Gifts can come in many different forms and have many different effects. It is not only a physical gift that can be given, but a gift of friendship, acceptance, or other things of this nature can be shared and have a greater impact than physical items. A gift can contradict the receiver’s original perspective of one’s character or personality for better or for worse, and this contradiction can spawn a new view of the gift-giver. Gifts given in Harper Lee 's To Kill a Mockingbird have properties of both physical and emotional meaning, and the characters use these gifts to create a new view for themselves, new relationships, and crucial developments in the plot of the novel that drive the story and allow the plot to advance.
Perspective, or how one sees something or someone, is a theme in To Kill a Mockingbird that is easily altered by gift-giving. Atticus Finch tells Scout that “you don’t really understand someone until you consider things from their point of view” (39). She takes this advice seriously, as she does everything she hears from Atticus and it proves to be true in many cases. For example, Dolphus Raymond is a character who is generally judged by the county because he married and had children with a black woman and seemed to be a drunk. The county did not however try to know him or understand him. They only based their judgement on their assumptions. Dolphus reveals to Scout and Dill that he is not a drunk and that he just prefers blacks over whites. Later on, Scout finds that she can relate to Dolphus as she learns that the white women in Maycomb are hypocrites. He keeps that information to himself because he knows no one will understand anyway. Scout has the opportunity during her encounter with Dolphus to see from his point of view and this demonstrates how Atticus’ advice proved to be true for Scout. Walter Cunningham is a lower-class boy with good character that is rejected by Aunt Alexandra due to her inability to put herself in his shoes. She says Scout cannot play with Walter “because -- he -- is -- trash” (301), but Walter does not intend to besmirch Scout’s name or use her for social status, for The Cunninghams are of lower class than the Finches, so Aunt Alexandra is really concerned about the image of her family’s name. Scout knows, however, that Walter Cunningham has good character and doesn’t see why class should be a factor. This could be due to her young age, but Aunt Alexandra’s rejection of the lower-class shows that her perspective of Walter is different from Scout’s. Because of Scout’s gift of (an attempt at) friendship to Walter and Atticus’ gift to the Cunninghams of legal help without traditional pay, the Cunninghams gave the Finches physical gifts after the trial was over, even though it was not won. Gifts given between characters even create a change in perspective that was necessary to the story in the novel. Some of the most obvious gifts in the novel affect the most important relationships between characters. Arthur “Boo” Radley gives Jem and Scout gifts through the knothole of a tree in the Radley’s yard. Scout’s, Jem’s, and most of Maycomb County’s perspective of Boo Radley is a six and a half feet tall man who “dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch” (16). Jem’s description of Boo painted the perfect picture of a mean, old, nasty man. When Jem and Scout discover that it is Boo that has given them these gifts; some gum, two Indian-head pennies, a broken watch and chain, grey twine, spelling bee …show more content…
If no gifts had been given in To Kill a Mockingbird, character’s perspectives would never have changed, and their perspectives of one another must change in order for any plot or character to develop. In any culture, gifts are a form of selfless gestures, given when one wants to assist, show care for, or strengthen a relationship with another person. When one’s relationship with another is strengthened, they can learn new things about the other, thus broadening their view of them. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the broadening of views between characters creates important developments in the novel’s plot that could not occur unless gifts were
Perspective, or how one sees something or someone, is a theme in To Kill a Mockingbird that is easily altered by gift-giving. Atticus Finch tells Scout that “you don’t really understand someone until you consider things from their point of view” (39). She takes this advice seriously, as she does everything she hears from Atticus and it proves to be true in many cases. For example, Dolphus Raymond is a character who is generally judged by the county because he married and had children with a black woman and seemed to be a drunk. The county did not however try to know him or understand him. They only based their judgement on their assumptions. Dolphus reveals to Scout and Dill that he is not a drunk and that he just prefers blacks over whites. Later on, Scout finds that she can relate to Dolphus as she learns that the white women in Maycomb are hypocrites. He keeps that information to himself because he knows no one will understand anyway. Scout has the opportunity during her encounter with Dolphus to see from his point of view and this demonstrates how Atticus’ advice proved to be true for Scout. Walter Cunningham is a lower-class boy with good character that is rejected by Aunt Alexandra due to her inability to put herself in his shoes. She says Scout cannot play with Walter “because -- he -- is -- trash” (301), but Walter does not intend to besmirch Scout’s name or use her for social status, for The Cunninghams are of lower class than the Finches, so Aunt Alexandra is really concerned about the image of her family’s name. Scout knows, however, that Walter Cunningham has good character and doesn’t see why class should be a factor. This could be due to her young age, but Aunt Alexandra’s rejection of the lower-class shows that her perspective of Walter is different from Scout’s. Because of Scout’s gift of (an attempt at) friendship to Walter and Atticus’ gift to the Cunninghams of legal help without traditional pay, the Cunninghams gave the Finches physical gifts after the trial was over, even though it was not won. Gifts given between characters even create a change in perspective that was necessary to the story in the novel. Some of the most obvious gifts in the novel affect the most important relationships between characters. Arthur “Boo” Radley gives Jem and Scout gifts through the knothole of a tree in the Radley’s yard. Scout’s, Jem’s, and most of Maycomb County’s perspective of Boo Radley is a six and a half feet tall man who “dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch” (16). Jem’s description of Boo painted the perfect picture of a mean, old, nasty man. When Jem and Scout discover that it is Boo that has given them these gifts; some gum, two Indian-head pennies, a broken watch and chain, grey twine, spelling bee …show more content…
If no gifts had been given in To Kill a Mockingbird, character’s perspectives would never have changed, and their perspectives of one another must change in order for any plot or character to develop. In any culture, gifts are a form of selfless gestures, given when one wants to assist, show care for, or strengthen a relationship with another person. When one’s relationship with another is strengthened, they can learn new things about the other, thus broadening their view of them. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the broadening of views between characters creates important developments in the novel’s plot that could not occur unless gifts were