Roger Ebert once stated, “I believe empathy is the most essential quality of civilization.” Empathy is the ability to understand the feelings of others. The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird possesses empathy and the impact the trait can have on everyone. This story shares the life of Scout as she faces difficult events and finds a way to empathize with the people around her. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, People’s ability to understand empathy determines their quality of life.
Once people begin to empathize for others, their quality of life can be impacted positively. Scout was raised by a father who always understood and gave compassion to other people. Atticus, her father, taught his daughter many lessons on empathizing for others. Scout can trust her father as he is a man with good morals. One lesson Atticus teaches Scout is, “‘You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view.’” (Lee 39) This quote explains how one must step into another’s shoes before judging them. Atticus helps Scout understand the reason for empathy. Connecting to the theme, once Scout begins to understand her father’s lesson, she becomes more empathetic and tries to become similar to her father.
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Tom Robinson, unfortunately, acts empathetic to the wrong person and later pays the price for doing so. In the trial, Tom shares that he decides to help Mayella Ewell with simple tasks when he is asked to. Tom Robinson does not understand being empathetic to certain people can affect his life. During his testimony, he states, “‘I was just trying to help her out suh.’”(Lee 263) This quote shows Tom’s innocence on the topic of empathy. He does not realize his actions, although good actions, can have consequences. Because Tom Robinson empathizes for the wrong person, he suffers and is convicted for a crime he does not commit which impacts his quality of