During the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jem encounters a series of events that cause him to grow. During the trial of Tom Robinson, Jem's eyes were opened to the racism and prejudice of the South: the loss of innocence, one of the main themes of the novel, is a realization of the cruelty and injustice in the world and that one must develop a tolerance for this. .Jem is young and carefree at the beginning of the novel. He is just beginning to take on the responsibilities of an older brother: “Jem agreed to take me to school on the first day, a job usually done by parents, but Atticus said Jem would be happy to show me where my room was. " (page 20). Atticus trusts that Jem can get Scout to school safely and help her find her classroom. By putting Jem in this situation, where he must act responsibly, Atticus helps Jem mature. Meanwhile, even as Jem begins to become more trustworthy, he still maintains his childlike innocence. “Dill bet Jem the Gray Ghost against two Tom Swifts that Jem couldn't get through the Radley gate. Throughout his life, J...