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Character development in the great gatsby
Gatsby character development
Gatsby character development
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The first way that Scout shows a sign of empathy is in the classroom with Miss Caroline. Although Scout doesn’t know it, she has been giving Miss Caroline a very hard time. Miss Caroline is getting very stressed about her day and when she has had enough, she punishes Scout. “Miss Caroline picked up her ruler, gave me half a dozen quick little pats, then told me to stand in the corner” (Lee 24). Although Scout was punished, she is still learning to be empathetic upon seeing how much this affected Miss Caroline. when she saw how stressed Miss Caroline was with the kids. “As I was last to leave, I saw her sink down into her chair and bury her head in her arms. Had her conduct been more friendly toward me, I would have felt sorry for her. She was a pretty little thing” (Lee 24). Scout …show more content…
As the book comes to a close, readers can see just how mature and empathetic Scout has become. After Scout and Jem, Scout’s brother, are saved by Arthur “Boo” Radley, the town shut-in, Scout walks Boo home and after he walks back into her house, she turns around and just stares out at the street from Boo’s point of view instead of from her own. Her father taught her that you should
Atticus, the father of Jem and Scout, was right when he said, ¨you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.¨ Scout realizes that Boo Radley is not who everyone rumors him out to be. Scout learns that you need to spend time with a person to find out who he truly is. She learns this after walking Boo Radley home after the disturbing experience the Finch kids had been in. Scout finally understood what life looked like from Boo Radley's perspective when she is standing with him on his front porch. Also, when Scout talks to Atticus at the end of the book he shows her how she has turned into a wonderful young lady. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee develops the theme that believing rumors will lead you to false assumptions unless you have walked in that person's shoes through imagery, characterization, and point of view.
Scout was an excellent example of empathy for quite a few reasons. For example, “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough” (Pg. 374). Scout understood fully what empathy meant to her after she walked Boo home the night of the attack. It was a habit for her to put herself in other shoes and understand their feelings at that point in her life. When Scout thought about this, she was standing exactly where Boo had been for all those years and where he observed those loving, caring, fun kids. Boo literally watched them grow. She knew how he must have felt hearing their screams and to see this drunk man trying to hurt his kids. Yet again, another example of empathy from the main character Scout, “In the corner of the room was a brass bed and in the bed, was Mrs. Dubose. I wondered if Jems activities had put her there. For a moment, I felt sorry.” (Pg.) She looked at Mrs. Dubose and saw her confined to her bed while she and Jem read to her. She felt bad when she remembered Jem trying to kill her camellias. She also felt for her because when she imagined herself in Mrs. Dubose's shoes, she could only imagine how awful it would be to be circumscribed to the same place until death. Scout showed empathy toward both Boo and Mrs.
The people who lack empathy for the Radley’s are the kids such as Scout, Jem, and Dill. On page 16, Jem describes Boo Radley as a monster with yellow and rotten teeth, eyes that popped, drooling, blood stained hands, and having a long jagged scar across his face. They also dare each other to get as close as possible and make mean plays about the Radley family. When Miss Muadie’s house burns down Boo gives Scout a blanket and she sees that he is not a monster. Later when Atticus is defending Tom Robbinson the town seems to turn their backs on Atticus and his family, becuase he is defending a black man which is looked down upon in the town. Tom Robbinson is innocent, but because he is a black man the town views him as guilty anyway. When the town comes to a conclusion that he is guilty, Jem comes to the conclusion that the outside world is unfair, because he knows Tom Robinson is innocent. This is a good coming of age moment for Jem, because he develops empathy for Tom Robbinson and changes his mindset. Scout throughout the story is forced to develop empathy towards other people by her farther, Calpurnia, and Jem. In chapter 3, when she is beating up Walter Cunningham, she is forced to stop by her older brother Jem, who later invites him to dinner. Then later in the house, Scout was being rude to Walter for the way he ate. Calpurnia scolds Scout by
Tom and Boo taught Scout several lessons that she will remember forever. Boo shows her that just because you act different and live a different life that you are not always scary and bad. After Scout meets Boo at the end of the book she realizes that he could not really be the person that the makes him out to be. Tom’s trial shows her that racism is completely wrong but was happening all around her all of the time. She sees how Tom is not guilty but since he is black he is considered bad. She knows that this is wrong and she won’t do it herself. Before the trial she did not even know what racism was.
Scout always listening to the knowledge of her teachers when she was younger makes her innocent and naive. First, Scout’s constant obedience to her teachers and lack of retaliation for her beliefs express her naiveness: “Now tell your father not to teach you anymore. It’s best to begin reading with a fresh mind. You tell him I’ll take over from here and try to undo the damage...Your father does not know how to teach. You can have a seat now” (Lee 23). This quote expresses how Scout was belittled by her teacher for reading outside of school. This aggravates Scout, however she holds in her anger, like any child, and she is forced to sit down at the command of her teacher, Miss Caroline. Also, Scout couldn’t defend herself when she explained to
Scout Finch and her brother Jem live with their widowed father Atticus in the town of Maycomb, Alabama. The book takes place in a society withstanding effects of the Great Depression. The two main characters, Scout and Jem, approach life with a childlike view engulfed in innocence. They befriend a young boy named Dill, and they all become intrigued with the spooky house they refer to as “The Radley Place”. The owner, Nathan Radley (referred to as Boo), has lived there for years without ever venturing outside its walls. The children laugh and imagine the reclusive life of Boo Radley, yet their father quickly puts a halt to their shenanigans, as they should not judge the man before they truly know him. Atticus unforgettably tells the children, “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.”
Empathy had a huge role in the novel. Empathy really affected Atticus. When the food was brought to the table, Atticus had a huge meltdown. His emotions came out, he was disappointed at the jury and all of the things going on in Maycomb County. It affected the way he carried himself, and he was very grateful for the things that he had in his life. Empathy affected Jem mentally. It changed his perspective and how he viewed things. When he heard the word “guilty” he completely loses it. He said he never wants Dill to ever speak of the trial. Scout’s empathy affected her emotionally. All the time she wanted to Meet Boo Radley. When she did, she was speechless. She knew him because her mind was telling that she recognized this man. That wraps up the theme of
As the book progresses, Boo, Aunt Alexandra, and Scout learn life lessons and develop into mature adults. Boo Radley’s maturity is depicted in the novel when he overcomes his fear and interacts with Scout, Jem and Dill. Boo, who is notorious for being a recluse, is a shy, lonely man who rarely leaves his house and does not understand the world around him. However, when he finally comes to interact with the children, he matures both mentally and socially. One example of when Boo matured physically was when Boo rescued Jem from Mr. Ewell.
Scout first learns to show compassion and tolerance by refusing to go to school because she hates Miss Caroline. Atticus tells her that, 'First of all, 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 in it'; (30). When Atticus told her this, she began to accept Miss Caroline as well as other people's differences and opinions.
They want to get to know him as he leaves them surprises in the tree, and even saves Jem’s life (Best). Finally, Scout decided to put herself in Boo Radley’s shoes. She began to see the view from his side. Kasper says, “Scout at last begins to see Boo Radley as a human being.” (Kasper).
Scout starts to understand people’s needs, opinions, and their points of view. In the beginning, Scout does not really think much about other people’s feelings, unless it directly pertains to her. Jem and Dill decided to create a play based on the life of one of their neighbors, Boo Radley. According to neighborhood rumors, Boo got into a lot of trouble as a kid, stabbed his father with scissors, and never comes out of the house. The children create a whole drama and act it out each day. “As the summer progressed, so did our game. We polished and perfected it, added dialogue and plot until we had manufactured a small play among which we rang changes every day” (Lee 52). Scout turned Boo’s life into a joke, something for her entertainment. She did not think about how Boo would feel if he knew what they were doing. Near the end of the book, while Boo was at the Finch house, Scout led him onto the porc...
As Scout grows, she starts to see Boo as a person, as apposed to some sort of an evil creature. By stopping her games, and the tormenting of Boo, she shows respect for him and shows dignity in herself.
In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” written by Harper Lee, I noticed a certain scenario that involved a conflict between Scout and her teacher, Miss Caroline Fisher. When reading this chunk of the story I questioned Miss Caroline in my head; couldn’t of Miss Caroline somehow avoided dissension with Scout? After interrogating the scenario, I deciphered a few ways that Miss Caroline could’ve avoided personal discord with Scout.
As a growing young girl, Scout was learning and experiencing things just like any other child would though growing up. She got older and was able to understand things a lot better as well as being able to apply lessons she had learned in her everyday life. She began to act slightly more grown up in situations such as Aunt Alexandria's dinner party. Scout forgot how much she despised her Aunt and how much she disliked dresses and joined the group of women in their conversations. Despite how she didn't want to "act more like a lady", she played along with her Aunt's "campaign to teach me (Scout) to be a lady" made an exception to please her Aunt and to create some peace between them. Upon hearing the news of Tom's death she concludes "if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I." This shows how Scout was beginning to act more ladylike for her Aunt.
One of the biggest factors in Scout’s journey is understanding her neighbor Arthur Radley who is nicknamed Boo. Boo Radley has been perceived a monster that “dined on raw squirrels” and has “a long jagged scar” and “Yellow and rotten” teeth. (Lee 16) Throughout many parts of the story where Boo has hinted of wanting to become ‘friends’ with the children such as when he leaves gifts and candy under the tree and covers Scout with a blanket during the fire, Scout never understands Boo. Near the end of the novel when Boo saves Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell, and Scout walks him home she notices the world in another perspective, Boo’s perspective. Scout begins to think about the years that went by and the gifts that Boo had gave them and how they “had given him nothing and it made [Scout] sad”. (Lee 373) This is the highlight of Scout’s growth throughout the book because this quote shows that she matures and learns understands the importance of giving and receiving as well as the importance of understanding someone from their view of the world. Like Scout, with the help of Nate Cross, Ruby progresses along the road as well. Nate Cross is Ruby’s neighbor/boyfriend, when Ruby first transferred into Nate’s neighborhood, he helps her out by hiding the fact that Ruby was trying to escape the house. Nate becomes Ruby’s first