Just like caterpillars emerge into beautiful butterflies, Jem undergoes the same transformation throughout the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird in which he grows up and matures. Atticus aids Jem throughout his childhood and teaches him valuable lessons. He gets into a number of mischiefs in Maycomb, including the time when Jem, Scout and Dill invades the Radley backyard to get a view of Boo Radley, but that is all part of growing up. As Jem grows older and older, he makes wiser decisions than he would before. He also spent less and less time with Scout as he is reaching puberty. He wants more time to himself and has done what boys have done. He is influenced by Atticus so once in a while he would read the newspaper, showing that he wants to know what was going on in Maycomb- a sure sign on maturity. That shows that Jem wants to know what is going on in the world around him. Jem matures as he becomes older since he shows signs of growth by telling Atticus about Dill when he was hiding, disobeys Atticus when he tells Jem to leave due to trouble in the jailhouse, and his comments to Scout may be harsh at times, but he cares about her.
During this time of the book, Jem knows very well of what his responsibilities are. At first Scout thought that a snake is hiding under her bed. Jem fetches a broom and swipes it under the bed. Once Scout and Jem heard a grunt, Dill emerges. With a brief explanation he explains how he arrives in Scout's house. When a child is lost, the parent or guardian should be informed. Jem takes the initiative and says, ""you oughta let your mother know where you are," said Jem. " You oughta let her know you"re here- (Lee 141) Jem knows that Dill's parents would be worried about where he is, so he had done something that shocks both Scout and Dill. "Dill's eyes flickered at Jem, and Jem looked at the floor. Then he rose and broke the remaining code of our childhood. He went out of the room and down the hall.