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Examples Of Compassion In To Kill A Mockingbird

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People who feel bad for others are said to be compassionate. Within Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, during the court case against Tom Robinson; Scout, the main character in the book and the daughter of Atticus, the defense attorney of Tom Robinson, feels bad for Mayella because she realizes that she has no friends and has no respect among her family. Mayella because she thinks Attucus is mocking her as she is not used to being treated so politely. There is compassion for Mayella in Scout. Mayella is worthy of compassion because she has no respect at her house from her dad Robert Ewell, additionally she is left alone to take care of her siblings and has no friends., “it came to me that Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world. She was even lonelier than Boo Radley.”(Lee 218) Scout is showing that she has compassion for Mayella. She still finds compassion for Mayella even though she knows what Mayella is doing is wrong since she is even lonelier than Boo Radley, who they know is the lone man in town. Showing Scout has …show more content…

She accused Tom Robinson of rape to cover up for her dad who beat her up. Because Mayella is white, most of the whites agree with what she is saying and that she is telling the truth, on the other hand, the blacks do not agree with Mayella and they agree with Tom. “It is difficult to be compassionate in the midst of suffering.” (Six Habits) Scout wants to feel compassion for Mayella, but she is endangering a man's life by accusing him of a terrible crime he did not commit. Because of the shape of the marks on Mayella’s neck, it suggests that she was choked with a left hand, and her dad is a lefty while Tom has a small left hand from an injury while picking cotton. With this evidence that is provided, it shows that Mayella is covering for her father to not dishonor the family; therefore, she is not worthy of

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This means they have no other elders to help; Mayella is left to make decisions by herself. Because of her living conditions, her judgement is impaired, leading to conducting wrong resolutions. Also, Mayella was lonely and this is a major factor that contributes to her indecisiveness. This is proven when Scout says, “When Atticus asked had she any friends, any friends, she seemed not to know what it meant.” This reveals she is lonely and Tom

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875 Words | 4 Pages

This makes her really sad and Atticus makes a deal with Scout that if she stays in school they will continue on as usual. In this moment, Atticus showed compassion to his daughter by making a deal that would make her feel better. Another way Atticus showed compassion to friends and family was when Dill shows up to their house and Atticus tells Scout to feed him and acts as if it happened every day. Atticus showed compassion to Dill by helping him and letting him eat and sleep over without question. Compassion to friends and family can be shown by simply being there for the ones you care about without question as Atticus did with

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367 Words | 2 Pages

Allie Beller Megan Ross English 2 2 October 2017 The “Scout” Essay In To Kill a Mockingbird, children are forced to discover the importance of compassion and tolerance that help shape their maturity as a young adult. Compassion and sympathy are characteristics that Scout gradually learns in order to become more mature.

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Mayella was not favored by the people in Maycomb. She was extremely poor and never spoke on any harassment she suffered from her father. Tom Robinson attempts to get the truth out in the open when he is giving his testimony, “She said what her papa do to her don’t count” (Doc B). Mayella doesn’t fully understand that her father is physically abusive towards her. To her it’s just love.

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806 Words | 4 Pages

In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the worth of compassion persists as a relevant theme. Throughout their childhood, Jem and Scout encounter many people who do nothing to earn any compassion. But as they mature and endure countless moral conflicts, compassion evolves from a form of pity into a determining and necessary moral factor. Even though people often act deceitful and immoral, everyone deserves compassion.

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309 Words | 2 Pages

Even though all the evidence points to this being a false claim and has caused rivalry in the small town of Maycomb, Mayella is worthy of compassion. Mayella struggles with crippling loneliness, pushing her to the point of no return. “True compassion goes beyond the understanding of another person’s suffering” (Yugay). The judge and townsfolk could never have known what was happening in Mayella’s home without hearing the cross-examination

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538 Words | 3 Pages

Some people believe that certain individuals are too despicable to be worthy of compassion, but others think they deserve a second chance and are not all bad. People like Mayella Ewell from Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird are worthy of compassion, even after what they have done. Mayella Ewell is a 19-year-old girl in the 1930’s accusing a black man of raping her. This entails a trial and many people want the defendant, Tom Robinson, killed, which is extremely likely to happen because of his race. However, in the trial, Mayella tells us that her home life is not safe or sanitary, and due to her circumstances at home, Mayella does deserve compassion.

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While Mayella was being interviewed she thought Atticus was mocking her. A realization occurred and that realization was, “I wondered if anybody had ever called her “ma’am,” or “Miss Mayella” in her life; probably not, as she took offense to routine courtesy. What on earth was her life like?” (Lee 184). Mayella Seems to have never received proper respect in her life, She is offended by simple civility because she thinks she is being mocked.

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555 Words | 3 Pages

Mayella does not deserve compassion as her accusations destroyed a family. Mayella Ewell uses her status as a white woman to enforce an accusation of rape that does not warrant compassion. When Scout and Jem, two children of the defense attorney, go to a black church with their caretaker, the reverend is collecting donations when he announces, “You all know of Brother Tom Robinson’s trouble. He has

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The situation is also ironic when Scout interrupts the tension with her innocence and saves Tom and her father. This is clear when she realizes a lynching is about to occur and says, “This was too good to miss” (202). Even though the crowd had malicious intentions, Scout burst through them to get to her father, contradicting what the reader predicted might happen. Overall, Harper Lee uses various literary elements throughout this scene to show Scout’s innocence from the cruel intentions of racism. Lee's usage of point of view and characterization conveys Mayella’s true nature to be innocent.

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594 Words | 3 Pages

Compassion is obtained from others. Depending on the circumstances, some people acquire compassion, and others do not. Mayella Violet Ewell, an 18-year-old white female, in Harper Lee’s, To Kill A Mockingbird, falsely accuses Tom Robinson, a black man, of sexually assaulting her, which commences a court case in the town of Maycomb, Alabama. Mayella has a tough life at home because of how her father treats her, and her overall reputation in the town of Maycomb is terrible, and she is considered white trash because she does not go to school and lives in bad conditions. Mayella Ewell deserves compassion because of her lack of knowledge.

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435 Words | 2 Pages

Love and compassion are necessities; humanity can not survive without them. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Mayella Ewell is a 19-year-old female who falsely claims she has been raped by a black man, Tom Robinson. But in turn, she possibly had been abused by her father. Mayella is often judged and receives no compassion from the individuals around her.

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600 Words | 3 Pages

She recognized that friendship doesn’t always come from one place, it comes from various places and different people. Scout was friends with many peculiar people like Walter Cunningham, who happened to be one of the unfortunate people in Maycomb, furthermore, didn’t have a high social status. She always was friends with Miss Maudie, even though she was older than Scout she still gave her respect and valued their friendship and bond. Also Boo Radley, who was seen as the monster of Maycomb and signifies as an awful individual. Scout came to the final realization that no matter who you are, who you might be, or what you look like, that friendship is strong and has no

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120 Words | 1 Pages

In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Scout Eliminates tension between a lynch mob and Atticus, Jem, and herself using compassion and empathy. Another situation that she is in that she uses her compassion and sympathy in the story is when Dill ran away from home because his mother and new father does not pay attention to him as much, and decides to sleep under a bench during night. Scout tried to convince her father, Atticus, for Dill to stay with them because Scout did not want to see Dill be transported to the orphanage. Thanks for the use of her compassion and empathy, Dill is able to stay in Scout’s home, and avoids staying out in the streets and the orphanage.

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825 Words | 4 Pages

This is where Harper Lee tells us about what kind of person Mayella really is. Her character is presented as an ignorant girl that does what her father tells her to do. Atticus says, “ She is a victim of cruel poverty and ignorance, but I cannot pity her…” She plays a major role in Tom Robinson’s life as well as his family’s life. Her lies cost Tom his life and ruins his family’s chance for happiness.

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