Jem faces several moral dilemmas in the story as he struggles to decide what is the right course of action to take during difficult moments. One of the first moral dilemmas Jem encounters takes place towards the end of chapter 6. Jem has to make the difficult decision whether to return to the Radley yard to retrieve his pants or allow Atticus to discover that he was responsible for raiding the Radley yard. Jem ends up deciding to return to the Radley yard to retrieve his pants in order to avoid disappointing Atticus. Jem explains his rationale to Scout for returning to the Radley yard by saying,
I—it’s like this, Scout . . . Atticus ain’t ever whipped me since I can remember. I wanta keep it that way . . . We shouldn’a done that tonight, Scout (Lee, 57).
Jem is faced with another moral dilemma in chapter 14 when Dill crawls out from underneath the bed. While Jem wants Dill to stay with them and enjoys his presence, he knows that Dill's parents are probably worried about him. Jem makes the difficult, yet responsible decision to inform Atticus of the situation.
Jem is again faced with a moral dilemma in the next chapter. When the Old Sarum bunch surrounds Atticus outside of the Maycomb jailhouse, Atticus tells Jem to leave the scene and take Scout and Dill with him. Jem's moral dilemma concerns whether he should obey his father and leave or disobey his father and stay in order to protect him from the mob. Jem makes the difficult decision to obey his father, which illustrates his loyalty, love, and courage.
Monday, March 27, 2017
What moral dilemmas does Jem Finch face in To Kill a Mockingbird?
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