In chapter 23, Jem talks about his fews of backgrounds and "folks" and it shows us his views on the outside world. In chapter 23, Jem is showing Scout what he thought at her age and how terrible the world really is, "You now something, Scout? I've got it all figured out, now... there's four kinds of folks in this world. There's the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there's the kkind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump and the negroes" (Lee, 302). Jem goes on to say that Scout is innocent at her age but when she gets to be older like him, Scout will understand that the world is not giggles and cartwheels but that the world is seperated into groups and the world is tough. Scout then says that Jem is wrong and there is only one kind of folk, a folk. This helps us understand Jem's feelings because it shows that after the trial, he really did realize that the world is not fair. Earlier in the chapter, Jem is complaining to Attticus and Atticus is saying that life is not fair and that he wants the law to change, but its a white courtroom and the person on trial is black, there's absolutely no way Tom was going to win. After his conversation with Atticus, Jem realizes that even though the world is tough and it's not fair, he can still make a difference and he is grown up enough to understand that.
Do you think Jem is "grown up"?
Do you agree with Scout's opinion or Jem's?
What do you think changed Jem's opinion?
I agree that Jem is growing up but he still needs time to grow and learn. While Scout and Jem are talking about the different types of "folks," Jem thinks back to when he was Scout's age. Jem tells her, "Thats what I thought, too... When I was your age" (Lee 304). Even though Atticus is much older than Jem, he still believes that "...there's just one kind of folks. Folks" (Lee 304). Scout maybe younger than Jem but she still has hope and believes that everyone is equal. What Jem doesn't understand is the way Tom Robinson was treated started with most of the men in the courthouse thinking the same way as Jem. That things will never change and that they are what they are. Jem still needs time to learn that he can make a difference if he tries and if he believes that everyone can be equal.
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