1. LOOKS LIKE
1.1. Child
1.1.1. 'When I was almost six and Jem was nearly ten'
1.1.1.1. Jem is a little boy, who at the beginning of the book is 10 years old. Jem’s appearance and language is that of a child. He wears children clothes and appears to be a trouble maker. When members of the town see him walking around they always suspect him for some kind of childish plan.
1.2. Mischievous
1.2.1. 'If Atticus ever said we couldn't, Jem had thought of a way around it'
1.2.1.1. Especially at the beginning of the book Jem is seen as a ’trouble maker’ to many, especially Miss Crawford. Jem has that sleazy appearance that makes him prime suspect whenever anything falls out of place. This is reflected on Scout and Dill who he is mainly seen with.
1.3. Looks like Atticus
1.3.1. 'Jem's soft brown hair and eyes, his oval and snug-fitting ears were our mother's contrasting oddly with Atticus’s greying black hair and square-cut features, but they were somehow alike. Mutual defiance made them alike.'
1.3.1.1. Jem is referred to as ‘little atticus at many different points throughout the book on distinct one is at the jailhouse. Jems features a similar to that of Atticus
2. BELIEFS & vALUES
2.1. courage
2.1.1. He had thought that up to make me understand he wasn't afraid of Radleys in any shape or form, to contrast his own fearless heroism with my cowardice
2.1.1.1. Jems persistance in trying to get Boo Radley outside of his house really emphasizes on his courage. Boo is perceived as a menacing figure to many and Jem is able to brave his fears of Boo and walked onto the Radley porch and afterwards returning to collect his pants on his own rather than having the comfort of Scout alongside him, he chose like a caring older brother to keep her safe from the 'dangerous' Boo.
2.2. fairness
2.2.1. If there's just one kind of folks, why can't they get along with each other? If they're all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other?
2.2.1.1. Jems compassion and feeling for fairness is what makes him question the Tom Robinson case to Atticus and others. Jem knows that Tom is not being treated fairly and when he finds out Tom has been dealt guilty, Jem’s innocence is shattered. Jem’s belief in fairness was making Jem see the Robinson case with a clear perspective of what was right.
2.3. Honesty
2.3.1. "Atticus ain't ever whipped me since I can remember. I wanta keep it that way. […] We shouldn'a done that tonight, Scout."
2.3.1.1. Jem is very honest with his opinion. Jems thoughts are spoken weather good or bad, sometimes Jem is a little implosive and speaks before he thinks. Which occasionally offends others. Jem also doesn’t like to lie to many people, especially his father Atticus, not because he is scared of punishment, but much to his maturity, it is because he knows it is the wrong thing to do.
2.4. Leadership
2.4.1. His maddening superiority was unbearable these days
2.4.1.1. Jem is dominant in his personality. Out of the three children, Jem is the one who will lead them on whatever adventures they go on. He likes to take charge of situation. Jem cares for Scout even when she gets on his nerves, this in turn shows his tolerance for Scout, putting up with her hanging around with him and dill for most of the book.
3. HOW OTHERS SEE HIM OR HER...
3.1. Mature
3.1.1. "Overnight, it seemed, Jem had acquired an alien set of values
3.1.1.1. Jems matures as a character throughout the book. The Tom Robinson case really changes Jem as even he admits he feels more like an adult afterwards.Jems duty as an older brother to Scout also fuels his maturity growth. The events in Jems life during the book help him move on from childhood and find his ‘manhood’
3.2. Older brother
3.2.1. "Don't you cry, now, Scout... don't cry now, don't you worry-" he (Jem) muttered at me all the way to school
3.2.1.1. Jem feels like it is his rightful duty to protect Scout and watch over her, as he continues to mature through the book Jem’s role as the brother becomes more and more important as in Jem’s mind his duty is to keep his little sister out of trouble.
3.3. Daddy's Boy
3.3.1. As Atticus's fists went to his hips, so did Jem's, and as they faced each other, I could see little resemblance between them: Jem's soft brown hair and eyes, his oval face and snug-fitting ears were our mother's, contrasting oddly with Atticus's graying black hair and square-cut features, but they were somehow alike. Mutual defiance made them alike. (Chapter 15)
3.3.1.1. Jem would be often referred to as ‘Atticus Jr’. Aspiring to be like his dad Jem tries to follow in his footsteps. Always nagging Atticus for a kick of the football or to spend time with his dad. Jem asks Atticus for any advice he needs giving the perception that they have a relatively open relationship
4. ACTS LIKE
4.1. His behavior changes greatly:
4.1.1. “He was difficult to live with,inconsistent, moody."Page 125
4.1.1.1. Throughout the novel Jem is facing the problem of adolescence, he gets some mood swings and has been known to get angry at scout for being childish. This is when he really starts akin a point of trying to act mature and intelligent.
4.2. Very Proud
4.2.1. “In All his life, Jem had never declined a dare" Page 13
4.2.1.1. Jem is very proud he doesn’t like to have that compromised. He doesn’t back down from anything that might mke him look weak a good example of this is when Jem was dared to touch the Radley place
4.3. Tries to act mature
4.3.1. “Jem had acquired an alien set of values and was trying to impose them on me" Page 125
4.3.1.1. When Jem is around Atticus he tries to act very mature in order to win the respect of Atticus. But when Jem is around Scout and dill he tries to act mature to show them that he is older, wiser and more intelligent than them. He never wants to let Atticus down by doing something wrong.
5. MOTIVATED BY
5.1. Showing atticus that he shares his opinions
5.1.1. “I aint going was Jem’s answer to Atticus’s threats, requests and finally, ‘Jem please tie them home’
5.1.1.1. Explain
5.2. Being a man
5.2.1. He always tries to assert his intelligence over scout
5.2.1.1. He wants to show everyone that he is old enough and mature enough to be entrusted with responsibility and respected.
5.3. Winning Atticus's Respect
5.3.1. An example of this is when Jem and Atticus were talking about Tom Robinson
5.3.1.1. He constantly tries to show Atticus that he is aware of the problems in the world and in macomb, he wants Atticus to realize that he is mature enough for Atticus to share any issues or problems that might come up in his work with him.
6. TEXTUAL ISSUES OR CONCERNS LINKED TO THIS CHARACTER
6.1. He may think he's old enough to handle certain situations
6.1.1. “I aint going was Jem’s answer to Atticus’s threats, requests and finally, ‘Jem please tie them home’
6.1.1.1. Again because he wants to show everyone that he is old enough and mature enough to be treated as an adult he may think that he is able to handle and potentially dangerous situations
6.2. He may come off as arogant and annoying
6.2.1. “He was difficult to live with"
6.2.1.1. If Jem is just playing with Scout and Dill his mature act may come of as arrogance and annoy other people around him, the same thing may be happening at school