Were Jem's actions justified in Chapter 11 of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird?

One could argue that Jem's actions were justified following Mrs. Dubose's derogatory comments about his father. At first, when Mrs. Dubose begins to insult the children, Jem does the right thing and tells Scout to ignore her. Mrs. Dubose then says, "Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse lawing for niggers!" (Lee 135) Jem could handle personal attacks on his character, but when Mrs. Dubose mentions his father, he becomes...

One could argue that Jem's actions were justified following Mrs. Dubose's derogatory comments about his father. At first, when Mrs. Dubose begins to insult the children, Jem does the right thing and tells Scout to ignore her. Mrs. Dubose then says, "Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse lawing for niggers!" (Lee 135) Jem could handle personal attacks on his character, but when Mrs. Dubose mentions his father, he becomes infuriated. She follows up with an additional comment, "Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for!" (Lee 135) Jem is a polite, respectful young man who holds his father in high esteem. He is usually calm and able to handle criticism, but Mrs. Dubose's comments crossed the line. Jem felt that he had a good reason to destroy her camellia bush because her comments were aimed at the person he adored the most in life. One could argue that he was simply defending his father's reputation. The fact that an elderly woman would say such a disgusting comment to children about their father makes one consider Jem's actions justifiable. Such a rude, racist comment deserves a response similar to Jem's.