The Importance Of Empathy In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Recommended: Thematic concerns in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mocking Bird

Two young siblings set off on mini adventures through their small town, discovering the plethora of prejudices that lie within the community surrounding them. Because of the compelling events in their environment, Jem and Scout Finch are taught to challenge what they disagree with, but still be courteous to others when doing so. Through the allusion to major world events, the characters that influence both Jem and Scout, and the symbolism of mockingbirds, Harper Lee shows that being open to empathy is a crucial part of life in her award-winning novel: To Kill a Mockingbird. One of the themes in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is that being empathetic is essential as shown through the allusions to Adolph Hitler within her novel. Since …show more content…

The first time mockingbirds are mentioned in the novel is at the time the two Finch children receive air-rifles for Christmas. Ecstatic about their gifts, Scout and Jem rush outside to play with them when Atticus and their motherly neighbor, Miss Maudie, pull them aside to tell them not to kill mockingbirds. Their reasoning behind this is that “mockingbirds don’t do [anything] but make music for us to enjoy” (Lee 119). By stating this, the elders teach Jem and Scout how crucial it is to see something from another’s perspective and understand their emotions. Furthermore, the innocence represented by mockingbirds is displayed at the latter end of the novel, discussing the Finchs’ hermit neighbor, Arthur “Boo” Radley. At this point in the plot, Boo Radley saves Jem and Scout’s lives from a violent attack, but ultimately ends their attacker’s. The children are brought home and this instance is immediately reported to the town Sheriff. Thinking that the person who killed the attacker was Jem, Atticus quarrels with Sheriff Heck Tate over whether the person should be convicted. Heck Tate knows who truly killed the assailant, Boo, and declares no one will be convicted. This boggles Atticus’s mind, prompting him to ask Scout how no one is to be held responsible for this. Scout replies, “Well it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” (Lee 370). This quote shows her understanding that to be empathetic is to be compassionate to others’ emotions, as shown through the example of Boo Radley and Sheriff Heck

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