Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ portrays that maturity is gained from understanding your surroundings. In the fictional county of Maycomb, Alabama, during the 19th century, there are social problems such as poverty, racism, and bad morals. As the novel progresses, Jem learns the truth about what is Maycomb. In ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, Jem’s experiences emphasize that maturity is one’s ability to respond to their environment and how to deal with it.
For instance, Scout’s classmate, Walter Cunningham, faces a problem in class. Their teacher, Miss Caroline, offers Walter some money. Walter refuses to accept the money from Miss Caroline because he will be unable to pay her back. Scout interferes by attempting to explain Walter’s financial situation to Miss Caroline. By doing so, Scout gets in trouble. Scout blames Walter for her punishment, therefore, she decides to beat him up. Jem, Scout’s brother, intervenes and ends the fighting between the two of them. Afterward, Jem invites Walter over to their house to eat lunch. Jem is mature enough to understand Walter’s situation and invites him over to have lunch not only to apologize for Scout being immature but also because he knows that Walter will not be able to eat at home.
Eventually, as Jem is growing up, he becomes aware of the unfairness of the judicial system in Maycomb County. Tom Robinson, a black man, is accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Atticus, Jem’s father, is given the duty of defending him. The bruises that appear around Mayella’s neck and the bruise on the right side of her face could only have been made by a man with two strong hands who mainly used his left. Atticus proves that there is no way that Tom could have possibly harmed Mayella because his left arm had been mangled by a cotton gin when he was a child. This makes it physically impossible for Tom to have committed the crime. Although there is clear evidence that Tom Robinson is not guilty, the jury disregards it and states otherwise. Jem witnesses the prejudice that the society of Maycomb has against someone’s skin color. Racism is an ongoing problem that occurs in society daily, one can step up and take action by speaking for the people who are too afraid or unable to speak for themselves.
Furthermore, on the night of the Halloween pageant, Bob Ewell attempts to murder Jem and Scout. Before the attempted murder, Scout forgets her shoes at school, so she and Jem go back to get them. The lights go out, therefore, Jem suggests that Scout should just come back and get them tomorrow. However, Jem does not feel right when they are leaving. At first, Jem thinks Cecil Jacobs is playing another prank on them, but suddenly realizes he is dealing with someone much more serious. As a figure comes running towards them, Jem yells for Scout to run while he is fighting. While he is fighting, Jem breaks his arm. After the fight, Jem realizes that not all people are good and that there are some who have bad intentions. One must be aware of the different morals people have.
Overall, Jem gains maturity by understanding the problems that are going on around him in Maycomb. There are problems in society that take time for people to understand. Being aware of these problems is a big and important step into maturity. Therefore, maturity is gained based on experiences an individual faces in their lifetime.
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