Many of Jem's decisions and comments display his respect for Atticus. There are several scenes throughout the novel that depict Jem's respect for his father. In Chapter 6, Jem loses his pants escaping from the Radleys' yard after attempting to look at Boo through the window. That night, Jem decides to return to the Radleys' yard to retrieve his pants. Scout attempts to stop Jem from returning to the yard because she fears that Nathan will shoot him. Jem explains why he feels it is necessary to get his pants by saying,
"I—it's like this, Scout. . . Atticus ain't ever whipped me since I can remember. I wanta keep it that way" (Lee 35).
Jem portrays his respect for Atticus by refusing to compromise his father's trust in him. Jem does not want to disappoint Atticus, which is why he returns to the Radley yard to retrieve his pants.
Another scene which demonstrates Jem's respect for Atticus takes place in Chapter 10. After Atticus shoots a rabid dog, Miss Maudie explains to the children why Atticus never bragged about his excellent marksmanship. When Scout mentions that she cannot wait to tell her friends at school about Atticus's talent, Jem tells her to keep quiet. The following comments depict Jem's respect for Atticus.
"Atticus is real old, but I wouldn't care if he couldn't do anything—I wouldn't care if he couldn't do a blessed thing. . . Atticus is a gentleman, just like me!" (Lee 62).
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