TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD: UNSUNG HEROS OF MAYCOMB COUNTY

QUALITIES OF A HERO

• Kindness/Compassion
• Moral
• Bravery
• Tolerant

Jem Finch is a perfect example of a hero. He displays all the before listed qualities, in more ways than one.

When Atticus was sitting outside the jail where Tom Robinson was being held, he was approached by men from the county, including Mr.Cunningham. The men wanted to hurt Tom, and they were willing to hurt Atticus for protecting Tom...

Jem saw these events unfold from nearby, and he leaped to defend his father. When his father sent him home, Jem refused, risking his safety to defend his father.
"'Go home, Jem.' He said...Jem shook his head...'I'll send him home,' a burly man said..."

This Displays Bravery, because he stood up to men who would hurt him, just so he could protect his father.

On a day in summer, Jem and Scout accompanied Calpurnia to her all black church to participate in a service. Already, It is inspiring that Jem would go to an all black church, because he is a white boy living in the South.

Towards the end of the service, Reverend Sykes asks everyone to donate some money to help Tom Robinson's wife. Jem gets up and donates his own money to the cause:
"...the congregation came forward and dropped nickels and dimes...Jem and I followed suit."

This Displays tolerance, because he did not go along with the racism and discrimination of his county.

Throughout the whole trial, Jem was very supportive of Tom. He very strongly wanted Tom to be acquitted of the crime. He knew that Robinson was only being accused because he was black, and Jem saw the prejudice behind that.

After Tom Robinson was declared guilty, "It was Jem's turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears...'it ain't right,' he muttered..."

This displays moral, because he knew what was truly right, despite the other people around him.

During one school year, Jem had a bad encounter with an old neighbor, named Mrs.Dubose. She was old, very sick, and dying.

As a punishment, Jem was sent to visit her and read to her everyday. This shows kindness and compassion, because he could have just not shown up and left her alone.

Although Jem was not the main character or the hero of the story, he displayed many heroic qualities throughout the story.

By Madi Lebovitz
Thanks for watching homies