After Tom Robinson is falsely convicted for the rape and assault of Mayella Ewell, Jem is utterly crestfallen. He was sure that justice would prevail and that the members of the jury would see sense and vote to acquit the defendant. In his own childish, naive way, Jem never thought that such a miscarriage of justice could ever happen in a town like Maycomb. But now that is has, he's utterly scathing about the people he's lived alongside for the whole of his short life:

I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that’s what they seemed like.

In the beginning of To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem's priorities seem to consist of following through on dares and sharing tales about Boo Radley. However, we see gradual growth in Jem as the novel progresses. For example, in chapter 2, Jem begins to distance himself from Scout during school. He explains, "We’ll do like we always do at home, but you’ll see—school’s different."

Another sign of Jem maturing is evident in chapter 8 after the destruction of Miss Maudie's house. After discovering that Boo Radley somehow placed a blanket around Scout's shoulders while she stood in the cold, Jem begins sharing some of their secrets with Atticus. Regarding Boo Radley, Jem says, "He ain’t ever hurt us, he coulda cut my throat from ear to ear that night, but he tried to mend my pants instead." His words show growth in his views on Boo.

Chapter 12 involves Calpurnia referring to Jem as "Mister Jem," which does not impress Scout. Scout feels that "in addition to Jem’s newly developed characteristics, he had acquired a maddening air of wisdom." This thinking is in response to Jem's explanation of why Atticus is featured in a cartoon in the newspaper. Jem explains that the cartoon is actually a compliment of Atticus because it shows that "he spends his time doin‘ things that wouldn’t get done if nobody did ’em."

After Tom's trial, Miss Maudie invites the children in for cake. There are two small cakes for Scout and Dill. She cuts a slice from the big cake, however, for Jem. Miss Maudie's actions send a message that she is treating Jem like a young man. Jem asks, "Who in this town did one thing to help Tom Robinson, just who?" His question provides evidence that he is mature enough to see and question the problems in a racist society.

At the beginning of the novel, Jem is an immature, naive child, who fears their reclusive neighbor Boo Radley. In chapter 1, Jem gives his animated description of their "malevolent" neighbor. Scout says,

"Jem gave a reasonable description of Boo: Boo was 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" (Lee, 13).

In chapter 2, Jem again displays his childhood innocence by attempting to explain Miss Caroline's new way of teaching to Scout. However, Jem's explanation is completely wrong; he tells Scout:

"I’m just trying to tell you the new way they’re teachin‘ the first grade, stubborn. It’s the Dewey Decimal System" (Lee, 15).

As the novel progresses, Jem begins to mature and develop into an understanding, sympathetic boy. In chapter 14, he attempts to ease the tension between Scout and Aunt Alexandra by saying,

"Scout, try not to antagonize Aunty, hear" (Lee, 139). He elaborates on his reasoning by telling Scout, "Naw, it’s—he’s [Atticus] got a lot on his mind now, without us worrying him" (Lee, 139).

In the next chapter, Jem once again displays his maturity by loyally refusing to leave Atticus when the Old Sarum bunch surrounds him. When Atticus tells Jem to go home, Jem refuses to leave the scene. Scout says,

"We were accustomed to prompt, if not always cheerful acquiescence to Atticus’s instructions, but from the way he stood Jem was not thinking of budging" (Lee, 154).

Following the Tom Robinson trial, Jem loses his childhood innocence and becomes jaded with Maycomb's racism. However, he gains sympathy for innocent, defenseless creatures. In chapter 25, when Scout is about to squash a harmless bug, Jem stops his sister. When Scout asks why she is not allowed to squash him, Jem says,

"Because they don’t bother you" (Lee, 242).

In To Kill a Mockingbird, in what ways is Jem coming of age?

As an adolescent, Jem matures and demonstrates his coming of age by losing his childlike naivety, acting responsibly, and exercising perspective.

In part 2, Jem reaches puberty, and Scout comments on his increasing appetite, moody personality, and "inconsistent" attitude. As Jem gets older, he begins to act more responsible and exercise sympathy for others. He stops bothering Boo Radley, informs Atticus that Dill ran away, and tries to comfort Scout when she feels upset. Jem also refuses to leave his father's side in front of the Maycomb jailhouse when they are surrounded by a lynch mob. He recognizes the gravity of the situation and displays his maturity by defying his father's request to leave. Following the incident, Atticus appreciates his son's courage and integrity in the face of adversity.

Once Jem observes racial injustice firsthand by witnessing the Tom Robinson verdict, he completely loses his childhood innocence and becomes jaded with his racist neighbors. Jem thus demonstrates his coming of age by recognizing the hypocrisy throughout his community and acknowledging the dangers of racial prejudice.

In addition to Jem's enhanced outlook on his hometown, he also develops sympathy and transforms into a compassionate, understanding older brother. He goes out of his way to prevent Scout from arguing with her aunt, engages in an insightful conversation regarding Maycomb's social hierarchy, and comforts his sister following her embarrassing pageant incident. Scout even praises Jem for acting mature and sympathetic by saying, "Jem was becoming almost as good as Atticus at making you feel right when things went wrong."

Overall, Jem demonstrates his coming of age by reaching puberty, developing perspective, and exercising responsibility and compassion.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, in what ways is Jem coming of age?

Jem enters adolescence during the course of the novel, an entry that coincides with the Tom Robinson trial. Adolescence is a time when young people begin to perceive adults in less idealistic terms, to question adult values, and to experiment with their own adult identities.

Atticus and Calpurnia warn Scout that Jem might start becoming difficult and pulling away from her. This does happen, and Scout has to deal with Jem suddenly treating her as a "child," with himself in the role of adult. The trial, because of how he himself is changing, makes a deep impact on Jem. He is angry and disillusioned that the white jury returns a guilty verdict despite Atticus clearly demonstrating that Robinson could not have raped Mayella. He is disillusioned, too, that the white adults in Maycomb he looked up to as a child who by and large support the racist verdict.

Jem copes with his new awareness of adult limitations by withdrawing. He reacts very harshly to Scout when she questions him about why her fifth grade teacher condemns Hitler's anti-Semitism while at the same time approving the racist verdict in the trial. Jem shakes her and tells her never to talk to him about the trial again. Jem's reaction hurts Scout's feelings, and she goes to Atticus to try to understand. He explains that

Jem was trying hard to forget something, but what he was really doing was storing it away for a while, until enough time passed. Then he would be able to think about it and sort things out.

Atticus says that when Jem gets through the period of adjusting to adolescence, he will be himself again.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, in what ways is Jem coming of age?

In chapter 23, there is a passage where Scout notices that Jem is changing in appearances lately.  She notices that

"his eyebrows were becoming heavier, and...a new slimness about his body.  He was growing taller."

Then, Jem proudly shows Scout his first chest hair, and tells her that he's "goin' out for football next year" also.  So, there are the physical changes that are mentioned in that chapter.  He is hitting a growth spurt, and starting the track to becoming more of a man in appearances.

Other ways that Jem "comes of age" throughout the novel are that he understands intricate human situations, like how his dad doesn't want to brag about being a good shot, and how, even though it upsets him, people can make the wrong decisions out of fear.  He is processing the world and figuring things out for himself.  He even analyzes people in Maycomb, and figures out that what separates people from each other is how long they've "been readin' and writin'", and concludes with some wisdom:

"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."

Jem has figured out that the world isn't an ideal place where everything fits nicely; he is losing that childhood naivety where kids think everything is happy and perfect.  He is coming of age in the sense that he is developing a more realistic view of people and the world around him.  I hope that those thoughts help; good luck!

In what ways does Jem show that he is maturing?

In Part Two of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem begins to mature into a young man. There are several scenes that depict Jem's maturation through the remainder of the novel. In Chapter 14, after Scout gets an attitude with Aunt Alexandra, Jem tries to tell her that she needs to stop antagonizing Alexandra for the sake of Atticus. Jem is displaying his maturation by understanding his father's growing anxiety due to the upcoming trial, and attempts to discuss his sister's attitude. Jem fails after telling Scout she can't understand Atticus' stress because she "can't hold something in her mind but a little while," and refers to himself as a grown up. Shortly after Scout fights Jem, the children discover Dill has been hiding under Scout's bed. When Dill climbs out from under the bed, Jem tells Atticus. Scout says, "he rose and broke the remaining code our childhood." (Lee 188) By calling his father, Jem displays his maturity because he realizes how serious the situation is. He understands that there are many people concerned about Dill's well-being, and Jem must quickly inform an adult.

In Chapter 15, Atticus travels to the Maycomb jailhouse to sit outside of Tom Robinson's cell. Jem is concerned for his father's safety and decides to go look for him to see if he's alright. When the children arrive at the jailhouse, they see a group of men surrounding Atticus. Scout runs out into the middle of the group, and Jem runs after her. Atticus tells Jem to go home and take the children with him, but Jem refuses to leave. Atticus asks him again, but Jem stubbornly refuses to leave. Fortunately, the mob goes home after Walter Cunningham Sr. realizes the weight of the situation. As Atticus and the children walk home, Scout notices that Atticus is massaging Jem's head, which is a sign of affection. Scout is too young to understand that Atticus is proud of Jem for standing up and refusing to leave. Jem displays maturity by recognizing that his father was in danger and making the bold decision to disobey Atticus' directives.

Following the Tom Robinson trial, where Jem and the children witness racial injustice first-hand and lose their childhood innocence, Jem begins to view situations with a new perspective. At the beginning of Chapter 25, Scout is poking a roly-poly bug and is about to squash it, when Jem tells her, "Don't do that, Scout. Set him out on the back steps." (Lee 317) When Scout asks Jem why couldn't she smash it, he says, "Because they don't bother you." (Lee 320) This scene conveys Jem's maturation in the novel. Jem has witnessed an innocent man, Tom Robinson, lose his life at the hands of a prejudiced community. He understands the importance of Atticus' lesson that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. Mockingbirds symbolize innocent beings, and Jem knows that the roly-poly should not be harmed because it does nothing to bother anybody. By stopping Scout from squashing the innocent bug, Jem displays his growth and maturation throughout the novel.

In what ways does Jem show that he is maturing?

Jem's interaction with Miss Dubose serves as a starting point for his maturing. At first, he approaches the situation as a child, simply correlating an unpleasant task with punishment. As he begins to understand her morphine addiction and suffering, he realizes that things are not always as they appear. He goes through a huge emotional upheaval upon her death.

In the second part of the novel, Jem begins to show huge strides in his progressing maturity, often much to the dismay of Scout. For instance, Jem understands Atticus' stress leading up to Tom Robinson's trial, despite Atticus remaining calm and collected. Jem attempts to quell Scout's childish behavior, such as her antagonistic behavior towards Aunt Alexandra and general unruliness, for Atticus's sake.

Jem shows a huge moment of maturity when he tells Atticus that Dill has been hiding under Scout's bed. He breaks a code of his childhood but does so because he is genuinely concerned for the people that care about Dill and realizes that he needs to tell an adult. Scout, still being a child, feels immensely betrayed by this.

In what ways does Jem show that he is maturing?

Throughout the novel, Jem matures in his understanding of human nature and behavior. Scout repeatedly states that she and Jem were growing apart because of his growth and maturity. One of the major ways that we know Jem is maturing is through the time he spends with Mrs Dubose reading to her. He goes from violently, rashly reacting to an offense to truly caring about the older woman and being touched by her life and death. We also see his increased understanding of Boo Radley and why he lives his life the way he does. Jem realizes that Boo Radley has chosen to separate himself from society, and he develops a respect for that opinion.

How is Jem demonstrating that he is becoming an adult with textual evidence

Jem begins to mature during the beginning of Part Two and starts behaving like his morally-upright father. In chapter 14, Dill runs away from home and hides underneath Scout's bed. After discovering Dill under Scout's bed, Jem and Scout listen to Dill explain how and why he ran away. Jem understands that Dill's parents are probably worried about him and demonstrates maturity by saying,

"You oughta let your mother know where you are...You oughta let her know you’re here" (Lee, 142).

In chapter 15, Jem, Scout, and Dill watch as the Old Sarum bunch surrounds Atticus outside of Tom Robinson's cell in the Maycomb jailhouse. Jem recognizes that his father is in a dangerous situation and refuses to go home when Atticus tells him to. Jem once again demonstrates his maturity by recognizing the dangerous situation and refusing to leave his father alone. Scout describes her brother's obstinance by thinking,

We were accustomed to prompt, if not always cheerful acquiescence to Atticus’s instructions, but from the way he stood Jem was not thinking of budging (Lee, 154).

Following the Tom Robinson trial, Jem develops empathy for defenseless beings and illustrates his maturation by preventing Scout from squashing a harmless roly-poly bug in chapter 25. As Scout is about to smash the bug, Jem scowls at her. When Scout asks Jem why she isn't allowed to smash the bug, he reveals his maturation and understanding of his father's lesson regarding the importance of protecting innocent beings by saying,

"Because they don’t bother you" (Lee, 242).

In chapter 28, Scout gets yelled at from Mrs. Merriweather for coming onto the stage late and ruining the pageant. Fortunately, Jem demonstrates his maturity by attempting to comfort his sister. Scout contemplates,

She made me feel awful, but when Jem came to fetch me he was sympathetic. He said he couldn’t see my costume much from where he was sitting. How he could tell I was feeling bad under my costume I don’t know, but he said I did all right, I just came in a little late, that was all. Jem was becoming almost as good as Atticus at making you feel right when things went wrong (Lee, 262).