To Kill A Mockingbird Empathy

In the third chapter of To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus proclaims that “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”. At the core of this statement is the idea empathy and that people are greater than who they appear to be on the surface. Applying this idea to characters in the book can teach us invaluable lessons. Empathising with Mayella Ewell’s situation can help us to comprehend why people act in certain manners. Examining the character of Mrs Dubose teaches us that everyone is fighting their own battles and demonstrates what true courage is. Understanding Miss Caroline helps us to learn that people who are seemingly antagonistic are occasionally simply uneducated, can be well intentioned and still deserve our compassion.
By examining Mayella Ewell we learn about how people’s circumstances affect their actions. Empathising with Mrs Dubose corroborates to us the importance of treating everyone is with kindness, and that we can admire bravery that differs from our traditional definition. Walking in the shoes of Miss Caroline teaches us that we can sympathise with people who we disagree with and often people act a certain way because of how they have been taught, not because they posses cruel