When discussing the loss of innocence in To Kill a Mockingbird, the end result is about the loss of faith, trust and hope in humanity. It means that one leaves the safety and inexperience of childhood to emerge as a more cynical or mature person because of difficult life lessons. Jem experiences a couple of difficult events that change him from a hopeful, innocent child to a more guarded and bitter teenager.
The first defining moment is when he chops off the tops of Mrs. Dubose's camellia bushes. He does this because he is sick and tired of hearing from people in the community that his father is wrong to defend a black man in court. But it's not just that, it's Mrs. Dubose's insulting and degrading comments about Atticus push him over the edge. Scout describes this moment as follows:
"I sometimes wondered exactly what made Jem do it, what made him break the bonds of 'You just be a gentleman, son,' and the phase of self-conscious rectitude he had recently entered. Jem had probably stood as much guff about Atticus lawing for ni****s as had I, and I took it for granted that he kept his temper. . . At the time, however, I thought the only explanation for what he did was that for a few minutes he simply went mad" (102).
Jem then attacks the bushes, breaks Scout's baton, and roughs her up in the process. He later does penance by reading to Mrs. Dubose for a month, which teaches him to respect himself and his elders no matter what, but damage to his childhood had certainly been done internally.
The other defining moment is when Jem believes that his father has done enough to set Tom Robinson free; but the jury convicts him of raping a white woman. Jem cannot fathom how twelve intelligent men could convict Tom based on the lack of evidence and the lies of the Ewells. Jem is faced with the reality and confusion of racism; and once he understands the evil behind it, he is never the same again. First, he cries and mumbles over and over that it isn't fair that Tom was convicted. Then, he has an extensive conversation with his father about the laws surrounding rape, how the jury made its decision, and the confusion he feels, but cannot articulate. Atticus tells Jem the following:
"The older you grow the more of it you'll see. The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, but he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box" (220).
This nugget of truth is part of the truth that Jem must accept as he rises from childhood to adulthood. Not much is said about Jem's reaction after this discussion for a few months. It is only seen by the way he treats Scout when she asks him about something that happened in school. For example, Scout points out that her teacher, Miss Gates, hates Hitler's treatment of Jews, but supports the poor treatment and suppression of black people right there in Alabama. She said she heard what Miss Gates said about black people on the courthouse steps on the night of Tom's trial. When Jem hears that, he flips out:
"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).
The above passage at the end of the book shows Jem embittered and sensitive to the issues surrounding the trial of Tom Robinson. He doesn't even want to face them yet. He still needs time to process it all before he completely grows up. One day he will, but for the time being, he focusses on football; but he'll never go back to the time at the beginning of the book when he discusses superstitions with Dill and Scout or believes that life is fair.
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