Jem watches the Tom Robinson trial with hope and faith in his father and the judicial process. To him, it is easy to see that Tom should go free based on the evidence. Jem even suffers through Mr. Gilmer's cross-examination without losing heart like Dill does, so when the verdict comes back "guilty," he is crushed and forced to face the reality of racism. First he cries, then he tries to find a logical explanation, and then he becomes bitter. Scout describes Jem's reaction on the way home from the trial in chapter 22:
"It was Jem's turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. 'It ain't right,' he muttered, all the way to the corner of the square where we found Atticus waiting. . . . 'No son, it's not right'" (212).
In chapter 23, Atticus helps Jem understand what happened and why Tom was convicted in spite of all the evidence. Jem needs to identify the problem, so he first questions if the decision was made because rape is a capital offense in Alabama. Atticus says that's not the problem. The problem is twelve white men not being able to let go of tradition and their loyalty to racial prejudice to let Tom go free. Then Jem asks why good people aren't on juries, which is a good question, and one that helps him get to the heart of the matter. Atticus explains that a jury filled with boys like Jem would have let Tom go free, but when it is a white man's word against a black man's in Alabama, Tom would never go free.
A few months go by, and life returns to normal in Maycomb. Scout has an interesting experience in her third grade class as they discuss what is happening in Germany between the Jews and Hitler. Miss Gates, the teacher, talks about how horrible Hitler is to discriminate against and persecute Jews. Scout finds this hypocritical because after the trial she heard Miss Gates say that she was glad someone taught the black community a lesson by convicting Tom. Scout needs help understanding the discrepancy between the way Germans treat Jews and the way people in Maycomb treat blacks, so she asks Jem about it later at home. Jem clearly shows that he is embittered by the racism question by now and yells at Scout:
"Jem was suddenly furious. He leaped off the bed, grabbed me by the collar and shook me. 'I never wanta hear about that courthouse again, ever, ever, you hear me? You hear me? Don't you ever say one word to me about it again, you hear? Now go on!'" (247).
It would seem that the realization of racism and all that it does and is has affected Jem deeply. He has crossed over from childhood and entered into the raw realities of racism in his community, and he will never be the same again.
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