It is obvious to me that Jem is an oldest child and Scout
is a youngest. The way they interact with their father shows the difference in their
ages, gender, and birth order. It also might have something to do with the way they
communicate and learn.
Jem learns best by watching things
modeled. He is calculated and independent. He does not necessarily want to be told
what to do, though he obeys directions. (Consider the incident with Mrs. Dubose.) Jem
is observant and a listener. One of the best examples of his learning style comes at
the end of Chapter 10 when he says, "Atticus is a gentleman, just like me!" Jem learns
by watching and copying those whom he respects most.
Scout,
on the other hand, learns in a variety of ways, not the least of these being through
making mistakes and talking about them. As the narrator of the book, the first clue
into Scout's learning style is in her way with words. She processes things by talking
or writing. She doesn't usually think before she talks and acts (hence, provokes
several fights at school), but when she tells the story later, she has it all figured
out. Scout obviously learns by experience. Whenever Atticus sits her down to teach her
a lesson, he always provides a "for-instance" story. He gets her to think about how
others feel by telling her to imagine being them. Scout is less
observant, but naturally intuitive. She reacts most quickly to
feelings and learns best by emotionally investing in the
lesson.
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