Examples Of Compassion In To Kill A Mockingbird

Improved Essays
The Dalai Lama once said, “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.” However, while this statement may ring true for the innocents, some may argue that monsters of society are undeserving of such compassion. Undeniably, there are such beasts in To Kill a Mockingbird’s Maycomb county – Mayella Ewell is willing to go along with her father’s plan to frame an innocent man for the most medieval of crimes, rape; Boo Radley is gossipped about throughout town and made out to be a heartless man that attacked his hardworking father; Bob Ewell is a racist that is even willing to brutally attack children as a way of getting revenge. However evil these people may appear, only the last of them is undeserving of compassion.
Mayella Ewell went along with her father’s plan of framing an innocent man for rape, making her rather unlikeable from a modern perspective; however, there was a method to her madness. It was made evident in chapter eighteen that Mayella lacked friends and a social life; she was also forced to do all the housework and take care of the children. Scout even went as far as calling her “the loneliest person in the world” (Lee 316). Even through the eyes of a child, such a seemingly unlikeable woman suddenly becomes someone who just needs a friend. The man she was trying to indict was paradoxically attempting to show kindness to her. When Tom Robinson, a black man framed as a rapist, was on the stand, he said, “She reached up and kissed me...I say Miss Mayella let me outta here an’ tried to run but she got her back to the door an’ I’da had to push her. I didn’t wanta harm her...” (Lee 320). Mayella did indeed deserve compassion, as she was burdened with an abusive father and a family that didn’t treat her as they should have. This, coupled with a lack of a social life (which could be debated as further negligence since often times abusers keep their victims away from others for fear of being discovered) and a town that thought of her as trash, left the open-minded like Tom Robinson and Scout to show compassion towards her. Arthur “Boo” Radley had a notorious reputation in the town of Maycomb, but he too was deserving of compassion. Boo was known throughout town for attacking his father with scissors and for being quite a hermit. However, not all residents of Maycomb felt this way. In a conversation between Scout and Miss Maudie on the matter, the latter said, “I remember Arthur Radley when he was a boy. He always spoke nicely to me, no matter folks said he did” (Lee 74). From this typically gossipy woman, these kind words must be sincere. Additionally, the end of the novel marks a major appearance of Boo, who saves the Finch children from an attack by Bob Ewell. While Jem and Scout were walking home, Ewell snuck up behind them in ambush; yet, miraculously, Boo was there and managed to stab Bob to save the lives of the children. Atticus, typically a colder, more serious person, uncharacteristically thanked Boo, saying, “Thank you for my children, Arthur” (Lee 458). Even Heck Tate shows compassion to Boo, if not in a rather strange way. He decided that he wanted the town to think that Ewell had fallen on his knife because, “taking the one man who’s done you this town a great service an’ draggin’ him with his shy ways into the limelight
…show more content…
Mayella was, in her own right, a sort of mockingbird; causing further damage to a victim of savage beatings, negligence, and perhaps even molestation would be a sin. Boo may have been mentally unstable, but he wasn’t a bad person; he too was a mockingbird of his own right, being raised by a father that Calpurnia claimed was “the meanest man ever God blew breath into” (Lee 19). Whether they deserved it or not, all three of these characters received at least a little compassion throughout the novel. After all, even Atticus said, “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” (Lee

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    What makes a hero? One might say a hero must be caring and thoughtful. Another says he must be brave and strong. In the books To Kill a Mockingbird and Anthem, there are two men who may have what it takes to be a true hero.…

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To Kill A Mockingbird To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee shows empathy in many different ways. Atticus shows empathy toward blacks and the town recluse. He upholds the law and looks out for his clients' best interests, even when it hurts his reputation. His willingness to put himself in others' shoes is most evident when he agrees to defend Tom, a black man falsely accused rape, without considering how his actions might affect others, including his family. Atticus identifies with Tom's plight and shows empathy by standing against racial inequalities and prejudices without concern for his own wellbeing.…

    • 293 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To Kill a Mockingbird Maycomb County, 1930’s a well segregated, opinionated, always in other people’s business little town. When the Tom Robinson case comes to session it’s all the little town talks about. To Kill a Mockingbird Is a novel about the Finch family taking on the daily struggles of the 1930’s in Maycomb County. From Scout Finch getting in trouble at school, Arthur(Boo) Radley, Jem Finch’s friend Dill, Mrs.Dubose, The trial bringing troubles to the Finch family, and surprise visit from Aunt Alexandra. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee displays how people can have empathy toward each other, despite their backgrounds.…

    • 773 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The teaching of empathy The music artist Tom Finn once said, “We have to teach empathy as we do literacy”. Atticus and his son Jem, in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, demonstrate the meaning of these words in how Atticus teaches Jem to be empathetic. Atticus, a hard working man with great morals, wants to teach his children the importance of empathy. His son, Jem, learns from different experiences that if he wants to understand what is happening in his community, he must step into their shoes.…

    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Empathy allows people to understand others. Empathy is represented in the novel To kill a Mockingbird. Throughout the book characters are taught empathy and some learn how to have it over time with maturity. There are numerous events that show the empathy the characters use to understand others. In To kill a mockingbird a family lives in a racist community named Maycomb.…

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Wouldn’t you think that compassion is always a good thing? Generally we associate this with good. However, in the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates how the theme of compassion, though can be good, also could be dangerous.…

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Moral development, based on Kohlberg’s theory, states that children undergo levels and stages of morals through the years of growing up; mainly in childhood. The theory says that they’re three levels — pre-conventional, conventional, and postconventional morality. Within those three levels, they’re two stages in each level: thus, having six stages in total. The stages themselves describe a child's behavior and their thinking. But, not every child goes through the same levels and stages at the same time —each one is different — neither go through them in order nor all the stages side by side.…

    • 1829 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In order to give Scout and Jem more accurate and modern views about society, Atticus starts by showing them how to use the tool of empathy in everyday life. Atticus understands the feelings that the people of Maycomb have about his position on race, but he’s still kind and gracious to them because he understands that they each have varying degrees of suffering in their own lives; “Atticus would sweep off his hat, wave gallantly to her and say, ‘Good evening Mrs. Dubose! You look like a picture this evening’”(Lee, 115). Atticus knows quite clearly the opinions that Ms. Dubose has about his profession and on Tom’s trial, but he still takes the time to greet and to compliment her. This is because he also knows about her struggle with morphine addiction, and after putting himself into her shoes, he realizes that her insults are…

    • 796 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Examples of Courage in To Kill a Mockingbird Courage is a theme that has been used in literature since the beginning of writing itself. One of the many forms of literature are novels. Novels use courage as a theme to show a character or group being able to overcome their fears and reach their objective. A very well known novel, of the 20th century, is Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.…

    • 1040 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    "To Kill A Mockingbird" Throughout the story of " To Kill A Mockingbird " Scout will learn how to use empathy and show compassion to solve disagreements between her and fellow residents of Maycomb. Being a ' Tom boy ' in Scouts society is not ideal for women. Aunt Alexandra would like for Scout to act more feminine despite Scout having no interest in doing so. Scouts new teacher, Miss Caroline, would like to control the rate in which Scout learns to read. This would include not letting Atticus read to scout every night like he usually does.…

    • 1168 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mayella symbolizes domestic violence well throughout these past few chapters. “She was bruised up when I got there, and she had a black eye comin’”. (Lee 225). That is another example of why Mayella symbolizes domestic violence in this book. These were the three main topics in To Kill a Mockingbird and I believe that Harper Lee explain them very well.…

    • 599 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In a household containing seven younger children, Mayella has become the major caregiver since her abusive alcoholic father assumes no responsibility whatsoever. Even with her limited status and sad predicament, it is ironic that Mayella does have power over others. Mayella Ewell is part of a social class cut off from most of the county. The members of her family are often frowned upon due to the filthy conditions in which they live. Mayella and her family are so used to being treated disrespectfully, that when they confront even the smallest amount of respect, it is perceived as an insult.…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Tom Robinson Trial Report

    • 912 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Tom Robinson; Convicted Rapist declared guilty after heated trial. Hundreds of Maycomb residents assembled in a courtroom earlier today to watch the testifications against Tom Robinson, a black man convicted for the rape of Mayella Ewell. Atticus Finch, the lawyer of Tom Robinson thoroughly questioned the prosecutors and the defendant in an attempt to assemble common ground from the various versions of the events of November, 21. Maycomb’s Sheriff, Heck Tate was the first person called to the stand to share his testimony, he stated that he was fetched by Mayella’s father on the night of November, 21. He was informed by Mr. Ewell that his daughter was raped by a black man, a beat up Mayella was found at the scene lying on the ground by…

    • 912 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the novel “To Kill a Mocking Bird” harper lee illustrates that social norms have a negative impact on innocent people. In the novel, scout discovers that evil is always around but the goods of the people can change that. Born into poverty, Mayella Ewell is an outsider in Maycomb. She had no friends and no one that loved her, she never felt the love from anyone, not even from her parents. During the trial, Mayella knew that she was going to win, even though she was at the bottom of society, she knew the advantage she had of being white.…

    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The people that surround her abuse Mayella physically and mentally while treating her as nothing more than an extra hand. Scout even says this about Mayella in Chapter 19, “As Tom Robinson gave his testimony, it came to me that Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world. She was even lonelier than Boo Radley, who had not been out of the house in twenty-five years.” It was because of this loneliness that she reached out for Tom Robinson. Mayella saw something in Tom that she hadn’t ever seen in her dismal and secluded life; compassion.…

    • 1065 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays