To Kill a Mockingbird Group

Question:


alymala7
Student
High School - 10th Grade

How does Jem change in "To Kill a Mockingbird"?

in chapters 12-15 I think

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Posted by alymala7 on Monday April 13, 2009 at 9:48 PM and tagged with change, characters, jem, to kill a mockingbird.

Answers:


  1. troutmiller Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Jem was physically changing, as he turned 12 in chapter 12. But more importantly, he was beginning to think of himself as an adult as well.  Scout sees his almost "overnight" changes and describes them in her narration.

    "Overnight, it seemed, Jem had acquired an alien set of values and was trying to impose them on me:  several times he went so far as to tell me what to do."

    In this section he even tells her that she needs to act more like a girl--the very opposite of what he used to say--that she needed to stop acting like such a girl.  He also has developed a lofty sense of wisdom, too.  He reads the paper and doesn't want Scout to bother him.

    Then in chapter 14, Jem "broke the remaining code of [their] childhood" by going to get Atticus when Dill showed up under Scout's bed.  He thinks more like an adult than he used to, and he's trying to act more like one as well.  He went to tell Atticus because he knew that Dill's family would be very worried.  That's an adult's concern, not a kid's.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/mockingbird/chapter-12-summary-anal...
    http://www.enotes.com/mockingbird/chapter-14-summary-anal...

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    Posted by troutmiller on Tuesday April 14, 2009 at 10:27 AM

  2. bandgeek
    bandgeek Student
    High School - 10th Grade

    I actually did an essay on this. 

    I don't know about 12-15, but i do know he changed as a person throughout the entire play. He became more responsible and caring and aware of his little sister. He turned into a man.

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    Posted by bandgeek on Friday April 17, 2009 at 6:45 PM