Pride and shame is explored in To Kill a Mockingbird, in one example as a social code for the youth. Dill teases Jem into doing a dare which he is scared of. That is to run and touch the wall of the Radley’s house, which involves running through the Radley’s garden. Jem does not want to do the dare, but then he would be regarded as a coward in his group of friends. Jem would rather force himself into doing a dare than being shamed into his group. In the end Jem does the dare and feels proud of himself, and builds on his reputation in his social group.
By Jem doing the dare that he did not want to do, it shows that people in society need the approval of others in order to feel pride in their actions. It is an integrated code in society which
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