tkamb

Cole FioriMr. Girt
English 10P
November 17th, 2013
To Kill A Mockingbird Essay
People around the world are blind, but something that someone has never felt before can open up their eyes to a spot-on life. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee demonstrates and shows a remarkable way of living life. Society is full of judgments and in order to break down another human being, you shall step in their shoes and see life from their point of view. “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) Atticus's advice "to climb into someone's skin and walk around in it" is much more than the typical advice to walk a mile or even just a few steps in someone's shoes. This important piece from Chapter 3 finds Atticus giving Scout the key piece of moral advice that directs her development for the rest of the novel. The simple wisdom of Atticus’s words reflects the pure manner in which he guides himself by this sole principle of to not judge someone until you walk in their shoes. At the end of the book, she succeeds in comprehending Boo Radley’s perspective of how the street looks different from where she stands. “You’re real nice, Uncle Jack, an I reckon I love you even after what you did, but you don’t understand children much.”(85) This shows that Scout wants to make sure the situation is clear for Uncle Jack and her family. She thinks her family will agree with her arguments. She wants her family to step into her shoes and look at her side of the conflict. It then became apparent Scout was correct. Her family did understand her side of the story. Scout explains the foul language and her defensiveness toward the situation. Her love and honesty will provide for a new point of view for Uncle Jack. The view that he made an untrue judgment. Also Scout makes a negative judgment into a positive one, on this day. However there is still judgment going on in Maycomb County and more eyes will need to be opened to the truth.
Scouts new friend aka “Boo Radley” was walking home with her after he just saved her and her brother’s life from Bob Ewell who then trying to take revenge on them or Atticus. When Scout started to walk away from Boo she noticed a street light that she has never came across before. “I had never seen our neighborhood from this angle….. onetime he said you never know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.”(278) This exemplifies Scout’s understanding and recognizing from Boo Radley’s point of view. When she was standing there and looking around she really opened her eyes and saw Miss Maudie, Miss Rachel’s house and as well as seeing Mrs. Dubose house. Scout now has seen everything in Boo Radley’s shoes and realizes that Boo did see everything that was going on in the town. Even though he was locked inside his house and not connected with the community, he knew exactly what was occurring in the town at the time, which in turn saved Scout from Bob Ewell. Scout’s understanding of this made her not to judge, but grow as a wise young human being. Which in turn made her aware of the people that are now involved in her everyday life.Throughout the novel, Jean Louise Finch develops as a human being, but not by becoming just an ordinary person in Maycomb County but through understanding that everyone has struggles and that it is important to look at their point of view first before your start to make judgments on their behalf. Scout now looks at what a person’s heart and soul shows instead of what just the person gives off on the outside. Atticus taught Scout to be wise, intelligent and to think as deep as she could. He had pressed her to look beyond just the looks of a man or women and try to visualize his ideas and his perspectives. In doing so it provides the time to rationally consider their views and who they really are, thus giving that person the respect they deserve. By the end of the book Scout finally starts to understand that her society is full of irrational and un-heart field judgments and in order to fully judge another human fairly you shall step in their shoes and see life from their point of view.