An important aspect of being a good person is to have empathy. Empathy helps to communicate in a way with others in a way that we can understand them. We can all grow and benefit by being empathetic. Atticus Finch demonstrates the risks and rewards of practicing empathy in To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus risks his reputation by showing empathy towards the black community by trying to help their community to be treated equally, he is rewarded with empathy by telling Walter Cunningham that he does not need to pay back his debt, and his final reward of empathy is teaching Scout and Jem the importance of empathy. Atticus risks his reputation that he has built up in the caste system when he takes on the case of working to defend Tom Robinson in attempts to gain equality for the black community. He knows that by defending a black man it will bring judgement down on his family, because many of the white citizens of Maycomb are racist and disagree with his beliefs. Atticus strongly …show more content…
“Why does he pay you like that?” Asked Scout, “ because that’s the only way he can pay me. He has no money.”(23) responds Atticus when questioned why he is allowing Walter Cunningham to pay him in this manner. The Cunningham’s are above the Ewells in the caste system while still remaining under the other white members of Maycomb. Atticus has empathy towards Walter, because he knows that Walter will be able to pay him back in return, although they are poor, they do not take things from others they know that they can’t pay back in return. They did not even take “no church baskets and no script stamps. They never took anything off of anybody, they get along with what they have. They don’t have much, but they get along on it.”(20), and that is what makes them good people in which Atticus can