To Kill a Mockingbird

Isabella Hu

Mrs. Lentz

Honors English 9-1

2 November 2011

The Flaws of Justice

The love between a father and son is something uniquely special and mysterious; although not as outright as the love between two lovers, a father shows his love in every gesture, every word of praise, and every reprimand. As shown in the award-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus shares a love with his son Jem that transcends all differences between them. Because of this nurturing, Jem manages to hatch out of his shell, be bombarded with the evils of human prejudice and racism, and still mature into a loving brother and committed protector: a symbol of the theme of growing up.

At first, Jem believed in a perfect society; to him, Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world. However, his unwavering commitment to his father and Maycomb's residents is severely shaken during the trial. Initially, Jem strongly believes the jury would acquit Tom Robinson; after all, who could refute the obvious evidence that Bob Ewell beat his daughter? In his eyes, the jury would quickly proclaim Tom innocent--as it should have. "'You think they'll acquit him that fast?' asked Jem" (Lee 277). However, when the guilty verdict was handed out, Jem was shocked; he became jaded and angry, hating the injustice of the verdict and grieving for the shattered picture of his perfect Maycomb neighbors. "'How could they do it, how could they?'" (Lee 285). For days, Jem refused to even mention the trial. When Scout asks him a question regarding the Miss Gates' hypocrisy, Jem suddenly becomes furious. "'I never wanta hear about that courthouse again, ever, ever, you hear me?'" (Lee 331). In Jem's point of view, the courthouse symbolizes injustice, hatred, and racism. The city of Maycomb betrayed his father and left the Finches to stand alone in what was used to be the safest place in the world. Because of this, Jem tries to block it out and think about what he has learned. As Atticus wisely deduces, Jem simply needs more time.

Yet, Jem begins to show signs of having learned an important lesson from the trial. As seen when he urges Scout not to squash the roly-poly, Jem wants to protect the fragile and vulnerable. Like Atticus and Miss Maudie, Jem believes that the innocent--such as the roly-poly Scout wanted to squash--should be protected and brought to justice. "'Why couldn't I mash him?' I asked. 'Because they don't bother you,' Jem answered in the darkness" (Lee 320). This concept could explain the gradual evolution from Scout's playmate to her protector; compared to Jem, Scout is still a young and innocent girl who has yet to fully understand the confusing