Compassion, By Harper Lee

through Boo Radley. Her transformation can be seen when comparing her mindset at the beginning and end of the story. In chapter 3 Atticus tries to teach her about this topic in which he says: "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." (pg. 30). Atticus explains to Scout that she needs to try and see things from another's viewpoint even when they don’t see eye to eye. In Scout’s case, she learns to not judge people before she has a chance to see thing from their perspective. At the end of the book, Scout finally learns this lesson, as she says: "Atticus, he was real nice" which indicates her realization that some people are not what rumors say they are. Atticus the replies to her: "Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them." (pg.376).

Showing compassion towards someone may be difficult, especially if one has a preexisting bias against that person. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee explores this topic, including how to decide if one is worthy of compassion. The citizens of Maycomb can be quick to judge anyone who is “different”, without fully understanding that person’s backstory. Mayella Ewell is one character who is often subject to this judgment, specifically during Tom Robinson’s trial. During this eventful period, she gains lots of negative attention and is shown no compassion. Because the people of Maycomb see in “black and white”, they are unable and unwilling to fathom that there is another side to the story, thus depriving Mayella of the sympathy she deserves. Mayella Ewell is worthy of compassion because her father is abusive, she does all of the work at home, and she does not deserve her family’s poor reputation.

One small gesture that Tom Robinson made was immediately questioned by the majority of the court room; being a black man in a white society, he was supposedly in no situation to feel sorry for Mayella who is a white woman. He does not know much about her situation, but he has the ability to understand where she is coming from and see that she deserves help. “Looked like she didn’t have nobody to help her… yes suh. I felt right sorry for her.” Pg. 217.

During the trial, Mr. Gilmer begins to question Tom and his actions. Mr.Gilmer does so by asking, “Were you... scared of arrest, scared you have to face up to what you did? No, suh, scared I have to say something I didn't do,” (Doc D). Privileges are only given to those who are born into them. In most cases, it would be white people. White people will always be given priority because they are seen as innocent human beings. Preconceived notions have caused white people to devalue the lives of blacks and allow them to formulate assumptions that are not necessarily precise. This affected Tom because he had no power to get himself out of the lies that the Ewell has thrown upon him. Tom comprehends that in a dark, corrupted society there is little to no chance to achieve justice. This trial was self-contradictory because racism was utilized to cloud their judgment. Mayella’s filthy white skin has poisoned the eyes of justice. In addition to that, Tom Robinson was yet again demeaned and belittled. Mr. Gilmer emphasizes, “You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for her? ”(Document E). Tom’s sympathy for Mayella leads him into more trouble. Blacks and whites are not socially equal. Therefore, they should not assimilate accordingly. White people have blind spots that cause them to misinterpret Tom’s actions. Thus, Tom’s acts of innocence were taken as

“Finally, I 've come to believe that the true measure of our commitment to justice, the character of our society, our commitment to the rule of law, fairness, and equality cannot be measured by how we treat the rich, the powerful, the privileged, and the respected among us. The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned. We are all implicated when we allow other people to be mistreated,” (Stevenson 18). Within Bryan Stevenson’s novel, Just Mercy, the truths of social inequalities in our criminal justice system are confronted and assessed. Discoveries are made on how the social status of a person impacts the way society perceives them. Despite actions made towards others in the majority, an individual’s character will be measured by how they behave towards people in the minority. Through Harper Lee’s portrayal of hostility that various characters possess towards minorities in her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Stevenson’s unforgettable descriptions of social inequalities that the incarcerated face, a similar theme is exhibited. The social status of an individual will influence society’s behavior in a negative or positive way and provoke inequality within a community.

To me, compassion means to show sympathy for someone that is feeling pain; physically or emotionally. Compassion also means to show kindness to one another when in rough times. When an individual shows compassion to someone else, they comfort them, or make them feel better. It can also mean when someone sees need for one, and helps them. For example, a sign of compassion can be donating to a homeless shelter. Therefore, compassion can be expressed in many ways. Compassion is like a contagious illness. If you get it, you give it and if everyone showed compassion, everyone would receive it. Compassion is very important.

Compassion has little to no boundries. In almost every great story there is a specific character or a group of characters that help the protagonist because they feel bad for them. Compassion is the most important aspect of a functioning society; therefore, Elie Wiesel’s Night, 12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose, and the generosity of spirit shown by the average citizen after the recent shooting in Las Vegas are all perfect examples.

African Americans have struggled throughout history for many reasons. They have never been equally treated, and during these times many men of this race have been killed for misunderstandings. Back then they weren’t allowed to do anything with the whites, everything was separate, and they were never treated correctly in court. Tom Robinson was an honest and a respectable man who would never harm anyone, but somehow he ended up in jail. Mayella Ewell accused Tom of rape, but he had a shriveled up left hand due to a cotton gin accident, so Tom couldn’t have hurt Mayella.

Atticus once said, “You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them” (Lee 279). This is a statement you must understand to have compassion. In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, she demonstrates the effects of compassion through many examples. Atticus Finch, for example, was the moral compass of the story leading many of the other characters to be more understanding and compassionate.

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) In Harper Lee’s book, How to Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson an African American man is always willing to lend a helping hand. Tom was falsely accused of rape while he was helping Mayella Ewell. Tom Robinson should have gone into Mayella’s house to help her because it was the right honorable thing to do, he had helped her in the past, and he was unaware that she loved him.

How can a story brimming with racism and resentment also be filled with compassion? Although the world is filled with people who do appalling things, there are still some out there who practice generosity and lead by example. In To Kill a Mockingbird, these people are characters like Scout, Atticus, or Tom. Throughout the novel, these characters and more take action to show humanity in circumstances that they don’t have to, and add a layer of compassion to the theme. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the actions of Maycomb County citizens during the harsh times of the 1930’s show that any given person, regardless of race or societal status, should be worthy of compassion. These principles are demonstrated in the story by the Cunninghams, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson.

To begin with, I am characterizing Tom Robinson’s humble and supportive actions. First of all, Tom helps Mayella Ewell without getting paid. In chapter nineteen Tom Robinson said, “She give me the hatchet and I broke up the chiffarobe” (Lee 255). Tom also said, “No ma’am, there ain’t no charge” (Lee 255). Those quotes are important because they show that Tom is helping Mayella without pay, which shows that Tom is a humble person. He knows that there could be many consequences if you are black male and around a white person at the wrong time. If a black man even looked at a white women, he could be accused of rape. Unfortunately, Tom was helping Mayella at the wrong time, and that is how he got accused of raping her. Next, Tom Robinson is humble

Scout’s maturation and non-judgmental attitude that develops throughout To Kill a Mockingbird help her mature into an individual with integrity. Contrary to the beginning of the novel, Scout establishes herself as a wise character in the latter portions of the book. After an incredulous Atticus is told that Jem did not kill Mr. Ewell, Scout reassures Atticus by saying, “Well it’d sort of be like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” (Lee 276) Taking Atticus’ advice into consideration, Scout climbs into Boo Radley’s skin and finally respects Boo’s decision to remain indoors and not be proclaimed a hero. Additionally, Scout matures into a very open-minded

Compassion In the book ‘’ The Witch of Blackbird Pound’’ they talk about compassion as one of their main subjects. For example the compassion that Rachel shows to Kit, welcoming her into her home without a second thought is a remarkable leap of faith as well as compassion. As well as when Judith showed compassion towards John Holbrook but later falls for William Ashby is strange too me. Compassion too me is showing unconditional love to another person, like God did towards everyone. For example when John told Kit how he felt and what he would do for Mercy. He demonstrated unconditional love, because he said he would do the things that mercy would never be able to do.

Scout is a fiery 6 year old when the novel begins. She follows her brothers lead and is desperate to fit in with him and Dill, when he arrives. Together, they wreak havoc on their neighbor Boo Radley, thinking he’s a monster of course. This is described in the scene where Jem, Scout, and Dill are playing with the wheel, Lee writes, “I raised my head and stared at the Radley Place steps in front of me. I froze” (Lee 42).In this scene Scout is frozen in front of Boo Radleys steps, frozen in fear after rolling all the way there with the wheel.