To Kill A Mockingbird Empathy Quotes

Empathy After Scout Finch disrespects her classmate, Walter Cunningham, in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Calpurnia yells, “'Don't matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house's yo' comp'ny, and don't you let me catch you remarkin' on their ways like you was so high and mighty! Yo' folks might be better'n the Cunninghams but it don't count for nothin' the way you're disgracin' 'em-if you can't act fit to eat at the table you can just set here and eat in the kitchen!’” (Lee 27). Jem, Scout’s older brother, invited Walter to his house for dinner (another name for lunch at the time). As Walter came from an extremely poor family of farmers hit by the Great Depression, he helped himself to large portions of food, and, to Scout’s surprise,

Scout stating “‘He ain’t company, Cal, he’s just a Cunningham-’” shows that she has caste discrimination ingrained in her. While her comments may have sounded rude to Calpurnia, Scout’s ancestors owned slaves, and they may have made others (slaves, lower class) feel inferior to them. Furthermore, Calpurnia may have yelled at Scout because she can relate to what Walter is feeling. Calpurnia, being Black, surely had experienced racism and discrimination before. On top of that, Blacks were at the bottom of the social class after the Civil War, meaning that they were living in similar conditions to Walter, if not worse. As a result, Calpurnia would have empathy for Walter. She was infuriated at Scout because she didn’t want the same inadvertent discrimination happening to Walter, as she had experienced it first-hand. Calpurnia emphasizes the fact that social status does not determine a person’s worth and teaches Scout to treat everyone with respect and dignity, regardless of social status. Calpurnia deems treating anyone disrespectfully or making rude comments in their home unacceptable, as it is against her values and those of the Black community. Moreover, Calpurnia relates to Scout as she is a mother figure to her. As the Finch family’s maid, cooks, cleans and does chores around the

In the novel, Scout is portrayed as an innocent tomboy full of curiosity and courage, and is not afraid to speak her mind. Many kids in the world display these traits, and as Scout grows, her traits alter and grow, causing her to become a more independent, well-rounded individual. Most children eventually go through this process. Calpurnia, on the other hand, is a strong, wise woman who is a mother figure to Scout and Jem. Many parents also share these character traits. However, most characters in literature are not meant to be representative of actual people. While Scout and Calpurnia may resemble typical 1930s southern individuals, most characters in novels have unrealistic sets of qualities and are not to be portrayed as regular people. If people acted like Calpurnia, the world would be a more just and equitable place. Additionally, people would be more understanding and empathetic toward others. For example, racism would exponentially decrease, if not completely disappear, if people acted more like Calpurnia. By following her example, the world would become a place where people of all races, cultures, and backgrounds are treated with the same respect and dignity. Calpurnia also values the ability to understand other perspectives, so the world would be more forgiving of different points of view. For example, court cases and trials would go smoother because judges would be fairer in that they would be able to weigh