In Chapter 28 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem shows bravery by handling a terrifying situation in a very adult-like manner.
Jem handles the situation well by responding to his concerns and instincts. Starting home from the school auditorium, Jem thinks he hears a person's footsteps he shouldn't be hearing because he and Scout are the only two crossing the schoolyard. Each time he thinks he hears footsteps, he very judiciously asks Scout to stop walking and be quiet so he can listen to their surroundings. At one point, the children think they are being followed by Cecil Jacobs and that he is trying to scare them a second time that night. When they become convinced Cecil is not somewhere in the distance behind them, Jem further shows bravery by judiciously asking Scout if she can take off her ham costume since it can be seen in the dark. Without the costume, the children will be completely invisible in the dark. Scout feels she is unable, though, so they proceed toward home.
Once the children hear whoever is following them start to run after them, Jem shows more bravery by judiciously screaming, "Run, Scout! Run! Run," desperate to get himself and his sister safely home. He further shows bravery by trying to fend off their attacker and trying to pull Scout home with him. Scout describes Jem's attempt to bravely defend himself and his sister in the following narration:
From somewhere near by came scuffling, kicking sounds, sounds of shoes and flesh scraping dirt and roots. Someone rolled against me and I felt Jem. He was up like lightning and pulling me with him but, though my head and shoulders were free, I was so entangled we didn't get very far (Chapter 28).
Unlike brave Jem, someone frozen in terror would not have been able to try to fight off the attacker and escape to safety.
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