“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” Harper Lee’s coming-of-age novel To Kill a Mockingbird details about Scout Finch’s childhood primarily focusing around two objects of interests: Boo Radley and Tom Robinson’s trial. To Kill a Mockingbird demonstrates the ambivalent nature of humans through Scout’s observation of the events at the time alongside her reflections and assessment of those past events. Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird conveys the importance of possessing empathy to understand another person through conflict and symbolism but certain characters lack a degree of realism.
The conflict of Tom Robinson’s trial parallels the racial inequality
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A “mockingbird” does not create trouble for others but “makes music for [others] to enjoy” showing that they are purely pleasant animals. Killing a mockingbird is known as a superfluous and cruel action that is associated with sin. Similarly, Boo Radley acts as a “mockingbird” for being an innocent person that keeps to himself at home while also “makes music” by giving the Finch children gifts. At first, the kids mistake and believe that Boo acts like a “malevolent phantom” and “bloodstained” monster both insinuating that Boo is a terrible person. “Malevolent phantom” compares to an evil and mysterious creature while “bloodstained” reinforces the imagery of evilness, as blood is associated with death. However, the kids realize over the course of the story that Boo only wants peace. Scout finally empathizes or figuratively stands in Boo’s shoes when she walks him home noticing all this time he was a guardian angel who watched over them and saved them in their time of need. Scout compares arresting Boo for saving them as to “shootin’ a mockingbird” for that would be harming someone who wishes no harm to others. Lee brings to attention that one should not judge based on appearance for Boo proved with his actions that he was no monster but a