Examples Of Compassion In To Kill A Mockingbird

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.

Boo Radley is a representation of the mockingbird because of his innocence and acts of kindness. While Miss Maudie's house was burning down, Boo Radley secretly wrapped a blanket around Scout. " 'Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn't know it when he put the blanket around you' " (Lee 60). Scout realizes that Boo Radley is a kind man who wants to protect and take care of her. The residents of Maycomb County know very little about him, but still spread rumors and view

In addition to his curiosity of the children, Boo also demonstrates acts of kindness and concern towards Jem and Scout. This is evident through two scenarios that occur; one involving Jem and the other involving Scout. When Jem leaves the Radley property after retrieving his pants that were stuck the fence, he realizes that the pants were mended and folded, as if someone was waiting upon his arrival. “When I went back, they were folded across the fence… like they were expecting me [...] like somebody could tell what I was gonna do. Can’t anybody tell what I’m gonna do lest they know me, can they, Scout?” (78). Jem’s realization of the situation signifies that Boo Radley does in fact pay attention to the children and wanted to do something nice for them. By mending Jem’s pants and folding them neatly for him, Boo had shown a kindness that they had not seen before. Boo had also shown his concern for the children on the night of the fire, when Miss Maudie's house was erupt in flames. The children were waiting outside for their father, and Boo realized that they must have been cold, so he went and put a blanket around Scout. Scout had not noticed this until she was back at home, when Jem suggested that Boo had put the blanket around her. “‘Someday, maybe, Scout can thank him for covering her up.’ ‘Thank who?’ I asked. ‘Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when he put the blanket around you’” (96).

Lee uses experiences Jem faced and overcame in the novel to develop her theme compassion. As the oldest Jem faced more character building experiences than Scout. He could understand the meaning behind Atticus and his lessons. This resulted in Jem fully understanding compassion, but resenting it as well. “Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute”(292). Jem doesn’t want to stand or think about anything related to Bob. Atticus is teaching him that compassion doesn’t come easy. In a passage with compassion, Scout and Jem experience a life changing moment. “Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when he put the blanket around you”(96). This happens to Scout and Jem at the time finally realizes that Atticus was right about Boo. Boo Radley expresses his compassion towards Scout. This shows that what Atticus said about stepping into someone’s shoes works. Now Scout and Jem understand what compassion means and how it works.

One of the main demonstrations of compassion, is towards Helen Robinson after the death of Tom Robinson. Atticus makes the choice to bring Calpurnia and tell Helen about the death. He could have decided to hire someone different to bring the sorrowful news, but his compassion towards the Robinson’s was too great to not be there in person to tell her. As well as this, Atticus shows compassion towards Tom Robinson simply by the sadness he exhibits after the case was lost. Any other lawyer in Maycomb would be grateful that the white man prevailed once more in the courthouse, but Atticus was different, as he cared for Tom and his situation deeply. Atticus was not obliged to feel compassion for Tom, but his conscience and heart chose to take note of the difficult situation and mourn after his fate was decided. When Atticus returns from the courthouse, he walks into the house and states, “‘I’m going to bed,’ he said. ‘If I don’t wake up in the morning, don’t call me’” (284). Atticus felt no need to wake up in the morning, as the loss of the case also declared the loss of someone who had become a friend. One of the other examples of Atticus’s compassion, is towards Boo Radley. When he discovers that the children have essentially been mocking the Radley family through the, “Boo Radley game,” Atticus makes it clear he no longer wants them to participate in such

In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows through Atticus and Jem many examples of compassion, sympathy and tolerance. Harper Lee does a great job showing how Atticus and Jem can view things from a different perspective other than what everyone else in Maycomb believes. Compassion is shown when Atticus takes Tom Robinson's case. Jem shows a lot of sympathy for Tom Robinson during his trial and after he is convicted. A lot of tolerance is shown when Bob Ewell spits in Atticus’s face and he doesn't fight back.

The book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a classic award winning book written in the 1950’s during the great depression. Harper Lee paints a picture of growing up in a small town in Alabama during the Great Depression. Characters in this book are written with empathy and truth, violence is shown, and landscape of what life is like during the depression is show greatly in this book.

“Empathy is about finding echoes of another person inside yourself.”(author unknown) Knowing what someone goes through helps us better understand a person and develop empathy for them. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus was someone that most everybody valued and could trust. People would go to Atticus if they needed guidance and simply just for help. He is one who always has such strong empathy for others, sets good examples, and is a great role model. Atticus puts and thinks of others before himself, especial his two kids, Jem and Scout. The kids lost their mother at a very young age and as Scout gets older Atticus thinks that she may need a woman’s influence around the house, so he calls his sister Alexandra to come

How can empathy help people to be better, or to mature over the course of time? In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the book starts in Alabama during the time of the Great Depression. Atticus Finch and his children, Jem and Scout, live in Maycomb. Atticus takes a case about an African-American male, but he ends up not winning the case. Jem is frustrated and does not understand why he lost. There is a Halloween pageant and Jem is asked to take Scout to it. After the pageant is over, Scout and Jem are walking home when someone attacks them. Jem is knocked out and the person then goes for Scout but someone saves them. They later find out that the person was Boo Radley, who is a shy man. My current event is about

Empathy changes the course of many events, in real life and in works of fiction. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, empathy is learnt and demonstrated in difficult situations. As scout learns empathy for others, the way she views situations changes from one-sided to open-minded. She can understand other’s actions better by thinking about it from their perspective.

This is when Jem starts to feel empathy for Boo. Scout is even more afraid of Boo after she knows that he had watched them flee the property. When Boo gave them the soap dolls and put them in a knot hole in a tree, Scout still considered “…everything on the Radley place was poisoned… (81)”. But it all “[had] slipped through Jem’s memory (81)” as he went to go get the dolls. They also decide to write a letter to whoever was sending them those gifts. They still denied that it was Boo though, but deep down, they knew that it was Boo who had given the gifts to them. When the knot-hole they had been receiving the gifts from was filled up, Jem started to cry without Scout knowing why, showing that he is starting to realize Boo is a person but Scout still thinks that Boo is an evil man. When a fire sweeps through Maycomb, Boo gave Scout a blanket without her seeing, and her “stomach turned to water and [she] nearly threw up… (96)” because she continues to believe he is a monster. Jem has already learned the lesson of empathy from Boo while Scout still struggles with this concept at this point in the story.

There are many instances in the novelTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee where compassion, sympathy and tolerance are exemplified thoroughly. There are many key events in the book, and three of them will be addressed here. many moments where, the characters grow and learn about the ways of life. Jem felt compassionate when an injustice was committed against Tom Robinson. Jem also feels sympathetic for Scout when she “ruined” the school play.

While one of the main themes of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is understanding another human's perspective, it also happens to be a lesson that Atticus Finch, one of the main characters, teaches his children throughout the book. The story’s protagonist, Scout, is a young girl from Alabama whose father, Atticus, is asked to defend an African-American man who is charged with rape. The southern way of life during The Great Depression will not allow Tom Robinson a fair trial, and Scout and her brother Jem are forced to deal with a county’s ignorance and racist attitudes. Although Atticus Finch is consumed by one of the greatest challenges of his career, the lessons he teaches his children in the wake of this trial show his dedication as a good father. He continues to be honest and nonviolent, punishes the children when needed, and he stays nurturing to the both of them.

He is innocent of all of the claims and stories made up about him. He is robbed of friendship and trust with the entire town and is hurt by the cruel remarks made by the townsfolk. He had never done anything to harm anyone or anything in his lifetime; instead he strove to help people whenever he could, but tried to help them as best he could without being seen or noticed. One cold night when Scout Finch was standing frozen cold outside the Radley house, Boo secretly slipped a blanket over Scout’s shoulders to give her warmth. He also gave the two children, Jem and Scout, a few presents in a knot hole of a tree to show his compassion and warm heart. He even helped to protect the two children when Bob Ewell tried to murder them both. These examples show his innocence and that he is obviously not a monster. Scout comes to realise that he has inner goodness that must be cherished, alike a mockingbird. The town had committed a sin by harming him from the cruel things they had made up about him. And it was a sin when Tom Robinson, an innocent man, was killed when it came to his turn in the novel.

When Scout eventually stands on the porch of her neighbor, Boo Radley, she realizes her father “Atticus [is] right…[she] [will] never really know a man until [she] stands in his shoes and walk[s] around in them” (Lee 321). Scout never grasps what Boo lives through until she sees the world from his eyes. She halts to the deduction that Boo, no longer the horrid, petrifying neighbor, contains the qualities of compassion and courageousness which every person should possess. In relation, the theme of the protection of human innocence plays a dominant role that continually progresses throughout the novel. When Atticus accompanies Scout and Jem shooting for the first time he distinguishes that they may “shoot all the bluejays [they] want, if [they] can hit ’em, but remember it [is] a sin to kill a mockingbird…[they] do [not] do one thing but make music