On page 184 of the Grand Central Publishing edition of To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem classifies himself as an adult.
In Chapter 14, Jem urges his sister not to antagonize their Aunt Alexandra anymore. Scout immediately takes offense because she thinks Jem is trying to tell her what to do. Jem tries to explain to Scout that Atticus has a lot on his mind lately because of the upcoming trial and Atticus doesn't need his children worrying him. Scout doesn't believe her brother and refuses to accept the fact that Atticus' case is stressing him out. Jem then says, "That's because you can't hold something in your mind but a little while...It's different with grown folks, we—" (Lee 184). When Jem refers to himself as an adult, Scout loses her temper. She says Jem's "maddening superiority" is unbearable and yells, "Jee crawling hova, Jem! Who do you think you are?" (Lee 184). Jem then threatens to spank his sister and Scout immediately grabs Jem's hair and punches him in the face. Jem ends up punching Scout in the stomach, and the two begin to scuffle on the floor. Atticus then walks into the room and separates his children. Scout quickly blames Jem for their fight, and she is pleased when Atticus sends Jem to bed at her bedtime.
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