to kill a mockingbird why did jem say i thought i wanted to be a lawyer, but i aint so sure now?

by Prof. Zachariah Mayert Jr. 10 min read

Jem yells out "I thought I wanted to be a lawyer, but I ain't so sure now!" because he is annoyed that Atticus has just used an old lawyer's ploy to trick him into admitting that he has been playing a game based on Boo Radley. PDF Expert Answers Julianne Hansen, M.A. | Certified Educator

I thought I wanted to be a lawyer but I ain't so sure now! Jem shouts this line after he is sure that Atticus won't be able to hear him. He is mad that Atticus got him to admit guilt using a lawyer's trickery.

Full Answer

What does Jem realize at the end of to kill a Mockingbird?

Jem will ultimately realize that his understanding of the legal system was naïve, and his view of the future will become shaped by the bitterness he feels after the Tom Robinson trial. “Did she die free?” asked Jem. “As the mountain air,” said Atticus.

What does Jem say they were playing when Atticus asks?

When Atticus, suspicious, asks if they were playing cards, Jem answers that they were only playing with matches. Scout thinks, "matches (are) dangerous, but cards (are) fatal".

What does Jem mean by he was sure the jury would decide?

This line is one of many points in the novel where Jem indicates that he was sure that the jury would find Tom Robinson innocent. Jem is the only character convinced Tom would receive justice. Scout didn’t know what the jury would decide, while all of the adults, including Atticus, knew that the jury would find Tom guilty.

What drives Jem's bitterness towards the end of the novel?

The realization that he was so profoundly wrong about the community in which he lives drives the bitterness that haunts Jem for the last chapters of the novel.

Why does Jem say that he did not want to be a lawyer anymore?

Jem doesn't want to be a lawyer anymore because Atticus questioned him and he fell in his trick. Therefore, he got mad and told him he no longer wanted to be a lawyer.

Does Jem Finch want to be a lawyer?

Jem also wants to become a lawyer. His father asks, "You want to be a lawyer don't you"(Lee 83). This quote shows that Jem wanted to be a lawyer and this fits with the diamond because lawyers need a sharp mind to be able to figure out how to win. Lawyers also try to leave no loose ends, and circles have no ends.

What page did Jem say I thought I wanted to be a lawyer but I ain't so sure now?

“I thought I wanted to be a lawyer but I ain't so sure now!” To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 5. Jem shouts this when he knows Atticus can't hear him. He is angry that Atticus got him to admit his guilt about making fun of Boo Radley by using a lawyer's tricks.

Who wants to be a lawyer in To Kill a Mockingbird?

'" At various points in the story, Jem expresses his desire to become a lawyer, following in his father's footsteps. The lessons he learns during the course of the story will ultimately shape not only the kind of lawyer he will be, but also the kind of man he will become.

Why does Jem think I wanna be a lawyer?

I thought I wanted to be a lawyer but I ain't so sure now! Jem shouts this line after he is sure that Atticus won't be able to hear him. He is mad that Atticus got him to admit guilt using a lawyer's trickery.

What is the importance of the quote lawyers I suppose were children once?

By Harper Lee There's a time-honored tradition of making fun of lawyers as not quite human (even Shakespeare got in on that fun). By reminding us that lawyers were children, too, Lamb (and Lee) is telling us that lawyers—like Boo, and like Tom Robinson—are human, just like the rest of us.

What does Jem Finch say?

“There's a lot of ugly things in this world, son. I wish I could keep 'em all away from you. That's never possible.” “How could they do it, how could they?” “I don't know, but they did it.

Why does Jem declare at the end of the chapter 5?

Why does Jem declare at the end of the chapter, "I thought I wanted to be a lawyer, but I ain't so sure now"? He was willing to risk his life in order to retrieve his pants, because he knew that in the morning, Mr. Radley would find them.

What does Jem say about the trial?

Jem insists that Atticus will win the trial. He is naĂŻve and believes that the evidence will set Tom free, but doesn't understand that whites will not acquit a black. The evidence doesn't matter.

Is To Kill a Mockingbird Based on true story?

The plot of To Kill a Mockingbird was reportedly inspired in part by his unsuccessful defense of two African American men—a father and a son—accused of murdering a white storekeeper. The fictional character of Charles Baker (“Dill”) Harris also has a real-life counterpart.

How does To Kill a Mockingbird relate to law?

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch represents the moral law as that sanctioned by rational thinking and reflected in our constitutional guarantees of equality, justice, fairness, freedom, and respect for the rule of law.

Who are the two attorneys in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Atticus Finch, the sagacious and avuncular lawyer-hero of Harper Lee's 1960 novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird," who earned the scorn of his segregated Southern town by defending a black man wrongly accused of rape?

What lesson does Jem learn from Atticus?

In this moment Jem recognizes a lesson that Atticus hoped to teach him. Jem realizes that there is value and meaning in fighting for something good even if losing the fight is inevitable.

Why does Jem shout this line?

Jem shouts this line after he is sure that Atticus won’t be able to hear him. He is mad that Atticus got him to admit guilt using a lawyer’s trickery. While Jem’s grudging acceptance that Atticus got the best of him is funny, the line also foreshadows Jem’s development over the course of the novel. Jem will ultimately realize ...

Does Scout see the world as an adult?

He has begun to see the world at least partially as an adult would, and this leads to him having a much more painful experience of the racism and injustice that he encounters. Scout, who continues to see the world as a child would, experiences these difficulties differently.

What happened to Jem when the interlopers tried to flee?

When the young interlopers tried to flee, Jem caught his pants on the fence, and wriggled out of them to escape. When he, Scout, and Dill were confronted by the neighbors, Jem was embarrassingly pants-less, and had to quickly come up with an excuse for his situation.

Why did Jem and Dill trespass?

The children are in this predicament because Jem and Dill had decided to trespass at the Radley place to look in the window in hopes of catching a glimpse of the infamous Boo . Unfortunately for them, Mr. Nathan Radley saw them, and, not recognizing them as children, let off a shotgun blast to scare them off. When the young interlopers tried to flee, Jem caught his pants on the fence, and wriggled out of them to escape. When he, Scout, and Dill were confronted by the neighbors, Jem was embarrassingly pants-less, and had to quickly come up with an excuse for his situation. It is then that Dill offered that Jem lost his pants playing strip poker (Chapter 6).

What does Jem mean when he says cards were fatal?

She means that the children would have gotten in trouble for playing a game with matches, but they would have gotten in BIG trouble if they had been gambling with cards, surely a serious matter in Maycomb at this time.

What does Jem mean when he asks Atticus if they were playing cards?

When Atticus, suspicious, asks if they were playing cards, Jem answers that they were only playing with matches. Scout thinks, "matches (are) dangerous, but cards (are) fatal". She means that to be caught gambling at all would invite punishment, but to be caught actually using cards would bring far more severe consequences.

What does Dill say about Jem's pants?

While stumbling around to find a reason for Jem's pants being missing, Dill says they had been playing strip poker, of all things. Gambling! To save Dill from Miss Rachel's wrath at the very idea of their gambling, Atticus intervenes and asks if they had been playing cards.

Why does Scout admire his brother's response?

It is then that Scout admires his brother's response, because according to Atticus and many of the folks listening, "matches were dangerous, but cards were fatal". This simply means that adults thought playing with matches was a dangerous thing, but playing with cards was fatal to your eternal salvation.

What is card playing considered a vice?

Card playing was considered a vice by many people. When Jem shows up before a gathering of the neighbors without his pants, Dill makes up the excuse that he lost his garment playing strip poker. When Atticus, suspicious, asks if they were playing cards, Jem answers that they were only playing with matches.