ipl-logo

Examples Of Empathy In To Kill A Mockingbird

793 Words4 Pages

Brynna Baggs
Ms. Reed
Pd. 2
03/10/2022

How do characters in “To Kill a Mockingbird” show/develop empathy?

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Empathy is being able to put yourself in another person's shoes and understand their feelings. To develop empathy you need to learn to be aware of situations around you, and you need to learn that other people have feelings as well. Empathy is seen throughout To Kill a Mockingbird whether it's a character having empathy or lacking empathy. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem, the cunninghams, and Aunt Alexandra all show empathy.
In “To Kill a Mockingbird” Jem shows empathy by understanding another person's situation. In Chapter 21 Tom Robinson is wrongly accused of assaulting and raping Mayella Ewell and even though Atticus very clearly proved to the jury that he was an innocent man …show more content…

Aunt Alexandra is introduced into the story to turn Scout into society's view of a perfect lady and in the majority of the story that's all she cares about and would hate every little non-lady thing Scout did like wearing her overalls instead of a dress. “ ‘Aunty, is Jem dead?’ ‘No—no, darling, he’s unconscious. We won’t know how badly he’s hurt until Dr. Reynolds gets here. Jean Louise, what happened?’ ‘I don’t know.’ She left it at that. She brought me something to put on, and had I thought about it then, I would have never let her forget it: in her distraction, Aunty brought me my overalls” (Lee pg. 268). Aunt Alexandra helped Scout when she was worried about Jem and brought her the one piece of clothing she hated, Scout's overalls. Aunt Alexandra wanted to comfort Scout and to do that she pushed her personal beliefs away and gave Scout something she usually would get mad at her for wearing. Aunt Alexandra shows empathy towards Scout by giving her a pair of her overalls to comfort

Show More
Related
986 Words | 4 Pages

’s mother passed away. Aunt Alexandra tries to convert Scout from acting like a boy and tries to make her act like a girl more. Aunt Alexandra influences both Jem and Scout by teaching them basic manners. Ex. She teaches them how they should act when she first comes over.

Read More
391 Words | 2 Pages

Did you know the name of the book “To Kill A Mockingbird” is a direct reference from a famous saying “To kill a mockingbird is a sin? Well now that you know that reference in the book this is exactly how they explain how innocence in this book is stolen away and a sin is committed. Theoretically there are mockingbirds in the story but they are people. These are some of the ways that empathy is directly quoted and showed in the book “To Kill A Mockingbird”. Empathy is what Atticus Finch had for a boy named Tom Robinson he was trying to save him from the death penalty.

Read More
889 Words | 4 Pages

In chapter nine Scout recalls that for much of her early life her Aunt was just there. As Scout grows older Aunt Alexandra starts to critiques her attire and behavior. Scout quotes her aunt as having said, “I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches…she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants” (9.108). Aunt Alexandra turns against her brother as well; she refused to support him during his court case, betraying her brother and family. She’s in a way teaching Scout how not to act.

Read More
820 Words | 4 Pages

To Kill A Mockingbird Literary Analysis As defined in the dictionary, empathy is “the ability to share someone else’s feelings” (Merriam -Webster). Empathy is portrayed through emotions such as pity, compassion, and understanding. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, empathy can be found consistently in the actions and words of the characters. This repetition establishes kindness and sympathy towards specific characters, while building up hatred towards others.

Read More
827 Words | 4 Pages

Through her novel, the characters Scout and Atticus symbolize the importance and impact of empathy, even when one’s actions seem undeserving of it. Atticus -- a lawyer, a father, but most importantly, a man of moral righteousness and empathy. While

Read More
707 Words | 3 Pages

Empathy is the ability to share and understand someone else's feelings. In the story "To Kill a Mockingbird,"we are presented with the theme of empathy. Characters in this book show almost little to no empathy, as we see them acting discriminatory, racist, and can make hostile comments. However, some characters in To Kill a Mockingbird

Read More
566 Words | 3 Pages

Empathic Ways Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. In the Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird many of the characters experience empathy. For example, Atticus Finch, the father of the main character, shows feelings of empathy through his ways of payment with the Cunningham. Similarly, his daughter, and the main character, Scout Shows empathy with her being able to finally understand how Arthur (Boo) Radley feels and thinks. Finally, Tom Robinson, the man sent to court for the accusations of raping a white woman, would help Mayella Ewell, the woman he was accused of raping, whenever she needed it because he felt sorry for her.

Read More
790 Words | 4 Pages

To Kill a Mockingbird shows how we should empathize before judging to understand others. This is shown through Atticus’ empathy, Scout’s growing empathy, and the symbol of the mockingbird. How the book emphasizes empathy for others displays why this is important. Harper Lee’s to Kill a Mockingbird shows how we should empathize to understand others before we judge them through Atticus’ empathy, Scout’s growing empathy, and the symbol of the mockingbird. Atticus’ empathy for others throughout the book is a good example for how and why to empathize with others.

Read More
607 Words | 3 Pages

What would the world look like without empathy? Empathy plays a big part in everything around us, and in everyday life you can see it. In literature, empathy can be developed in a character through the circumstances of the plot and guide a character’s development. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, this is seen with the character of Scout. There are some interactions in the book that support this.

Read More
961 Words | 4 Pages

The novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee shows that if you have empathy for people you can better understand how they think and who they are as a person. 4. In Harper Lee’s novel she shows empathy through her characters in the story. The main characters that show empathy are Scout, Atticus and Jem.

Read More
248 Words | 1 Pages

“Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire… She said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants.” (Lee 108). Aunt Alexandra believes that since Scout is a

Read More
630 Words | 3 Pages

Aunt Alexandra gives Scout new clothes after finding her tarnished costume: “...Aunty brought me my overalls. ‘Put these on, darling,’ she said, handing me the garments she most despised” (354). Throughout the novel, Aunt Alexandra was against Scout’s boyish behavior. Scout’s overalls add to her boyish personality..

Read More
1351 Words | 6 Pages

This relates back to the claim because it shows that it is very tough to change your ways, Aunt Alexandra can’t seem to accept that Scout is wearing something not lady-like. Another good example of this in the novel was Mrs. Dubose. Even though most of the time she was having

Read More
1099 Words | 5 Pages

Scout said, “"Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants. Aunt Alexandra’s vision of my deportment involved playing with small stoves, tea sets, and wearing the Add-A-Pearl necklace she gave me when I was born; furthermore, I should be a ray of sunshine in my father’s lonely life. I suggested that one could be a ray of sunshine in pants just as well, but Aunty said that one had to behave like a sunbeam, that I was born good but had grown progressively worse every year...." (108). This quote illustrates how Scout pushes against gender stereotypes, and this is the root of conflicts between her and Aunt Alexandra.

Read More
740 Words | 3 Pages

During the chapters where Aunt Alexandra comes to the Finch House, Scout is constantly prayed on by her. She scolds Scout for thing such as the way she dresses, acts, and the boys she should be interested in. “‘Aun-ty,’ said Jem, ‘she ain’t nine yet.’ ‘She may as well learn it now.’”

Read More

More about Examples Of Empathy In To Kill A Mockingbird

Related Topics

Open Document