Empathy in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Essay

In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by harper Lee, encyclopedism to passing play about in someones skin is a main theme, ill-temperedly as two of the main protagonists Jem and vigil gather up to do this as they grow up without the book on with the reader. genus genus Atticus, the childrens father, educates the children on how to treat and compreh block other people. As Jem and sentry grow older in the novel, they begin to represent this lesson and act upon it both k directingly and sub-consciously. vigil empathises with Walter Cunningham during enlighten at the beginning of the book. When her teacher, Miss Carolean bump offers Walter a quarter because he has no lunch (Walters family toilet not afford it and so he says hes bury it) and refuses it, Miss Caroline tidy sum not chequer why and so continues to offer it with growing impatience. Scout empathises with how Walter is feeling at the term and so on his behalf explains why he has no lunch and why he entrust not ac cept her offer The Cunninghams never took anything they cant pay bet on no church baskets and no scrip stamps. They never took anything off of anybody, they get along on what they have. They dont have a lot but they get along on it. She did this to spare his embarrassment. Scout goes on to say, Youre shamin him, Miss Caroline. This shows her under stand out of Walters perspective at that clip and too how she tries to spare him by explaining to the teacher.Early on in the book, Jem can already step into someone elses shoes and empathise with them to see their perspective. The reader knows this when Jem confronts Scout after she beats up Walter Cunningham at school and he says, Come on home to dinner with us Walter. This shows Jems maturity and ability to empathise with those around him as he knows that what Scout did to Walter was wrong and he was able to see this by looking at it from Walters perspective. He also defends Walter when Scout wants to fight him. Scout says, I stom ped at him to chase him away, but Jem put out his hand and stop me.By also having a sense of initiative and good morals, Jem knows to entice Walter back to the house with them for dinner to apologise and show courtesy towards him. Also, Jem knows that Walter will have no dinner that day and that the Cunninghams would not accept anything they couldnt pay back. He also knows that his family couldnt afford to eat aswell as the Finches. By empathising with Walter, he sees how hungry he mustinessiness be and so invites him to eat with them.Scout shows empathy for Jem by voluntarily consecutive him to read to Mrs Dubose when he is made to do so after destroying her flowers because she give tongue to horrible things about Atticus. For Scout, Mrs Dubose is a distressing object who then becomes the precedent over her afternoons forcing her and Jem to read to her. Scout decides to go with Jem a she k tender he didnt want to do it as Jem says, Atticus, its all right on the side walk of life but inside its its all sober and creepy. Theres shadows and things on the ceiling She goes with him purge though she doesnt like Mrs Dubose because she knows that Jem wouldnt want to be alone reading to her and so Scout thinks it would be better if she goes along.Scout also sympathises and shows empathy for Mrs Dubose, despite her feelings toward her. She says, I felt sorry for her. She was lying under a pile of quilts and looked to the highest degree friendly. This shows Scout empathising with Mrs Dubose as she sees that she is ill, and can see how much pain she must be in. However, its not until after she dies that both Scout and Jem full understand how Mrs Dubose must have been feeling Mrs Dubose was a morphine ballock who was determined to kick the habit before she died and so enlisted Jem and Scout to dish keep her off of the morphine for longer and longer periods of time (without them knowing). Atticus wants them to empathise with her so they can see how much courag e she had and goldbrick what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand.They both begin to understand why she was the way she was and see that she was actually a great maam, had her own views about things and died beholden to nothing and nobody. The reader sees that Jem in special empathises with her at the very end of the chapter when Scout says, He picked up the camellia, and when I went off to bed I saw him fingering the wide petals. This shows that Jem was now beginning to understand and think about Mrs Dubose in a new light and he could now see her perspective. She was not just a bitter old skirt. She was a courageous woman who stuck to her opinions right to the end and was determined to be rid of her morphine addiction before she died. afterwards in the novel when both the children have matured since the beginning, Scout has set in motion herself involved in the ladies meeting by Aunt Alexandra and realises what it is like to be a lady. After hearing the horrid announcement of Tom Robinsons death, Scout sees how affected by the news Aunt Alexandra is she till retains her lady-like address as she has company. Scout thinks, After all, if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I. Scout allows herself to shopping centre others problems and emotions into her own perspective and as a result enhances her own actions with those who were affected.Jem not only learns to empathise with people throughout the novel but also other living beings. When Scout is about to kill a tubby (an insect), Jem says, Dont do that, Scout. Set him out on the back steps. He does this because they dont bother you so Jem knows that they are no harm and killing them would be wrong. This shows that his under rest of empathy has deepened.Finally, Scout empathises with Boo Radley by the end of the novel. Even before Boo Radley saves them, Scout begins feeling discredited about the way they had treated Boo Radley in the past summers I sometimes felt a twinge of remorse when passing by the old Radley place, at ever having taken part in what must have been sheer torment to Arthur Radley what reasonable recluse wants children peeping in through his shutters, delivering greetings at the end of a fishing pole, wandering in his collards at night. She understands how Boo Radley feels. After being rescued, she begins to start empathising with Boo without even realising Feeling slightly unreal, I led him to the chair farthest from Atticus and Mr. Tate. It was in a deep shadow.Boo would feel to a greater extent homelike in the dark. She is thinking about what Boo Radley would like and feel much than comfortable with, rather than thinking about things just from her view. After standing on Boo Radleys porch after walking him home, Scout mentally imagines what Boo had seen all these years through the window. She realises she understands that Atticus was right. One time he said, you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough. Boo Radleysworld was everything outside his four walls. With this net insight of human nature, Scout has learnt what Atticus had been teaching her throughout the novel.harper Lees novel To kill a Mockingbird illustrates how to walk about in someones skin through the protagonists Scout and Jem as they learn this lesson along with the reader. As their consciousness grows in particular Scouts as she is the narrator the readers understanding also grows as when the children learn and understand something, we also do. If we could get more people to empathise with others like both Scout and Jem in the novel, we could obliterate the prejudice that still exists in the modern world. Having Jem and Scout grow up during the book make them characters that we can empathise with and so helps enforce the lesson that Harper Lee wanted to communicate to the reader. If everybody did finally climb into h is skin and walk around in it then maybe we could understand that we have more in common with all types of people regardless of race, nationality, gender and so on Referring to what Atticus says at the end of the book, most people are splendid when you finally see them.