To Kill A Mockingbird Character Analysis - 956 Words

Empathetic Development in To Kill a Mockingbird Developing genuine empathy is one of life’s greatest challenges. In To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee uses unhypocritical, more experienced characters like Atticus to expose Jem and Scout to adult knowledge. Their adult influence is what brings about the empathetic growth and maturity of Jem and Scout. Atticus is one of these adults. After Scout is upset by her teacher’s inability to understand Maycomb County’s culture, Atticus delivers the lesson â€Å"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). This message is one of the main themes of the book; to understand people, you must have†¦show more content†¦Dubose, an old lady who was determined to break herself of her morphine addiction before dying, and succeeded. Jem and Scout are resentful and angry at her mean demeanor, until her situation is explained. Jem is initially scared after receiving a flower from her, but he is left â€Å"fingering the wide petals† (112). This is a turning point in Jem’s empathetic development. He has accepted the gift and is considering what Atticus said. Calpurnia introduces another aspect of adult life to the children, or colored adult life. When take n to her church, Jem asks why Calpurnia talks differently around her folk than around them, to which she explains the idea of colored folk having a double consciousness (126), introduced by William DuBois in The Souls of Black Folk. Jem and later Scout come to understand that Calpurnia had to lead two separate lives- one for the white folks, and one for the colored. The difficulty of this is impressed upon the children when they experience an argument between Calpurnia and a fellow church goer who is opposed to letting white children in. Calpurnia must defend them, because she brought them and takes care of them, but must also defy her own kind. One aspect of Jem and Scout coming of age is their independence from each other. An instance of this deterioration of their relationship is shown when Scout notices that â€Å"he had been crying; his face was dirty in the right places, but I thought it odd that I had not heard him† (63). Jem’s unwillingness toShow MoreRelatedTo Kill a Mockingbird Character Analysis Essay763 Words   |  4 PagesEssay Prompt: In a 1-2 page character analysis, explain what makes Atticus such a good parent, using quotes and evidence from the text to back up your claims. The Most Memorial Parent In 2003, the American Film Institute chose Atticus Finch, a respectful, dignity attorney from To Kill a Mockingbird, as the greatest hero in 100 years of film history. Harper Lee published To Kill a Mockingbird in the 1960s and it immediately received huge acclaims from readers throughout the world. In the novelRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Character Analysis783 Words   |  4 PagesMockingbird Characters A mockingbird is someone or something that does no harm to others. In the story To Kill A Mockingbird, there are three characters that symbolize a mockingbird. They are Boo Radley, Atticus Finch, and Tom Robinson. These characters are innocent and do good to others. They also deserve no harm to be done to them. Boo Radley is a character the symbolizes a mockingbird. People like Mrs. Crawford spread rumors about Boo. â€Å"As Mr. Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissorsRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Character Analysis721 Words   |  3 Pagesclass 6th Period English ll December 21 To Kill a Mockingbird is written by Harper Lee. It is the story of a black man’s struggle for justice. The protagonists Atticus Finch and his daughter Scout and other characters such as Tom Robinson and Bob Ewell, the author reveals her themes showing the evils of racism and the need in humans for respect. heroism is found in this novel, characters who show both physical and moral courage. Three characters to start are Atticus Finch, Mrs. Dubose, andRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Character Analysis903 Words   |  4 Pages To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel written by Harper Lee, takes place during the Great Depression in the fictional town of Maycomb County, Alabama. The novel is narrated by Scout Finch looking back upon events within her childhood in Maycomb. She retells the various adventures she’s had with her brother, Jem, and father, Atticus. Scout and Jem are often getting themselves into trouble whether it is because they are pestering their reclusive neighbors the Radleys, or are destroying the gardens of anotherRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Character Analysis1557 Words   |  7 PagesThis quotation shows that to have courage isn’t always when you are being brave but when you finish something that you start. In the book â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† By Harper Lee,   Many characters show the trait of courage throughout the book. It also s hows many important parts of the book through these quotes that are shown. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper lee Atticus shows the trait of courage a lot in the book.   The next two quotes are ones that show that Jen is a person in the novelRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Character Analysis832 Words   |  4 PagesThe classic novel â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† is a thrilling bildungsroman following the timeline of a young girl named Jean-Louise (Scout) Finch, written by Harper Lee. As a young girl, Scout lacked a biological mother, the result of a sudden health tragedy. Mothers play a very important role in the life of a young girl. A Mothers goal is to guide their children down a healthy path of life while providing the necessary components needed to thrive. Although Scouts mother died years ago, her motherRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Character Analysis924 Words   |  4 PagesThe novel To Kill a Mockingbird is based on the passed experienced from Harper Lees childhood. The character of Atticus resembles the author’s father, and the character of Scout resembles herself. To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by the well known author, Harper Lee. This book is written in Scouts perspective to portray her life. The main character, Scout, who is also the narrator is portrayed as a young girl who is still learning the rules of life. Her father, her brother Jem, and nannyRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Character Analysis1033 Words   |  5 Pagespsychology. Children are molded by the milieu they are raised in, as apparent throughout the story of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Countless times we are exposed to children who are raised in different environments, from the Finchs to Ewells to even the Cunninghams. While we follow Scout, a 6 year old girl, and Jem, a 10 year old boy, through the story, we get to see their characters’ personalities evolve and change due to when and where they grew up at. We also get to experien ce how theyRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Character Analysis1244 Words   |  5 PagesWas Atticus Finch was the true hero of To Kill A Mockingbird? Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird narrates the journey of Scout Finch from an immature, feisty, close minded young girl, to a strong, brave and courageous girl that now knows the truth about Boo Radley the towns ‘freak’. Boo Radley is middle aged man who is known as a creep but by the end of the novel they realise that he is a nice man. Scout is the daughter of Maycombs brave and courageous lawyer, Atticus Finch who defends Tom RobinsonRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Character Analysis756 Words   |  4 Pagesso that she could end the aggression her father gave her. Mayella is powerful due to the fact that she is white, her family is the poorest family out there, but because of her color she will always be preferred over African-Americans. In â€Å"To Kill A Mockingbird,† Harper Lee uses class, race, and gend er to determine if Mayella has power after all. In this case, power brought her down to be on a negative side. She may be white but because of the way she lives she will never earn the trust of others