In chapter 23 we see Jem forming some ideas about society. “There’s four kind of people in our world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbours, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dumb and the Negroes” From this quote we can see that Jem is beginning to sense the inequality in society and realising that despite what is preached not everyone is equal. This teaches us a lot about the way Jem is maturing because it is unlike a child to look so deeply into the way society is structured. It is unusual for two reasons, firstly a child would not contain the maturity necessary to think into something that much and also a child would also have to have been exposed to quite a lot to understand the corruption of the county.
Another sign of maturity that Jem shows is his new found analysis of Boo Radley. “Maybe the reason Boo Radley never comes out, is because he doesn’t want to.” Jem comes to this conclusion about Boo Radley after also stating his opinion about society which implies that he believes that the reason Boo does not want to come out is because je does not want to be exposed to the inequality and the corruption in Maycomb.
Scout is also used as a contrast to show Jems point of view. Scout says “I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks.” Jem replies saying “That’s what I thought too, when I was your age.” contrast between the naivety of Scout and the new found maturity of Jem shows how Jem is a Mockingbird because at first he believes in the American Dream where everyone is equal and then he grows up and his innocence is stolen from him as he begins to realise the sad truth of the world.
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