To Kill a Mockingbird

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, as Jem expands his boundaries with regard to various people and events within Maycomb County, Lee shows how the process of growing up and maturing into an adult involves the act of questioning and reasoning the guidance of enlightened adults, and the acceptance of certain harsh realities.

In the beginning of the novel, through his interactions with Boo Radley, Jem learns not to judge a person based upon appearances. From very early on, Jem and his sister Scout thought of Boo as a tall man that had bad hygiene and that ate any raw animals that he could catch. This shows that Jem’s initial thinking hasn’t started maturing yet, he hasn’t begun expanding his boundaries, and Jem still judges people without knowing. Later on in the novel, Jem begins to expand his boundaries slightly, and begins to put himself in others’ shoes. However, what really causes Jem to shift his thinking about Boo and to consider Boo a friend and not an enemy is when Jem says,

“‘When I went back for my breeches– they were all in a tangle when I was gettin’ out of ‘em, I couldn’t get ‘em loose. When I went back–‘ Jem took a deep breath. ‘When I went back, they were folded across the fence...like they were expectin’ me.’”(58)

Here, we see that Jem begins to realize that Boo might not be so scary, and that Boo is a real person who is looking for friends and not an evil monster or ghost. Also, Jem begins to sympathize with Boo’s situation, and realizes that Boo might be generous and kind. Jem begins to act even more maturely because he is writing Boo a letter respecting Boo’s method of communicating and also treating Boo with respect by writing ‘Mr.’. Additionally, as the novel progresses Jem begins to expand his boundaries, and mature even more. Jem asks Mr. Radley why he had closed the hole in the tree, Mr. Nathan Radley answers by saying that he had to because the tree was dying, but Jem shows that he is maturing even more when he asks Atticus even...