ipl-logo

To Kill A Mockingbird Empathy Quotes

817 Words4 Pages

“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” is a quote spoken beautifully by a wise man named Atticus Finch. Throughout Harper Lee’s novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, empathy is openly displayed and is a recurring theme. Empathy is the art of understanding or feeling what another person is experiencing from within the other person’s frame of reference. Dill, Scout and Atticus are prime examples of people whom demonstrate this characteristic at some point in the novel. When Scout asks Dill, “Why do you reckon Boo Radley never ran off?”, he replies with an empathic response of, “Maybe he doesn’t have anywhere to run off to”. Through his words, Dill demonstrates a conscious to identify with Boo’s struggles. Dill understands the dilemma of wanting to run away but having no one to turn to. The …show more content…

She has the compassion to show understanding to Boo Radley, a man she previously feared and avoided at all costs. When she first sees Boo, she sees him looking quite frightened, and simply says “hey, Boo”, and soon “the tension drained from his face”. Sitting outside on the porch she led him to the chair furthest from Atticus and Mr. Tate because it was “in deep shadow, boo would feel more comfortable in the dark”. This is an innocent example of empathy shown by Scout as she realises that Boo must not be used to so much exposure and attends to his needs. This small act of kindness also shows how much Scout has matured compared to the beginning of the book when she was extremely intolerant of other’s situations. For example, when she participates in spreading rumors about Boo Radley and making fun of Walter Cunningham. Scout has at last learnt to see that there is a story behind every person, a reason why they are the way they are and in order to truly understand them she must put herself in their

Show More
Related
493 Words | 2 Pages

Another well known lesson taught by Atticus is about empathy. Empathy is defined as: the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. This is shown in chapter three when Scout encountered some problems with her new, first grade teacher, Mrs. Caroline. The little girl was mature well beyond her years, therefore, when she was asked to read out loud, Scout read with near perfect fluency. However, the teacher was surprisingly displeased with her advanced level in literature and flow, and assuming it was Atticus who was educating his daughter, Mrs. Caroline wanted the ‘lessons’ to come to a stop.

Read More
674 Words | 3 Pages

Scout's growing understanding and acceptance of the people in her community, flaws and all, is one of the most significant ways she demonstrates tolerance. Scout, for example, is terrified of Arthur "Boo" Radley at first and believes the rumors that he is a "monster”. However, as she learns more about him and his situation, she starts to see him as a human being and develops empathy for him. This is demonstrated when Scout says "I was too old and too big for such childish things, but I knew that Jem's ideas about Arthur Radley were, to him, as real as the things he could see" (Chapter 6). This shows that Scout is growing in her understanding of people and her ability to empathize with them.

Read More
269 Words | 2 Pages

In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the theme of “empathy” is frequently apparent. Throughout the novel, the mockingbird is used as a symbol, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy….That ’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 103). The mockingbird relates back to the theme of empathy because it represents the people who were innocent, yet treated unjustly.

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
737 Words | 3 Pages

In the book and movie, To Kill a Mockingbird I find it very easy to have empathy for the characters. The characters that I can empathise the most with are Scout, Jem and Mayella. Scout and Jem are very easy for myself, and many others to empathise with because most people either have siblings or very close friends that they either get annoyed of, or are very protective of. Mayella on the other hand is a different story, most people can’t understand the reasoning of why she lie to the judge and jury, but I can. She was scared, and she thought the only way to get out of her situation was to lie, which many of us do when scared.

Read More
1473 Words | 6 Pages

She questions her preconceived nations and develops empathy and understanding towards others and that was the result of her experiences and interactions. The provided quote supports the idea of Scout’s changing attitudes towards Boo Radley and racial inequality and shows her growth as a character

Read More
719 Words | 3 Pages

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. To me the word empathy in “To Kill A Mockingbird” means “putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.” Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” suggests that empathy is a universal feeling, but everyone experiences it in different occasions and in different ways. Many people empathize through real life experiences. Scout is one of those people.

Read More
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

Read More
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.

Read More
544 Words | 3 Pages

”(pg.41) Scout realized that Boo was probably embarrassed by seeing the children act his life out in public. This was probably a good decision because Atticus didn't like them sticking their nose into the Radley's business. Scout is sympathetic since she thinks Boo is inside the house and no longer wants to make fun of him by playing the

Read More
690 Words | 3 Pages

Scout definitely has demonstrated growth throughout the book; she has realized that not everyone comprehends situations like her. She started off in the book with a very liberal, non-prejudiced thought process, and clutched onto it throughout the narrated moments of her life. Her, Dill, and Jem were always mesmerized by Boo Radley’s existence, and did the best they could in order to see him. Scout and the other children had heard stories about Boo throughout their entire childhoods; how he was bizarre, not the safest man in the world, but for some reason she was not comfortable with this idea. Call it curiosity, or label it as boredom, she was determined to meet Boo Radley.

Read More
1247 Words | 5 Pages

The quality of empathy allows the good side of human nature to shine through. In the case of Scout, the young protagonist in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, empathy plays a crucial role in her moral development as she navigates the evils of a closed-minded Southern society. By following her father Atticus’s advice, she manages to resist the influence of hateful attitudes in her town. Without her ability to empathize, Scout is just as much at fault as the prejudiced and unaccepting residents of Maycomb for overlooking hypocrisy and prejudice. Empathy, the capacity to vicariously experience the ordeals of another person, is a fundamental part of what constitutes a moral person and is essential in having the capacity to understand and forgive others, which Harper Lee portrays through Atticus’s advice to his children, the children’s changing perception of Boo Radley, and Atticus’s forgiveness of people in Maycomb.

Read More
1038 Words | 5 Pages

Understand, Don’t Underestimate Life, the building block for all humans, is the concept that gives each person his or her own unique personality. Although many people attempt to judge one another based on what they see, being able to truly understand somebody who is different deeper than how he or she appears to be is rarely ever done. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee expands on the idea of understanding different people as readers follow characters struggling with that same idea. One character, Dolphus Raymond, a man who is seen as disturbing since he lives with negroes is not cruel and awful as most people imagine. Another man, Atticus Finch, attempts to teach his children not to judge people if you cannot apprehend and

Read More
714 Words | 3 Pages

Through To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee teaches us the righteousness of empathy. Harper Lee 's technique of writing and coinciding Christian beliefs weaved through emphasizes the importance of the story 's moral and themes. It is through Scout, the young dynamic and protagonist, that Lee opens the reader 's eyes to a realistic world of prejudice and inequality during the 1930s. Though introducing many characters throughout the novel, it is through Lee 's wise father character, Atticus Finch, that she further helps teach her readers life lessons, one being empathy. While narrating in first person, Lee further details her novel with the setting and use of style and diction.

Read More
738 Words | 3 Pages

When Scout is unable to understand why her teacher, Miss Caroline, does not want her to read at home anymore, Atticus wants her to see the situation from Miss Caroline’s point of view. He tells Scout, “If you can learn a simple trick, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. 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” (39). The “simple trick” Atticus is talking about is empathy.

Read More

More about To Kill A Mockingbird Empathy Quotes

Related Topics

Open Document