. Reading to Mrs. Dubose helped show

Jem how to forgive others and take the higher ground. Atticus forced

Jem to read to Mrs. Dubose because he knew she needed help. "She

was. She had her own views about things, a lot different from mine,

maybe...son, I told you that if you hadn't lost your head I'd have made

you go read to her. I wanted you to see something about her- I wanted

you to see what real courage is This event made Jem see a different

side of life he had never seen and it matured him.

Another event that shaped Jem was when the hole in the tree

was filled by Nathan Radley. This event shapes Jem because he realizes

how cruel the world can be. The reason this event causes Jem to
change is because Boo Radley left presents for Jem and Scout. Then

Mr.Radley filled the hole with cement to cut off any friendship Boo

Radley had. "Why'd you do it, sir?" "Tree's dying. You plug 'em with

cement when they're sick. You ought to know that, Jem." Jem knows

that the tree is healthy. Jem learns that some people dont want to be

happy.

The final event in To Kill a Mockingbird is the entire trial of Tom

Robinson. Before the trial, Jem was starting to mature and grow up.
However, after listening to the adult conversations during the trial, Jem

understands that he still has a lot to know and is still a kid. But the trial

hardened Jem at the same time. It also showed him the dark side of

Maycomb that he had never seen. Jem then understood how racist and

full of prejudice Maycomb was. In our courts, when it's a white man's

word against a black man's, the white man always wins. They're ugly,

but those are the facts of life." (pg 220, Lee) This event matures Jem.

Overall, Jem is shaped by three main events, reading to Mrs.

Dubose, When Nathan Radley fills the hole in the tree, and finally Tom

Robinsons trial. These events showed him sides of life he had never

seen. The events matured him and gave Jem great life experiences.

Jem learned how to care for people, learned the cruelty in the world,

and saw how his beloved town of Maycomb was a twisted and racist

town. Jem changed from a young boy who was always happy to a

young man who understood the world.

 Works Cited

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1960.

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