Have you ever said something you shouldn’t have? In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the novel tells the story of two young children coming of age, with this being said, the key to maturity is controlling your emotions. Jem showed this throughout the novel as he started to grow up and acted more maturely than when he was younger. The main character, Jean Louise Finch, or mainly referred to as Scout, her older brother Jeremy Finch or also referred to as Jem, her father, Atticus Finch, and their black maid, Calpurnia, played a big role into Jem's coming of age. Many would argue that Scout came of age since she matured over time, while this is true, Jem showed to improve himself by becoming more mature and growing up.
Going into part two of the novel, the reader can already tell Jem isn't acting the way he used to at the begging of the novel. For example, in chapter 12 scout states, 'Jem was twelve. He was difficult to live with, inconsistent, moody'(Lee 153). Jem is changing, Scout notices his change behaviour as he starts to mature and become more independent. Atticus soon realises the problem with Jem and can understand what he is going through. For example, 'Atticus said no, Jem was growing. I must be patient with him and disturb him as little as possible'(Lee 153). This proves that he is slowly starting to mature and changing in many ways throughout time. In this chapter, it introduces the change of behaviour in Jem which concludes that he is starting to mature and is also going through puberty.
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Also in chapter 12, it shows how Jem's patience is decreasing when Jem used to stand Scout but as he’s starting mature he pushes Scout away. For example scout says, '' He ain't that old,' I said 'all he needs is somebody to beat him up, and I ain't big enough.''(Lee 153). This means that Jem is starting to act more independent and wanting to be alone which results into him avoiding Scout. Also Calpurnia noticed Jem’s change in attitude which concludes that he was going to act more maturely and not like a little kid anymore. For example Scout says,‘“Baby,' said Calpurnia, 'I just can't help it if Mister Jem's growin' up. He's gonna want to be off to himself a lot now, doin' whatever boys do, so you just come right on in the kitchen when you feel lonesome. We'll find lots of things to do in here”’(Lee 154). This proves that this was Jem’s coming of age as he demonstrated in the chapter that he was growing up and acting more his age. He also demonstrates how his emotions soon started to change as he started to grow older acting more maturely and independent.
Many would argue that Jem’s coming of age was more in chapter 22. Jem shows remorse when Tom Robinson was pleaded guilty just because he was black. For example it says,” His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd”(Lee 285). Jem is aware of the situation and disagrees the judge’s opinion which to him is unfair. This only shows how emotional he got when Tom Robinson was pleaded guilty and accused of rape when Jem thought he was innocent. Although in Chapter 12, it demonstrates how Jem is acting more independent which is part of coming of age and is strongly shown in the passage. For example Scout says,” The beginning of that summer boded well: Jem could do as he pleased Calpurnia would do until Dill came”(Lee 154). This showed how Jem was coming of age by him acting more of a teenager. This concludes that Jem is coming of age by growing up by not acting like a little kid anymore and starting to reveal his true colors in what he is becoming
As you can see, Jem came of age throughout the novel as he grew older. He learned that by controlling his emotions he can become more mature. In that being said, the key to maturity is controlling your emotions which Jem managed to show in the novel. By him being a young boy to maturing into a teenage boy and by learning new lessons through his own experience. The theme corresponds with Jem’s coming of age by him being able to control his emotions more that what Scout and Dill could. As one matures, they gradually begin to develop ways to maintain themselves.
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