Through life’s terrible trials and experiences, everyone will eventually be forced to mature and grow up. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, we follow the story of Jem and Scout, two kids living in the South during a period of severe racism. Through their actions, we meet Mrs. Dubose, a mean old woman trying to beat her morphine addiction, and Tom Robinson, an innocent black man accused of rape because of a white woman’s attraction to him. Even though the characters of Mrs. Dubose and Tom Robinson are otherwise unconnected, the aftermath of their demise shows firsthand with how cruel the world is. After enduring the death of someone who possessed true courage and a trial composed of black vs. white, the character of Jem is forced
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Dubose is one of the events that forces Jem to mature. When Atticus returns after receiving a call and heading over to Mrs. Dubose’s house, Jem asks, “‘What’d she want?’”(Lee 110) to which Atticus replies, “‘She’s dead, son,...she’s not suffering anymore,... Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict,... she said she meant to break herself of it before she died.... I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand’” (Lee 110-112). Mrs. Dubose was an old woman who held the true meaning of courage. Atticus tells Jem that even though Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict, she fought very hard until the end to finish the addiction. This shows that she possessed what Atticus called “the true meaning of courage”, and that she was finally beating the addiction before her death. Mrs. Dubose’s death was unfair, but her death ended up forcing Jem to grow up a little. At the beginning of chapter 12, Scout describes the change she sees in Jem after Mrs, Dubose’s death, “He was difficult to live with, inconsistent, moody... This change in Jem had come about in a matter of weeks. Mrs. Dubose was not cold in her grave... Overnight, it seemed, Jem had acquired an alien set of values and was trying to impose them on me” (Lee 115). This passage shows that Mrs. Dubose’s death affected Jem and forced him to mature a little. Scout is immature, and her childish behavior is consistently shown throughout the book. Jem’s new set …show more content…
When Tom Robinson was convicted of rape even though he was innocent, and it showed the unfairness in the world. In chapter 23, when Jem is talking to Atticus about the trial, Atticus states, “‘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’” (Lee 220). The way that Atticus says this shows that the world is unbalanced, and even when a man is innocent, he can still be found guilty in the courts all because of his color. This shows how unfair the world is, and how cruel. Atticus even states that it is a “fact of life” and that “the white man always wins” (Lee 220). Tom Robinson was an innocent man, but because of his color, he was found guilty in the eyes of an unfair world and was sentenced to death. His color and his treatment are a perfect example of how unfair the world is. But, his trial also forced Jem to mature. In chapter 22, right after the trial ended and Tom Robinson was found guilty of rape, Jem shows how he feels through a short conversation with Atticus, “It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd... ‘It ain’t right Atticus,’ said Jem. ‘No son, it’s not right...’ said Atticus ” (Lee 212). Through this short interaction, Jem shows his new maturity in a way he doesn’t even realize. One of the characteristics of maturity is the feeling of
Dubose is one of the events that forces Jem to mature. When Atticus returns after receiving a call and heading over to Mrs. Dubose’s house, Jem asks, “‘What’d she want?’”(Lee 110) to which Atticus replies, “‘She’s dead, son,...she’s not suffering anymore,... Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict,... she said she meant to break herself of it before she died.... I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand’” (Lee 110-112). Mrs. Dubose was an old woman who held the true meaning of courage. Atticus tells Jem that even though Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict, she fought very hard until the end to finish the addiction. This shows that she possessed what Atticus called “the true meaning of courage”, and that she was finally beating the addiction before her death. Mrs. Dubose’s death was unfair, but her death ended up forcing Jem to grow up a little. At the beginning of chapter 12, Scout describes the change she sees in Jem after Mrs, Dubose’s death, “He was difficult to live with, inconsistent, moody... This change in Jem had come about in a matter of weeks. Mrs. Dubose was not cold in her grave... Overnight, it seemed, Jem had acquired an alien set of values and was trying to impose them on me” (Lee 115). This passage shows that Mrs. Dubose’s death affected Jem and forced him to mature a little. Scout is immature, and her childish behavior is consistently shown throughout the book. Jem’s new set …show more content…
When Tom Robinson was convicted of rape even though he was innocent, and it showed the unfairness in the world. In chapter 23, when Jem is talking to Atticus about the trial, Atticus states, “‘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’” (Lee 220). The way that Atticus says this shows that the world is unbalanced, and even when a man is innocent, he can still be found guilty in the courts all because of his color. This shows how unfair the world is, and how cruel. Atticus even states that it is a “fact of life” and that “the white man always wins” (Lee 220). Tom Robinson was an innocent man, but because of his color, he was found guilty in the eyes of an unfair world and was sentenced to death. His color and his treatment are a perfect example of how unfair the world is. But, his trial also forced Jem to mature. In chapter 22, right after the trial ended and Tom Robinson was found guilty of rape, Jem shows how he feels through a short conversation with Atticus, “It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd... ‘It ain’t right Atticus,’ said Jem. ‘No son, it’s not right...’ said Atticus ” (Lee 212). Through this short interaction, Jem shows his new maturity in a way he doesn’t even realize. One of the characteristics of maturity is the feeling of