The Characters Of Empathy In To Kill A Mockingbird

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 is the ability to share emotions and feelings with others. This skill requires people to look at things from another person’s point of view. Harper Lee implies in To Kill A Mockingbird that having the ability to feel empathy for others not only benefits others, but also can lead to personal gains in the long run. Empathy is demonstrated through the relationship of the characters of Scout with Walter Cunningham, Atticus with Tom Robinson and the children, and finally, Jem Finch with Mrs. Dubose.

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.

Throughout Harper Lee’s novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, empathy is learned and demonstrated in the characters lives. It is one if the novels defining themes as Lee’s character, Atticus teaches it to his children, Scout and Jem. His children are also taught it by Tom Robinson, a person that Atticus is defending in law.

In this lesson Atticus teaches Scout that you must understand where someone comes from in order to show true sympathy and compassion. Now before Scout judges someone she steps into their shoes. Allowing her to show compassion towards that person and many more. She has learned that the most compassion you can give someone is sympathy and understanding. Jem also learned these lessons but through experiences and challenges he had to face and go through.

Situations in one’s life change change his morals and values. Jem and Scout, main characters in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, learn new principles of life throughout an important court case their father takes on. To Kill A Mockingbird has many themes that relate to the real, modern world. Empathy, courage, morals, bettering oneself, and personal integrity each are a life lesson in the novel, and can be related to the world today.

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.

“Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his

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

¨Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.¨ - Mohsin Hamid. What is empathy exactly? Many people are empathetic in different ways, but the true meaning is to be able to connect with others. By mentioning ¨echoes¨, Hamid is asserting that empathy is a part of every person and shows the reason of thoughts behind one's actions. He shows the universal meaning of empathy through the use of the word, “echo”. This quote is similar to the main message of Harper Lee´s book, To kill a Mockingbird. In a quiet town called Maycomb County, Harper Lee describes a young girl named Scout and her journey navigating through her society's prejudice and lack of empathy towards others. Her book signifies the importance of empathy. It also teaches us that people have to keep an open mind while being empathic even if other’s have a fixed view, and this, in turn, affects our attitude towards them.

What first comes to mind when hearing the term, “empathy”? Some would see empathy as only feeling one’s pain, or sorrow, while others would mistake the word “empathy” for “sympathy”. But empathy is beyond sympathy. Empathy, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is defined as “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another”. In other words, empathy is feeling and understanding another’s emotions, such as love, happiness, fear, sadness, or anger. But why is empathy important and crucial to everyday lives? Empathy is displayed as a recurring theme in the novel, “To Kill A Mockingbird.” In the novel, author Harper Lee chooses the story to be told from a 6-year old’s perspective, who goes by the name “Scout”. Scout is thrown into a world full of quick judgement, racial stereotypes, and inequality. Empathy is not only important to ourselves and others, but it is vital to society.

Both Scout and Jem learned many lessons from Atticus. Scout learned to put herself into someone else's shoes, and in their perspective. She stood on Boo Radley's porch and realized what he was going through with being alone. On the other hand, Jem learns about courage and to see things through in life. He learns about this when Atticus explains about the Tom Robinson case and Mrs.Dubose with her drug addiction.