To Kill A Mockingbird Perspective Analysis

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George Carlin once said, “Some people see the glass half full. Others see it half empty. I see a glass that’s twice as big as it needs to be.” Perspective, it is all about perspective and being able to view decisions from multiple points of view. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Jem grows from being an innocent little kid to an open-minded teenager. He has to learn from the people living around him how to recognize their points of view so he can have a more precise perception of the people in his town. Once he realizes the importance of perspective, Jem develops a better understanding of his neighbors living in Maycomb. During the novel, Harper Lee follows Jem as he begins to appreciate the individuals in Maycomb, which shows …show more content…

Jem and Scout were both complaining about how Atticus was old and could not do much, but after watching Atticus shoot the mad dog, Jem tells Scout, “‘Naw, Scout, it’s something you wouldn’t understand. Atticus is real old, but I wouldn’t care if he couldn’t do anything - I wouldn’t care if he couldn’t do a blessed thing.’ Jem picked up a rock and threw it jubilantly at the car house. Running after it, he called back: ‘Atticus is a gentleman, just like me!’” (99; ch. 10). Jem is comparing Atticus to himself after he begins to appreciate Atticus for who he is. Jem could only see Atticus as a father who did not play football, go hunting, or do anything exciting, but after seeing Atticus shoot the dog, he views his father from a different perspective, Atticus’s perspective. As Jem matures and learns to recognize different points of view, he realizes his father’s reasons for not talking about the “One-Shot Finch” after seeing Atticus’s perspective. As well as changing his perspective about his father, Jem learns to look at Boo Radley differently. When Jem and Scout talk about the kinds of folks in Maycomb, Jem gains more of an understanding for Boo Radley. He says to Scout, “‘Scout, I think I’m beginning to understand something. I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time …

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