After Scout, Dill and Jem try to catch a glimpse of Boo Radley through his house window and are eventually scared off by Mr. Radley, Jem decides he must go back for his pants that he discarded in a hurry. Whist Scout is begging not to go back for his pants, Jem admits they should not have lurked on the Radley place earlier that night. Scout then claims “It was then, I suppose, that Jem and I first began to part company”(Lee 75). Scout recognises that Jem is growing up and isn't going to play childish games with her forever. He is becoming a teenager and doesn’t always want to hang out with his annoying younger sister. For example, on Scout’s first day of school he sets boundaries between them “Jem was careful to explain that during school hours I was not to bother him…”(Lee 20). It is clear that Jem doesn't want his personal life to be brought up during school hours. He is also showing that he doesn’t want his friends, or anyone at school to know he plays “ridiculous” games with his sister. Now that Jem is maturing, he won’t be with Scout nearly as much because he is embarrassed of her and how she acts. As the story progresses Jem will drift farther away from Scout, leaving her to find new friends to play with.
Nice post! All of these quotes accurately explain the divide between the two siblings, and how this divide grew bigger and bigger. I agree with what you said about Scout recognizing this divide when she says, "It was then, I suppose, that Jem and I first began to part company" (Lee 75). She realizes that though she is a very mature girl, her brother is several years older than her, and wants to do different things. Jem is beginning to make his own decisions, and after the incident at the Boo Radley house, I think that he is realizing the consequences bad choices can have.
ReplyDeleteHow do you think Scout will try to tag along with Jem in the future, and what do you think Jem will end up enjoying her company?
I agree with you when you said that Scout realized that Jem was growing up and therefore isn't going to play games with her. I also think, however, that Scout got tired of always having Jem do something thats not so smart and dragging her into it. When Jem admits to the fact that they shouldn't have been on the Radley property, he didn't say anything to Scout, like that she was right. Also I find that Jem picks out most of the games that they play.To answer Mia's question, I think that it will be inevitable that they hang out with each other, but maybe next time Scout will have some say in the games that they play.
ReplyDelete