Scout and Jem, a Comparison

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Scout and Jem, a Comparison In any great work of literature, the characters are the focal point. As the audience, one follows the characters through their story as they grow and accomplish great feats. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the readers follow the protagonists Scout and Jem, who share both similar and different characteristics. They have contrasting methods of solving conflicts. Their maturity levels are quite different from each other, however they are both very curious about the world around them. That is to say, the character of Scout shares many similarities with the character of Jem, yet they also have their differences. The manner in which Scout resolves conflicts is significantly different than that of Jem's. Scout likes to solve her problems by fighting anybody whose ideas she doesn’t agree with. For example, when the citizens of Maycomb learn that Atticus is the defense attorney for an African­American man, they use unpleasant names to describe Atticus. When a boy at school calls Atticus a nigger­lover, Scout doesn’t know what it means, but distinguishes that it is offensive by his tone of voice. She ends up fighting him in order to solve her conflict. " 'You can just take that back, boy!' This order, given by me to Cecil Jacobs, was the beginning of a rather thin time for Jem and me. My fists were clenched and I was ready to let fly. Atticus had promised me he would wear me out if he ever heard of me fighting anymore; I was far too old and too big for such childish things, and the sooner I learned to hold in, the better off everybody would be. I soon forgot" (Lee 99). However, as the situation of Atticus being referred to impolitely progresses, Scout starts to learn to control her temper on Atticus’s request. She stops Buelow 2
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