Jem Finch - a Brave Boy

Jem Finch was a brave boy. He was brave enough to stand up and do the things he had to do, even if it scared him. An example is when he had to help cure Mrs. Dubose's morphine problem. ["The following Monday Jem and I climbed the front steps to Mrs. Dubose's house..." , "So, you brought that dirty little sister of yours, did you?" was her greeting. Jem said quietly, "My sister isn't dirty and I ain't scared of you," although I noticed his knees shaking.] (Lee 141). Jem Finch's bravery had many ways of showing itself. He often got scared but he didn't want anyone (especially Scout) to know it. He would often do things that was irrational because he was brave and proud. This pride was for himself and his family. His father was very important to him; Jem thought it was his duty to stick up for his father when others in the town said things about him. ["Jem," he said, "are you responsible for this?" "Yes sir." "Why'd you do it?" , "She said you lawed for niggers and trash." Jem said softly.] (Lee 138).

Jem's determination some times gets in the way of rational thought. He is so determined not to be beaten by Atticus that he would risk his life to get his pants back from the Radley house. ["I'm goin' after 'em," he said. I sat upright "You can"t I wont let you." He was struggling into his shirt. "I've got to."] (Lee 74). He also tried to play football for a league: had he been bigger, the coach would have put him on the team. But being small as he was, he was assigned the position of water boy. He carried out his position on the team with enthusiasm, trying not to miss a game and always doing his duties because he is determined to be apart of the team in any way possible. ["Coach says if I can gain twenty-five pounds by year fter next I can play," he said "This is the quickest way."] (Lee 330).

As Jem hits puberty through the book his maturity level increased by a million. Jem even teases Scout for acting like a girl more and more everyday. Jem moves into adolescence and becomes Scout's accompany by protecting her after all at the end of storyline. While Jem grows in his childhood, he becomes more mature and idolizes his father. He becomes an educated young adult who can identify right or wrong. For instance, Dill sneaks up to Scout's bedroom from escaping his home. Meanwhile, Jem immediately tells Dill that his parents ought to know where he is. Hence, Jem is an idealistic boy going through a whole new stage of life. "You oughta let your mother know where you are," said Jem. "you oughta ler her know you're here..." (Lee 187)

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