To Kill a Mocking Bird Essay

To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

To be able to really understand a person you need to consider things from their point of view. In the novel “To kill a mockingbird”, by Harper Lee, this is an important theme. This novel is about a girl who lives in the times of the great depression. In the novel Scout (main character) experiences cases of racism, lack of understanding, intolerance and coldnesstoward people. Throughout the novel Scout is challenged to understand people by walking in their shoes. Being able to crawl inside other people’s skin, see through their eyes, walk in their shoes, helps you understand that person’s way of living and being.
In the novel one example of when a character sees from another perspective is when, after Scout´s first day at school, she has a problem withher teacher. Miss Caroline was new in town, it was her first day at school and she didn´t know the “ways” of Maycomb. While at school, Miss Caroline noticed that Walter Cunningham had no money to buy lunch. She nicely offered him some money. Everyone in town knew the situation the Cunningham´s were in and found this offer very offensive. Scout discussed this problem with Atticus. During theirlittle chat Atticus came up with great advice: “First of all”, he said, “If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along 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 it” (30). With this advice Atticus was trying to tell Scout to considered Miss Caroline´s point of view, tostep on her shoes and walk in them. Scout tried to understand the reasons of Miss Caroline´s behavior and found out that it was really not her fault, she was new in town and she had no idea of the situation the Cunningham´s were in. She also understood Miss Caroline would learn, and understand some of Macomb’s “ways”.
Seeing from another perspective helps understand the way of living of somepeople. During Tom Robinson´s trial, Scout and Dill walked outside of the court because Dill wasn´t feeling good. While outside they ran into Mr. Dolphus Raymond, who offered Dill his paper sack to drink. Scout told him to watch out what he was drinking and, smiling, Dill said “Scout, it´s nothing but Coca-Cola.” The children looked confused and asked Mr. Dolphus if that´s all he drinks in his sacks,Coca-Cola. They couldn´t understand why Mr. Dolphus Raymond pretended to be an alcoholic. Mr. Dolphus explained; “It ain't honest but it's mighty helpful to folks. Secretly, Miss Finch, I'm not much of a drinker, but you see they could never, never understand that I live like I do because that's the way I want to live.” (200). After Mr. Dolphus´s explanation of his way of living the kids tried tounderstand really why he did what he did. As Mr. Dolphus said, the people in Maycomb couldn´t understand his way of living, nor tried to. It was easier to Mr. Dolphus to give people a reason of why he lived with black people, than to make them understand that that’s what he liked. Dill and Scout were amazed of all the trouble Mr. Dolphus had to go through just to be able to live like he liked to.Another way of understanding a person is listening, to reason, what others have to say. One example is at Tom Robinson´s trial, when Atticus tries to make the jury understand the reason why Mayella would most likely accuse Tom Robinson of raping her.”I say guilt, gentleman, because it was guilt that motivated her. She has committed no crime, she has merely broken a rigid and time-honored code ofour society, a code so severe that whoever breaks it is hounded from our midst as unfit to live with. She is the victim of cruel poverty and ignorance, but I cannot pity her: she is white. She knew full well the enormity of her offense, but because her desires were stronger than the code she was breaking, she persisted in breaking it. She persisted, and her subsequent reaction is something that...