To Kill A Mockingbird
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. My topics were how is empathy demonstrated or learned by Atticus, How is Empathy demonstrated by Scout and How is empathy demonstrated or learned by Jem. How is empathy shown throughout the characters among the storyline?
Atticus believes that not only black people but everyone deserves a fair go whether it's a court case or not. When Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell everyone in Maycomb was for the side of Bob Ewell and Mayella, The white people always put their word before a black man's word. This means that Tom Robinson had no chance, but Atticus believes Tom’s word and believes in equality between white and black people. When
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Jem was curious about how Bob would have been thinking and Feeling during the trial. Atticus said to Jem “Jem, see if you can stand in bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial if he had any to begin with.” “So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell’s one extra beating that's something I’ll gladly take” - Chapter 23 Page 218. In Chapter 23 of To kill a Mockingbird, Bob Ewell spits in Atticus Finch’s face. When Atticus explains to Jem about his decision to walk away from a fight, Atticus asks Jem to consider how Bob Ewell felt after the trial. In the Quote, Atticus is asking Jem to walk in Bob Ewell’s shoes so he can then get an understanding of why Atticus backed down and why Bob Spit in Atticus’s face. Jem found out what it's like to be in someone else's shoes, also why Atticus walked away from Bob Ewell. Jem also realised how much more respect the Black people have for Atticus when he just walked away from Bob Ewell in front of the Black
In court Atticus disgraces Bob Ewell, by proving him a liar. Tom was found guilty and was shot trying to escape. Bob launches a personal vendetta onto anyone connected to the case. He attacks the children, injuring Jem, and inadvertently killing himself. 2.
Next towards the end of the novel Bob Ewell spits in Atticus’ face and swears vengeance for the trial. This scares Scout and Jem. When they confront him about it Atticus merely says “Jem see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes for a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial. . . So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s something I’ll gladly take.”
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee explores the theme of empathy through the eyes of Scout Finch, a young girl growing up in the 1930s in Maycomb, Alabama. The novel begins with the memorable quote from Atticus Finch, Scout's father, who states, "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird. " This sets the stage for the overarching message of the novel, which is that it is wrong to harm innocent beings, like the mockingbirds, who bring joy to the world. Through Scout's interactions with a cast of diverse and strongly opinionated characters, Lee demonstrates the power of empathy and its ability to bring people together and break down barriers.
When Bob Ewell spit in Atticus’ face he said to Jem, “...see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does” (Lee 292). Atticus takes the blame for what Bob Ewell did to him even though it wasn’t Atticus’ fault. Atticus also says “...I do my best to love everybody…”
Alfred Adler, a physician and physiologist once said “Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another.” Understanding empathy is understanding that sometimes you should focus on others feelings instead of your own, and being able to feel what someone else is feeling. In the Novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many examples where Jem and Scout feel empathetic towards others. When Jem and Scout torment Boo Radley, when scout bullies Walter Cunningham, and when Mr, Raymond explains the effects of racism.
Atticus being a white men also showed courage by going against the Maycomb people and willingly defended Tom Robinson, a black men. Due to that he was often called N-lover by other white people. Despite of those criticisms given by many of the town’s people, he did his best to defend Tom. He said, "If I didn't I couldn't hold my head up in town, I couldn't represent this country in legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do something".(page 75). On page 149, Atticus says : “Son, I told you that if you hadn't lost your head I'd have made you go read to her.
until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (39). This quote is one of the most impactful ones throughout the story. Atticus displays that instead of automatically feeling rage towards the person, you should consider the other person’s point of view and understand their emotions. Atticus teaches another lesson about empathy, but this time, it was to Scout's brother, Jem. Mr. Finch was defending, Tom Robinson, the defendant, who was accused of raping a white woman by Bob Ewell and his daughter Mayella.
Bob was furious at the way Atticus had defended the black person, Tom Robinson. He wanted retribution for something that was, according to his world view, a heinous act against the principles of white men. He knew that he couldn’t get to Atticus directly, so he went after the next best thing—his children. Scout and Jem’s guardian angel, Boo Radley, saved them and they got home alive, if not uninjured. They got home to find that their assailant was none other than Bob Ewell.
Paragraph #3 Furthermore, the most reoccurring character trait that Atticus portrays is empathy. For instance, Atticus shows Scout how he understands and share the feeling of others when Scout had trouble adapted to a new teacher in Maycomb. Atticus shows empathy towards Radley family because he understands that rumors relating to the Radley family causes the family a great deal of trouble and unwanted attention from curious youngsters such as Jem, Dill, and Scout. An instance in the novel when Atticus showed empathy towards the Radleys is on page 65 “I’m going to tell you something and tell you one time: stop tormenting that man.” Atticus says this quote to Jem when he was trying to get Boo Radley outside.
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. To me the word empathy in “To Kill A Mockingbird” means “putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.” Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” suggests that empathy is a universal feeling, but everyone experiences it in different occasions and in different ways. Many people empathize through real life experiences. Scout is one of those people.
In Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”, empathy is at the heart of the story. It is represented in different events and characters. This literary piece is an effective example of demonstrating understanding towards others. Empathy can be seen in many different characters throughout the novel such as Scout, Atticus, and Tom Robinson. They gain wisdom and show sympathy to the people that deserve it.
and it's an unpopular move in the community, he still defended Tom Robinson. Also Atticus said the quote, “So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating that’s something I’ll gladly take.” (222). Bob Ewell spitted in Atticus’ face but instead of lashing back he took the high road. This is important because he stood up for what he believed was right which was his moral integrity.
In chapter 22, Miss Stephanie says “this morning Mr. Bob Ewell stopped Atticus on the post office corner, spat in his face, and told him he'd get him if it took the rest of his life.” As is shown throughout the book, Atticus is one of the most respected people in the town of Maycomb, Alabama. As mentioned earlier, Atticus embarrassed Bob by defending Tom. He was filled with anger and he took it out by spitting on Atticus. Everyone knows atticus is a good man who does good things.
Atticus later tells an outraged Jem, “See if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does… He had to take it out on somebody and I’d rather it be me than that houseful of children.” This quote coexists with a previous quote of his “ you can never fully understand someone until you step into their skin and walk around in it for a while” In this example Bob Ewell brings the quote to
Tom Robinson is a young African-American who's been accused of raping and abusing Mayella Ewell, a young and closeted white woman. Racial discrimination is hinted throughout Tom’s trial as Atticus Finch explains to Jem that a white man’s word will always win over that of a black man’s - "... In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins. They're ugly, but those are the facts of life" (220). Atticus explains to Jem that in the courts of Maycomb, a black man’s state of innocence or guilt is truly determined by a white man’s testimony.