Theme Of Perception In To Kill A Mockingbird

Everyone has different levels of perception. Most people only view things from their level of perception. However, you will at some point in your life be put into situations where an event takes place and you will see it from more than just your point of view. With that, you will gain sympathy and compassion. During the book “To kill a mockingbird” Scout’s level of perception is altered by her experiences, a dinner with Walter Cunningham, hearing Miss Maudie talk about Boo Radley and how she teaches her uncle about there being two sides to every story.

Walter Cunningham accompanied Jem and Scout to their house for dinner. They were all eating their dinner when Walter asked for the molasses and poured it all over his dinner. Scout asked him what he was doing and began protesting how wrong it was that he had done so. She is brought into the kitchen and Calpurnia says to her, “Yo’ folks might be better’n the Cunninghams but it don’t count for nothin’ the way you’re disgracin’ em’- if you can’t act fit to eat at the table you can just set here and eat in the kitchen!”-page 33. At the time, Scout does not
In the novel Atticus has to defend a black man in court. So, the family experiences some serious backlash. When the family gets together Atticus’ nephew Francis, accuses him of being a “nigger lover” and this statement causes a fight between Scout and Francis. Uncle Jack jumps to the conclusion that it was all Scout’s fault so she teaches him a lesson. Scout says to him, “Well, in the first place you never stopped to gimme a chance to tell you my side of it - You just lit right into me.”-page 113. This forces Uncle Jack to see his error. After he listens to Scouts side, he realizes he misjudged her and now has a new perspective on sympathy and compassion. He now knows that even if you do have to teach kids what they have done wrong, you also have to have sympathy and compassion for