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Empathy in 'To Kill a Mockingbird': Compassion Through Literature

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Empathy in To Kill A Mockingbird Essay Example

Children growing up in a prejudiced society can learn both good and bad lessons.  This environment can lead to future beliefs and stereotypes that can be based on race, culture, education and gender that may not be true. This leads to future generations being prejudiced as that is how they grow up. However, this negative environment can also enable children to learn great courage and deepen their understanding of inequity and justice. The bildungsroman novel, ‘To kill a Mockingbird’, written by Harper Lee, shows the growth of the main character Scout, who is growing up in the South around 1930. It is apparent the things she learns are all heavily influenced by the adults in her life. She learns about the power of empathy. She learns about the inequity in her town and the courage to overcome it. The novel is told by an adult narrator reflecting on her childhood and how individuals and groups were treated and how she grows from the experiences she had in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama.

Empathy is an essential skill that grows in Scout as she learns from the good and bad in her society.  Scout's first-person narration draws attention to her initial lack of understanding of the people in her town. Atticus plays a large role in teaching both Jem and Scout about empathy add: through his various maxims. This is evidenced in the dialogue between Scout and Atticus after having Walter Cunningham over, Atticus says to Scout “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.” The use of a metaphor, evidenced in climbing around in someone else's skin explains the idea of empathy to Scout which leads her to understand a lot of the bad things and people in her town. Furthermore, Scout learns Empathy from another key adult in her life Calpurnia, In the dialogue between the two after Scout is clearly unaware that she is exercising classism and discrimination against Walter by the way he eats food Calpurnia states, “Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house yo company, and don’t let me catch you remarkin’ on their way like you were so high and mighty! Yo’ folks might be better’n the Cunninghams but it doesn’t count for nothin’ the way you’re disgracin’ ’em.” The tone of authority and accusatory language seen in 'disgracin' em' helps Scout realise that her words are hurtful and bad. Scout then grows to show empathy towards Walter in the future. At the beginning of the novel, Jem and Scout have an obsession with Boo Radley, but it is not till the very end of the book that Scout draws light on her growth in empathy.  She says to Atticus when he is struggling with what to do next knowing that Boo had killed Bob Ewell, “it would be like killing a mockingbird.” With this simile, Scout demonstrates that she understands Boo’s need for privacy and the empathy she has for him. Empathy is a skill that Scout develops throughout the novel, she has to guide herself through the good and bad in her society to learn and grow as a child living in a prejudiced society

A deeper understanding of inequity emerges as children grow and observe the society around them. The exposure children have to prejudice and inequity and what is bad and good compared to what is thought to be good and bad is evident in Scout's own exposure to inequity. This is highlighted in the section of the novel when Scout and Jem attend church with Calpurnia.  The dialogue between Scout and Calpurnia when Jem questions why Calpurnia’s church doesn’t have hymn books. "Calpurnia laughed, ‘wouldn't do any good, she said. They can't read.'” Scout’s tone of disbelief is highlighted by her response, “Can't read?... All those folks?" which illuminates how Scout misunderstands the situation people are in, because she has never had to experience harsh inequity add: associated with the Jim Crow laws. In addition to this, inequity and the good and bad of society is shown in the Missionary tea scene, the women are discussing the trial and how the African American community are grieving and are angry about how the trial turned out The women in this scene are the bad side of society as they lack empathy and understanding, this contributed to the inequity of the black community feeling able to respond freely to their own emotions in a situation where they do feel upset but the women and community are saying they don't have the right to. The hypocrisy in the dialogue between Miss Merriweather and the women at the table “Gertrude, I tell you there’s nothing more distracting than a sulky darky. Their mouths go down to here. Just ruins your day to have one of ‘em in the kitchen.” The condescending tone used add: represented in the epithets ‘sulky’ and ‘darky’ accentuates the Hypocrisy of the women, and how they believe that the African Americans should just move on, but what the women don't understand is that the black community feels powerless and violated due to egregious miscarriage of justice. Scout learns from these ladies by their lack of understanding of the world and how she can grow to be a better person. In contrast, At the end of the court scene when Tom Robinson was found guilty Jem is very angry and sad, he seems to have more understanding of how this whole situation was Maycomb at its worst and he is mature enough to see the depths of inhumanity. The narration from Scout during this underlines her innocence in the situation. She narrates "It was Jem's turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. "It ain't right," The emotive language in "angry" and "cheerfully" juxtaposes the two different sides of town, the good and the bad. Inequity can help children view a society around them differently and from a new perspective because of events happening where it is clear to the child that it is wrong. 

Through the development of empathy and a deeper understanding of inequity, a young person is able to grow and learn from the acts of courage in their society. Atticus knows he must defend Tom Robinson as it is his duty as a lawyer.In the dialogue between Scout and Atticus when Scout questions why he must defend Tom Robinson. Atticus states "The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town”, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again."  The dialogue displays what Atticus is telling Scout that if he lacked the courage to defend Tom Robinson in his trial he would not be good at his job and would not be a good father. The whole idea of defending a black man takes courage, especially in a racist society due to the Jim Crow laws of the 1930s. He wants Jem and Scout to understand how it is so important that he does the right thing. in this case for the good of humanity. Additionally, courage is in the unlikely character of Mrs Dubose who is a morphine addict and nearing the end of her life, Atticus wanted his children to see what real and raw courage looked like. Atticus states “ According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew.” The assonance in “nothing” and “nobody” emphasises the way Mrs Dobose showed courage by dying without the painkillers. She teaches the children that there is more than one kind of courage not only physical courage but the mental courage to stay with something, this contrasts with what Atticus is doing in the Tom Robinson trial. Continuing, Courage is shown by Mrs Maudie who is talking about Atticus and the trial to the children, she states “There are some men in this world who are born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father’s one of them.” The contrast between “born” and “unpleasant” implies the way Atticus was “born” to defend people for justice for the good. Mrs Maudie let Jem know that even though his father lost, he nonetheless remains an excellent lawyer and a key good part of justice within the court system. Atticus displays extreme courage for choosing to defend Tom in a case that was he knew would be hard to win in his context... People grow and learn from the different types of courage conveyed throughout the novel.

Therefore, the novel “To kill a Mockingbird” explores the way children look at the good and bad in society through the adults who have influenced them. Scout has learnt many important key life skills during the course of the novel like the power of showing empathy to people and not judging before you see someone for who they are, She has also seen and learnt from the devastating effects of inequity in her town, and Scout learned about the way her father shows courage and the many different ways courage can be expressed.

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Examples of Empathy in "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Published in 1960, "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee focuses on themes of morality and human nature. Lee includes examples of empathy to help readers explore the good side of human nature. Atticus Finch, a compassionate lawyer who defends a black man of crimes he didn't commit; his daughter, Scout; and son, Jem, face difficult circumstances in their prejudiced community. They learn to empathize with those less fortunate. Maudie Atkinson, a kindhearted next-door neighbor, supports the Finch family and helps Scout stand against hateful attitudes in their community.

Atticus and Tom Robinson

Atticus shows empathy toward blacks and the town recluse. He upholds the law and looks out for his clients' best interests, even when it hurts his reputation. His willingness to put himself in others' shoes is most evident when he agrees to defend Tom -- a black man falsely accused rape -- without considering how his actions might affect others, including his family. Atticus identifies with Tom's plight and shows empathy by standing against racial inequalities and prejudices without concern for his own well-being.

Scout, Boo Radley and the Mockingbird

Scout empathizes with Boo -- a long-time town recluse who grew up with a violent father -- after witnessing how unjust and mean-spirited her community is. She views Boo as an innocent mockingbird unfairly judged by town folk who refuse to accept his strange behavior. Scout befriends Boo, and happily accepts the small gifts he leaves for her in a knothole in a tree. Both she and Jem understand why Boo has chosen to withdraw all these years -- he doesn't want to be a part of a cruel, hateful society.

Jem and Atticus

Jem has a strained relationship with his stern, straightforward, unemotional father, but empathizes with him during Tom's trial. Jem identifies with his father's heartache as he tries to prove Tom's innocence, knowing that it's a battle he'll likely lose. He's traumatized by Tom's guilty verdict, but gains immense respect for his dad's dedication and unwavering stance on justice. Jem also empathizes with his father when he watches him kill a rabid dog that others are too afraid to shoot. He proudly states, "Atticus is a gentleman, just like me."

Maudie, Scout and the Black Community

Maudie shows empathy toward Atticus, Scout and blacks in her community. She doesn't let her belittling socialite friends manipulate her views, and she confidently supports Atticus during Tom's trial. After Tom is found guilty, she remarks that Atticus' strong case forced jurors to deliberate for a long time. She speaks kindly of Boo, and encourages Scout not to let others influence her values. Maudie has a passion for justice and uses her influence as a well-respected widow to stand up for equal rights and civil justice.

• Harvard Law Review Association: Being Atticus Finch -- The Professional Role of Empathy in "To Kill a Mockingbird"
• Hudson City School District: Character List; Dana Keller
• To Kill a Mockingbird; Harper Lee; 1960

As curriculum developer and educator, Kristine Tucker has enjoyed the plethora of English assignments she's read (and graded!) over the years. Her experiences as vice-president of an energy consulting firm have given her the opportunity to explore business writing and HR. Tucker has a BA and holds Ohio teaching credentials.

Empathy in To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Example

Having empathy for others helps us connect to people, because empathy helps us communicate our ideas in a way that makes sense to others, and it helps us understand others when they communicate with us. In To Kill a Mockingbird, many of the characters in the story gained empathy for other characters, which helped the characters connect with others. The characters in To Kill a Mockingbird were able to understand another person's thoughts and feelings. Because of this, characters like Atticus and Calpurnia were able to connect with others. 

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus begins to have empathy for Boo Radley. Citizens of Maycomb County made up lies of Boo Radley and the children of Maycomb County, like Jem and Scout, would bother Boo Radley. Because of this, Atticus believes that people should stop making up lies and stop bothering Boo Radley. Nobody knows what Boo Radley has gone through, so Atticus believes that people should just leave him alone. According to the text, “Son, he said to Jem, I’m going to tell you something and tell you one time: stop tormenting that man. That goes for the other two of you.

What Mr. Radley did was his own business. If he wanted to come out, he would. If he wanted to stay inside his own house he had the right to stay inside free from the attentions of inquisitive children, which was a mild term for the likes of us” (Lee 26). This shows how Atticus begins to have empathy for Mr. Radley because he believes that the kids should stop bothering him and leave him alone. Atticus kinds of put himself in Mr. Radley’s shoes and was thinking how annoying it would be if kids bothered him all day. This situation shows that the next time you are bothering someone, put yourself into their shoes and think how annoyed you would be if you were always being bothered. People should be allowed to do their own thing and stories should not be made up about them.

Atticus wasn’t the only character to gain empathy in To Kill a Mockingbird, Calpurnia also gained empathy. Calpurnia gained empathy for Walter Cunningham. Walter Cunningham was invited to dinner, and during the dinner, Scout was being disrespectful to Walter. Calpurnia believes that Scout shouldn’t treat Walter with disrespect. She understands the struggles Walter and the rest of the Cunninghams are going through, and she believes that Scout should treat him with respect.

According to the text, “He ain’t company, Cal, he’s just a Cunningham. Hush your mouth! 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 13). This shows that Calpurnia has empathy for Walter, because even though his family is not like Scout’s, she believes that he should be treated with respect. I infer that Calpurnia maybe had a life like Walter (where she was poor), so that’s why she was mad at Scout, because maybe she was treated like how Scout is treating Walter. This situation helps shows that no matter what family people come from, rich or poor, they should all be treated with respect. 

Having empathy for others helps us better connect to people in the world. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Calpurnia and Atticus both gained empathy for someone. Atticus gained empathy for Boo Radley, and that helped him better understand the struggles Boo Radley went through in his life. He believes that Boo Radley should be able to do whatever he wants, and he shouldn't be bothered by other people because of his actions. Calpurnia gained empathy for Walter Cunningham. That helped her better understand how poorly people treat the Cunninghams, and she believes that everyone, rich or poor, should be treated with respect. These examples of how characters in To Kill a Mockingbird gained empathy for others helps shows that by being able to have compassion for others can help us connect with others. In conclusion, empathy is a powerful tool that helps us communicate our ideas to others, helps us understand others when they communicate with us.

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