Empathy and Social Change in To Kill a Mockingbird, Milk, and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

Scout does not like all of the prejudices in the town, and world, all shows a lot of empathy for how young she is in this quote, “I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks,” (304) Atticus, Scout, and minor characters show the importance of empathy. Atticus always thinks about how people feel, scout shows empathy throughout the novel, especially at the end, and some minor characters show some empathy. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee demonstrates the importance of empathy.

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (p.30) The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee includes a plethora of essential themes that make one think deeply. The story takes place in the 1930’s when segregation tensions were high. The narrative is told through the eyes of a young girl, Jean Louise (Scout) Finch. Scout’s father, Atticus is a lawyer fighting a case for an African American man named Tom Robinson. Throughout the novel, both Scout and her older brother Jeremy (Jem) Finch learn many life lessons that are crucial for all children to learn about. One fundamental lesson learned by the children, is the lesson of having empathy.

Empathy can be defined as making a connection to someone during a situation. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, empathy is a main part in some of the characters’ lives. Without empathy, the novel would lack many components that make the main characters, Jem and Scout, who they are.

Empathy is the theme which connects the reader with the characters in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird; the experiences of the characters in this novel show us the significance of empathy as a theme. Harper Lee writes about the experiences which Scout and Jem undergo in learning to be empathetic, while Atticus and Tom Robinson are two of the key characters who, at the time of the novel already possessed the ability to be empathetic.

Humans are the most advanced beings on Earth. Since we are the dominant creature, we are the best creature. We can do astounding things, like what I’m doing right now. It’s pretty cool to have the brain of a human. Right? Debatably. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout and Jem experience classism and implicit bias. From this, they learn to empathize.

Human interaction is important in today's society. It allows each of the species to communicate and share what they feel. But, wny for people struggle with the concept of empathy? To Kill A Mockingbird is a great example of the struggles of empathy. People struggle with empathy because they have different experiences. Characters who show this are Scout, Mayella, and Aunt Alexandra.

1) Atticus is an empathetic person who tries to make sure people are treated equally, and in the case of his children, that people should grow up and make a positive difference. Atticus shows his empathy by telling Scout to try to understand what Miss Caroline is going through. Harper Lee is trying to show that with empathy, everyone benefits, and there would be less hate and injustice. Atticus 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.” (Lee 39). Atticus is telling Scout to look at the world through Miss Caroline’s eyes, to see why Miss Caroline reacts the way that she does. Atticus believes that if Scout can see how scared Miss Caroline is, with teaching a new school in a new way, then Scout can understand what makes Miss Caroline act the way that she does. When Scout asks Atticus why he is angering the town by defending Tom Robinson, he says that he must, or else he would no longer be reputable. Atticus says, “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.” (Lee 101) Atticus leads by example, and that if he did not hold himself to the same standard that he wants Scout and Jem to be at, then he is no better than the rest of the town. He knows that he is going to lose, but wants to show his children that it is important to do the right thing no matter the consequences or result, and

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. That is what Martin Luther King said in his last speech before he was assassinated. The literary fiction novel To Kill A Mockingbird wrote by Harper Lee takes place in the fictional Alabama town of Maycomb. The story happened during the period of Great Depression, and people were sorted based on socioeconomic, gender and races. The narrator Scout Finch lives with her brother Jem Finch and father Atticus Finch. In the book, Atticus is a character that is respected by readers because he has a strong sense of sympathy. Atticus is a just and fair lawyer and served several years in the state legislature. As being an attorney with strong moral character and healthy humanitarian principles, Atticus works diligently in the court to defend an innocent person. “It is a sin to kill a Mockingbird.” The innocent person is the mockingbird and Atticus’s mission is to protect the mockingbird. As a stern and gentle father of two children, Atticus teaches Jem and Scout a lot of principles on the way of life and benefit them in the future. His sense of responsibility makes him a good father. Atticus consistently demonstrates empathy throughout the novel To Kill A Mockingbird.

    To begin,  Jem and Scout have a father named Atticus who is a lawyer and has such a good character, that even he defends colored people for crimes even though most know that if a black person is tried in court, not at anytime did he or she receive a fair and unprejudiced decision toward their fate.  Based on Atticus and his overall character and actions, one can say that one of the most impactful and poignant lessons that Atticus ingrains into his children’s brains is to always live humbly towards life and live positively and politely.  Several instances of Atticus being reserved and respectful and most importantly impacting Jem and Scout would be when he shot a dog with rabies when nobody else particularly wanted too and shot it dead between the eyes and never told anyone about being “the best shot in town”.  It most left Jem in utter awe as Miss Maudie Atkinson, a neighbor of the

Empathy is the ability to understand and the feelings of someone else. This is a major theme all throughout Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird. The citizens of Maycomb County begin to see things through the eyes of others, but a series of events has to happen before change can me made. Lee uses characters such as Scout, Jem, and Atticus to express the importance and value of empathy.

Small town America is a fantasy of friendly neighbors and lovely lives. To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in a small town and is nothing close to the fantasy of friendly neighbors and lovely lives. In a town of rape, racism, and prejudice, the reader watches who falls and who thrives in a small town on the brink of collapse. To Kill a Mockingbird, a coming of age fiction, was written by Harper Lee and published on July 11, 1960. This novel follows two siblings, Jem and Scout, throughout their most impressionable years in Maycomb County, Alabama, during the Great Depression. From Scout’s point of view, the reader watches how Maycomb County deals with the good and bad of society. While people are born with the ability to empathize, their

In the novel ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee, learning to “walk about in someone’s skin” is a main theme, particularly as two of the main protagonists Jem and Scout learn to do this as they grow up throughout the book along with the reader. Atticus, the children’s father, educates the children on how to treat and comprehend other people. As Jem and Scout grow older in the novel, they begin to understand this lesson and act upon it both knowingly and sub-consciously.

Empathy is the ability to understand and share feelings with one another. Atticus expresses empathy by trying to love everyone. For example, Jean Louise Finch, also known as Scout, complains to Atticus about Miss Caroline Finch at her school, who will not let her read and write at home. Scout does not understand that because Miss Caroline is new to the school, she does not understand Maycomb’s society. Atticus teaches Scout to have empathy

One of the more famous lessons Scout learns is about empathy. Empathy allows you to understand one's actions, though you may not agree with them. Scouts teacher is Miss. Caroline, she is a young naive teacher from Winston County who had a lose grasp on John Dewey's philosophy. Without the knowledge one gets from living in town for years, on her first day she embarsses herself and punishes Scout for reasons unknown to her. When Scout goes home she tells Atticus what happens, Atticus tells Scout, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”(33)

“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,” stated in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Empathy is essential in order to understand sociological perspectives. One way to develop empathy is experience another faith and religion. Cultures, nations, and people all have some form of religions surrounding them.