To Kill A Mockingbird Jem's Influence On Scout

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In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout, a young girl, is deeply influenced by her older brother Jem. His complex characteristics are a huge example towards her. Although older sibling’s influences can be bad at times, Jem’s; however, is not. He influences her through his daringness, maturity, and protectiveness. At a young age, Jem is very daring. He is always up for a good time. In the very first chapters, Dill, along with Scout, dare him to touch the house of Mr. Boo Radley, the mysterious man who never seems to come out of his house. Jem takes this opportunity and follows through with the dare. “Jem threw open the gate and sped to the side of the house, slapped it with his palm and ran back past us, not waiting to see if his foray …show more content…
We are introduced to him when he is 10 years old but then get to follow him as he matures. Being the oldest child in the family can put a lot of pressure on oneself. They usually have the highest expectations put on them because they are an example to their younger siblings. We see this in the story as Scout starts to become more like Jem. We are fully able to know he is changing when Scout notices it first. “Jem was twelve. He was difficult to live with, inconsistent, moody…” (Lee, 115) Even though he is kind of moody, we are also able to see him later when he is mature. He begins to understand the trial and other things that Scout doesn’t because she is younger. Without Jem’s grown-up influence though, Scout may have never changed herself.
As Jem matures, he also becomes very protective of his younger sister Scout. He doesn’t let anyone hurt her, and even puts himself in danger just to protect his little sister. “You heard what Scout said, there’s no doubt about it. She said Jem got up and yanked him off her.” (Lee, 272) Scout gets back and isn’t physically hurt really at all. Jem; however, is unconscious. He allows himself to get hurt so that feisty little Scout doesn’t. This also shows great maturity in Jem’s character.
In conclusion, Jem, a daring, mature, and protective young boy influences his younger sister in many ways. His complex character is a huge example to her and
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