Human Nature In To Kill A Mockingbird

While one of the main themes of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is understanding another human’s perspective, it is also important to look at how people treat each other. The story’s protagonist, Scout, is a young girl from Alabama whose father, Atticus Finch, is asked to defend an African American man who is charged with rape. The southern way of life during The Great Depression will not allow Tom Robinson a fair trial, and Scout and her brother Jem are forced to deal with a county’s ignorance and racist attitudes. Atticus and a compassionate neighbor, Miss Maudie, try to teach the children not to hurt mockingbirds as they do not harm anything and “...don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy”(119). While the comparison of a mockingbird

Tom helps the Ewells family out by doing little chores like busting up a chiffarobe, chopping kindling toting water, etc. but only if Mayella asks him to do so. Tom is never paid to do any of the work, but he is offered money once. However, he declines the offer. Tom cuts the chiffarobe for free; for he tries to help her since Mr. Ewell and the seven kids do not look as if they help her much. Tom Robinson responds to Mr. Gilmer with ¨Yes, suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more´n the rest of ´em-” (264). By the unspoken code in Maycomb, Tom cannot feel sorry for Mayella. Tom promoting he feels sorry for her makes it seem as if Tom thinks he is at a higher spot than Mayella to some citizens of Maycomb. Tom would never want it to sound like that since he is such a respectful

Scout and Jem start out thinking Boo is similar to a ghost and mean to ending up having a friendship with him. The kids are amused with Boo for a long time since he has not been seen outside of his house. Boo turns out to be a great friend and an amazing person since he saves the kids lives, puts a blanket on Scout the winter night, fixes Jem´s pants, and leaves the kids little presents in a tree. Boo saves the kids, Scout and Jem, by jumping in and killing Mr. Ewell because the kids were in need of some help. He might have just been watching them in seeing Mr. Ewell trying to kill them, so he was most likely concerned. Boo Radley, Scout, and Jem have become really good friends, and Boo saw his friends in need of serious help and saves their lives. After inside the Finches house, Boo got out his chair and looked at Jem, which sent a sign to Scout that Boo wanted to see Jem before he left. Scout brought him over there, and Bill looked like he wanted to do something. That is when Scout told Boo he could pat Jem’s head. Scout then observes “ his hand came down lightly on Jem’s hair” (372). Mr. Heck Tate explains to Atticus that “ To my way of thinkin’, Mr. Finch, taking the one man who’s done you and this town a great service an’ draggin’ him with his shy ways into the limelight- to me, that‘s a sin. It’s a sin and I’m not about to have it on my head. If it was any other man it’d be