Chapters 14-15: What happens in this chapter that causes a fight between Jem and Scout? What does this reveal about their relationship? How is this furthered later in the chapter when Dill arrives?

Ever since Jem turned twelve, Scout has noticed that he has developed a “maddening superiority” and a strong sense of wisdom, and this has greatly affected his relationship with Scout. He has been pushing Scout away more than he used to and has been becoming more mature. When Scout was rude to Aunt Alexandra, Jem said, “Try not to antagonize Aunty, hear?  (Lee 183)”. Scout was surprised that Jem would talk to her like he did, and she became so furious with him that after she asked Jem, “You tryin’ to tell me what to do? (Lee 183)”, she started beating him up.  Later, after Atticus broke up the fight, the siblings found Dill under Scout’s bed, and with little hesitation, Jem told Atticus. “Then he rose and broke the remaining code of our childhood, (Lee 187)”, Scout told the readers as Jem called for Atticus. These two scenes prove to us that Scout was correct in her statement in chapter 6 about how she was starting to part ways with Jem. Ever since then, Scout and Jem have been becoming more and more distant as they change and become their own people who do what they believe in as opposed to Scout following Jem’s every order. 

Besides the little things that show that Jem is growing older and becoming more mature, like how he has outgrown his tree house or how he reads all the time, we realize in these chapters that Jem is no longer the adventurer and rule breaker that he used to be. He is more like Atticus in the sense that he advises Scout on how to behave. He even broke his mutual understanding with Scout that they would never tell anyone about their rule-breaking activities when he tells on Dill. He is a more practical and empathetic thinker when he explains that Scout shouldn’t pester Aunt Alexandra because Atticus already has so much to deal with. This way of thinking has developed as Jem has gotten older, and this upsets Scout. That’s why she attacks him… she misses the days when they would always play together. She also feels as though Jem thinks he is more superior than her, so she tries to show him that they are still equal as she fights with him. As Jem has matured, we see that Jem and Scout have become less close and their relationship has changed even more from when Scout first realized it would in chapter 6.

Questions: Why do you think that Jem changed so suddenly after turning twelve? How has he become similar to Atticus? Do you think Scout will eventually be able to see things as Jem does?